Honda’s six-time MotoGP champion Marc Marquez has spent Friday practice at Phillip Island trialling a variety of new parts and aero configurations.
The Japanese manufacturer is in a busy development period, with Marquez’s return from injury providing it with an opportunity to pave a clear way forward towards the end of what has been an extremely disappointing MotoGP campaign.
At various points on Friday, Marquez’s Honda RC213V sported redesigned front winglets (pictured below – new version top, old version bottom), a revised aero layout on the side and Honda’s take on the ‘stegosaurus’ wings on the seat unit that have become a frequent sight on the Ducati Desmosedici bikes.
The new front and side aero, Marquez said, was an evolution on a concept already tried when he made his return to the RC213V in the Misano test – its grand prix weekend introduction delayed as development continued, with MotoGP factories only allowed one added fairing homologation per season.
“It’s what I received here – this evolution in the front, in the bottom area, plus the rear,” Marquez said.
“It’s true that it’s a special circuit to try these things – but one of the problems I have this year is, like, this heavy feeling in the front, the turning, and we are trying to fix – by the chassis, by the aerodynamics, by all the things.
“And today I tried many times the current one [aero], the new one, with tails [on the seat], without tails, and then I tried only the front part. We made a mix because like this they need to understand.
“I cannot work in another part of the bike so I stay with the set-up of Thailand and keep going – but I feel some positives, this was the most important.”
Marquez then clarified that the principal effect of the aero tweaks was not so much better turning but less physicality, at least at Phillip Island.
“The good thing to try will be Malaysia [next weekend],” he emphasised. “Because here you don’t have long braking points, everything is flowing, so the crucial test will be Malaysia.”
Marquez stressed his fellow Honda riders went in different set-up directions, which is “natural here in Phillip Island” given its high-speed, relentless nature.
Team-mate Pol Espargaro ended the day half a tenth off the pace, in third, while Marquez was another quarter of a second off in sixth.
In FP1, Marquez was seventh, his best time set on the previous aero spec before he focused on the new version in FP2, albeit without the seat appendages.
He expects to stick with the new front and side aero (pictured above – new version top, old version bottom) through the rest of the weekend, but may also give another runout to the ‘stegosaurus’ wings.
“I will arrive in the pitbox tonight and they will say to me the plan. Now we are in the situation that we are working together of course, but if we receive something new then I need to follow the plan of Honda and my team.”
Marquez acknowledges he is “sacrificing a bit” his ultimate potential at Phillip Island in prioritising development work.
“Now we are in a moment and in a point that we are not looking for the best result of the weekend. Of course I will try to do my 100 percent, tomorrow and Sunday, but we need to understand also for the future.
“And I push Honda a lot to make things to try, so when I receive [those things] I need to try.”
