Espargaro blown away by “next-level” Honda MotoGP chassis

The “next-level” chassis Honda has introduced in recent MotoGP races is capable of delivering a performance benefit of up to four tenths of a second, according to test rider Aleix Espargaro.

Factory riders Luca Marini and Joan Mir have been racing an upgraded RC213V since the summer break, enjoying a significant pace advantage over the satellite bike of Johann Zarco.

Mir scored a season-best sixth place at the Austrian Grand Prix in mid-August, while Marini followed it up with a top-finish at the new Balaton Park race in Hungary. The Italian was also running strongly in last weekend’s Catalan GP until a late tyre drop-off dropped him from fifth to eighth in the closing laps.

By contrast, Zarco has yet to receive some of the same updates as the factory HRC riders and has endured a difficult spell, with Barcelona marking his eighth straight race outside the top 10 or a retirement.

The most significant of Honda’s changes is the new chassis, which was first tested by Espargaro at a private session in Barcelona.

The Spaniard was so impressed with its performance that he personally pushed for its adoption, describing it as a game changer for the squad.

“One month ago, I arrived here and one of the items for testing was a new chassis,” he said prior to the Catalan GP. 

“I tested it and I couldn’t believe the difference. It was amazing. I did many back-to-backs and I said to the engineers, it’s not possible, this chassis is next level. 

“So when I finished the test, I said to Romano [Albesiano], ‘you have to bring the chassis to Joan and Luca’. 

“He said, ‘no, they will not test during the grand prix’. I said, ‘yeah, they will. I will text them and I will say that they have to’. And I texted both of them and I said, ‘you guys need to test this chassis. It’s really a big step’. 

“I didn’t expect to improve that much here in Barcelona. And they tested it, and both Luca and Joan liked it so much. So obviously, I agree with Luca that the last [few] circuits were quite strange. 

“But I tested in Barcelona and the chassis was three, four tenths faster. Honda is working hard, and I’m happy to see the progress.”

Joan Mir, Honda HRC

Photo by: David Ramirez / Soccrates / Getty Images

After the Catalan GP, Mir was more cautious in his assessment, admitting that while the chassis offers benefits in some areas, it also takes away from his natural strengths.

“It’s not the one thing that you put on the track and straight away you feel better. You have to work a bit and trust a bit on it, and [spend some] time testing,” said the 2020 champion. “It’s not something that comes to me very naturally. 

“I don’t feel so good with that at the moment. I think we penalised a little bit on my strong point, which is braking in the second part, and now I cannot do it anymore with this chassis. 

“Then, the natural turn looks like it’s a bit better. But normally, I make the turn before. Now, ok, there I turn more, but I want to turn here. We are just trying to understand [it].”

Additional reporting by Oriol Puigdemont