Why Honda's rivals have reason to fear its 2022 MotoGP bike

The prolonged absence of Marc Marquez after his injury in MotoGP's 2020 season-opening Spanish Grand Prix generated a huge void at Honda, as well as the worst drought in the Japanese manufacturer's history. It went 581 days without a win before Marquez broke through in emotional scenes at the Sachsenring last June.

As if that were not enough, the absence of the man who until then had accumulated six titles out of the last seven coincided with two elements that had an enormous impact on that 2020 season: the coronavirus pandemic and the introduction by Michelin of a new casing in the rear tyres.

Honda was tied hand and foot. Already without its only real weapon to fight for the world championship in Marquez, it also couldn't develop itself out of its predicament, having been limited in areas it could address by the engine freeze agreed with the Motorcycle Sport Manufacturers' Association (MSMA) as a cost-saving measure. Worse still, this was not due to expire until 2022.

With all these restrictions, the Honda engineers concluded that the arrival of the softer rear casing - that had generated so many headaches in 2020, chiefly for Ducati - called for a different motorcycle philosophy in which the rider would focus more on the rear and less on the front.

That meant turning around an equation that in previous years had brought Honda several titles. And at the Japanese manufacturer, as in most organisations that compete in sporting events, results rule. However, Marquez's unquestionable numbers up to that point were no guarantee that the bike wasn't crying out for a major overhaul. All they indicated was that the Catalan was capable of winning with it. And sure enough, after his comeback, Marquez managed to score three wins in 2021 despite being physically depleted.

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But of the three other factory Honda riders, only one more podium arrived courtesy of Pol Espargaro's second place behind winner Marquez in the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Misano. Honda at least improved from fifth in 2020 to fourth in the manufacturer's standings, but it was clear that Marquez was merely papering over the cracks. A change was evidently needed.

Much changed Honda for 2022 was the result of two poor years following Marquez's arm injury sustained at Jerez in 2020

Photo by: Dorna

When asked by Autosport at the Mandalika test if Honda would have made such a radical overhaul of its bike for 2022 had he won more in 2021, Marquez's reply was blunt: "No, obviously not. The big change in the bike is given by the lack of results. The previous years, in 2018 and 2019, the problems were also there, but I was able to win the world championship. So what was the point of changing?"

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Since he made his MotoGP debut in 2013 and duly won the premier class title at his first attempt, Marquez has been accumulating more and more weight within Honda's structure. It is completely logical that this should be the case - until now, it was taken for granted that the RC213V was made by and for him. Given his success that reasoning made perfect sense, particularly when considering the struggles of his team-mates since the departure of Dani Pedrosa after his first winless season on the Honda in 2018, which broke a streak dating back to his debut in 2006.

"I don't agree that Honda designed their last bikes for Marc," said Pol Espargaro. "What happened is that he had more ability than anyone else to adapt to what was there. That's why it's understandable that Honda, with Marc winning, didn't think of a revolution like the one that has been done now.

"The Honda is the bike that has surprised me the most. Both Pol and Marc have been very fast, and maybe they are a little bit more prepared than the rest" Alex Rins

"In recent years, tyres have changed, both in grip, compounds and also in construction. And because of that, the bike has to be built from another concept. It wasn't a question of being fast, but of preparing for this new era."

HRC team manager Alberto Puig agrees: "Seeing where we were getting to with the previous bike, Honda thought that the situation required a change. It is important to take the emergence of the rear tyre construction as a reference. We have changed the concept because the data collected made it advisable."

As to whether Marquez will be able to make a difference again, despite not having as much influence on the development of the new machine, Puig is clear: "A good rider adapts to everything and finds a way to change his riding according to what he is given. And a rider who is not so good finds it a little more difficult or doesn't get it. I have no doubt that Marc will adapt".

In fact, according to Marquez and Espargaro's impressions, Honda's work this winter has been exemplary and reflects the muscle of the most powerful company in the paddock.

The new Honda may be less atuned to Marquez's skillset, but his boss Puig is confident he will adapt

Photo by: Honda Racing

Between these opinions and the records left by the stopwatch after passing through Malaysia and Indonesia, the competition has reason to be uneasy. If Fabio Quartararo was the most solvent in terms of pace, across the last three days of the pre-season in Lombok, the average of all the laps places Espargaro and Marquez second and third in consistency, both less than a tenth off Quartararo.

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The long-run pace of the official HRC pair, especially in Mandalika, has led many to predict that Honda is in a strong position to fight for the win when the championship gets underway in Qatar next month. Among them are other riders, including Suzuki's Alex Rins.

"The Honda is the bike that has surprised me the most," he said on Sunday. "Both Pol and Marc have been very fast, and maybe they are a little bit more prepared than the rest."

Based on what has been seen this winter, this new Honda is not only faster and more consistent, but also less critical - in the five days of testing, its four riders have only suffered eight crashes. But what guarantee is there that the tyres won't change again?

Piero Taramasso, Michelin's top manager in the championship, has pinpointed 2024 as the next shake-up when a new front tyre will be introduced. 

"[Michelin] talk regularly with the teams, and we keep them abreast of our development program," he told Autosport. "The new rear construction, for 2023, will only be a minimal adjustment from the current one. It's not a revolution at all. The data, in fact, is the same.

"The big change is foreseen for the front casing for 2024. That will be a rubber that will give more grip in support and will be less sensitive to temperature changes. It will also be more environmentally friendly."

Honda has made the most radical change to its MotoGP bike over the winter. Given the form of Marquez, its star asset of the last decade, making such a change posed risks. But its gamble - though one made out of necessity - looks like it has paid off in a big way.

Pol Espargaro topped pre-season testing, and the revised Honda appears to be a considerable improvement

Photo by: MotoGP