Honda signals no Marquez for Misano test

The Repsol Honda Team has raised doubts that Marc Marquez will ride at next week’s Misano MotoGP test.

Round 14 of the 2022 season, the San Marino Grand Prix, takes place this weekend at Misano but it is the two-day test on the following Tuesday and Wednesday which will be crucial for Honda.

The Japanese marque had hoped that its six-time champion would be able to ride for at least part of the test, but there is scarcely a mention of him in its preview of five days of action on Italy’s Adriatic coast.

By way of contrast, Pol Espargaro and test rider Stefan Bradl, the latter of whom continues to fill in for Marquez in grands prix, both spoke about next week’s programme in addition to the race event.

Officially, there is no confirmation that #93 will not test, but while he has been cleared to train on a motorcycle again following his recent check-up, it does not bode well for Honda.

Although the Misano test takes place on September 6-7, 2022, it is effectively part of the 2023 pre-season given lessons from the outing will be put into developing the RC213V for the post-season test which follows this year’s finale at Valencia.

Speaking on Spanish television at the Austrian Grand Prix, Repsol Honda Team Manager Alberto Puig described Misano as “very important” and admitted they would be “a bit blind” if their talisman cannot ride.

“Hopefully Misano can give us a boost after a hard weekend in Austria,” said Puig on DAZN.

“I am fully focused and committed to continuing to give everything to the Repsol Honda Team and we are all working together to find solutions.

“The two-day test will be very useful and important for this, we have to work well over the whole event because we then head to a very intense period with the flyways.

“We stay focused, we stay motivated and we keep on pushing.”

He added, “Normally, the Misano test is very important to prepare a ‘prototype’ for Valencia.

“If he’s not there, we’ll go as we’ve been going so far, a bit blind, honestly.

“We have had two riders. In these past cases we have had to rely a bit on Pol [Espargaro] and then on the test rider, but of course, the one who knows this bike best from experience…

“A rider knows a bike by the time he has been on it and by the quality of the races he has done.”

Marquez has been out of action since a fourth operation on his right arm in June.

He underwent one of his regular check-ups in the days following the Red Bull Ring event, at which time he was cleared to “intensify” his training, including hopping onto a motorcycle.

Honda’s update at that time stated regarding riding a motorcycle, “From the findings of this outing, Marquez and the Repsol Honda Team will assess the following steps needed.”

The Japanese marque thus appears to either still be uncertain as to whether the Spaniard can ride at Misano, or has given up on the idea.

Despite having missed seven races this year already, including two due to concussion/double vision after his Mandalika Warm Up highside, Marquez is still the highest-ranked RC213V rider in the world championship.

With two thirds of the season done, he occupies 15th in the standings, immediately ahead of stablemates Takaaki Nakagami (LCR), Espargaro, and brother Alex Marquez (LCR).

Bradl is yet to score a point in six rounds as an injury replacement and one as a wildcard, while Honda is last in the constructors’ championship and its factory team is ninth in those standings.

In better news for the Japanese marque, it has now confirmed the signing of 2020 MotoGP champion Joan Mir, who moves across from the Suzuki team which is closing down at season’s end, to replace Espargaro in 2023.

Practice at Misano starts this Friday evening (AEST).