2023-06-23 17:00:41
Stefan Bradl (33) finished ahead of Marc Márquez on Alex Rins’ LCR-Honda in Friday’s first practice session at Assen, but in FP2 he slipped down to 21st, leaving only the two reserve riders Iker Lecuona (Repsol Honda) ( GASGAS Tech3) and Jonas Folger behind.
«The second session is only half an hour over, and to be honest, it’s not always easy to then calmly analyze everything at Medium Scrum. So now I have to be careful what I say, »sighed the Bavarian. “Yes, in the end, of course, you expect more and hope for more, and you want more. But afterwards it’s hard to accept reality as it is. After an hour or two it’s back to normal. But at first it is difficult to put the whole situation into words. Sure, I can now mention that my bike configuration isn’t that great and not my preferred one, I know that if I could pick a spec it probably wouldn’t make a time difference in the end.”
“We have no choice but to do everything in our power to somehow get closer to the top. But with disillusionment one has to say that this is always associated with a great deal of risk. and eventually you get to the point where you have to wonder. Should I take the risk to be maybe 0.2 seconds faster. Still, that’s not enough.”
“I already mentioned yesterday: If it left me cold… But I’m just not happy with 21st place. That bothers me a bit. I want more. Driving is also more, I notice that. But we stand in line. Accepting that is not so easy in the long run. It has to get better at some point.”
Stefan Bradl managed a strong seventh place at the 2020 World Cup final in Portimão as a Márquez replacement at Repsol-Honda. In the last two years he has almost always sped past the points – and even serial winner Marc Márquez has slipped down to 19th place in the World Championship.
That means: Honda has been at a technical standstill for at least 2.5 years.
Bradl: «Yes, the competition has become faster, we haven’t. That’s no secret. Last year I drove 1:33.0 minutes here in qualifying. now I’m at 1:33.5 min. The numbers don’t lie. And it also feels like this: nothing comes from Honda that makes it easier for you. It takes so much hard work, you have to use so much aggressiveness. And the bike doesn’t give you anything back.”
Bradl does not use a Kalex chassis, the Japanese chassis from Alex Rins even seems to be from 2022.
How can a manufacturer like Honda crash like this? “The descent was a process that started in 2019 or 2020. Or maybe earlier, I don’t know. At some point we took a wrong turn. We made a detour and never found our way back on track.”
Cold consolation for Stefan: “Ducati won the title in 2022. Before that it also took them 15 years to repeat the success of 2007 with Stoner. That was kinda funny too. Sometimes I don’t understand that either.”
Mentally, the constant driving at the limit is very stressful because of the constant risk of falling with the Honda. ‘It’s already exhausting. But to be honest, driving in this situation is more tiring mentally than physically.”
MotoGP combined times after FP2, Assen (23 June):
1. Bezzecchi, Ducati, 1:32.063 min
2. Martin, Ducati, + 0,130 sec
3. Miller, KTM, + 0,155
4. Bagnaia, Ducati, + 0.200
5. Vinales, Aprilia, +0.245
6. Quartararo, Yamaha, + 0,278
7. Aleix Espargaró, Aprilia, + 0.345
8. Brad Binder, KTM, + 0,386
9. Marini, Ducati, +0.406
10. Alex Márquez, Ducati, + 0,518
11. Zarco, Ducati, +0.606
12. Raul Fernandez, Aprilia, +0.731
13. Oliveira, Aprilia, + 0.738
14. Nakagami, Honda, +0.872
15. Bastianini, Ducati, +0.892
16. Morbidelli, Yamaha, +1,043
17. Augusto Fernández, KTM, + 1,117
18. Di Giannantonio, Ducati, +1.241
19. Marc Marquez, Honda, +1,422
20. Savadori, Aprilia, + 1,432
21. Bradl, Honda, +1,438
22. Lecuona, Honda, + 1,657
23. Folger, KTM, + 2,337
MotoGP result FP1, Assen (23 June):
1. Bezzecchi, Ducati, 1:32.246 min
2. Vinales, Aprilia, +0.314 sec
3. Alex Márquez, Ducati, + 0,368
4. Zarco, Ducati, +0.516
5. Quartararo, Yamaha, + 0,558
6. Marini, Ducati, + 0.635
7. Nakagami, Honda, +0.735
8. Martin, Ducati, +0.821
9. Miller, KTM, + 0,841
10. Aleix Espargaró, Aprilia, + 1.175
11. Binder, KTM, + 1,240
12. Bagnaia, Ducati, +1,252
13. Augusto Fernández, KTM, + 1,342
14. Di Giannantonio, Ducati, +1.387
15. Oliveira, Aprilia, + 1,427
16. Morbidelli, Yamaha, +1,647
17. Bastianini, Ducati, +1.656
18. Raul Fernandez, Aprilia, +1,695
19. Bradl, Honda, +1,743
20. Savadori, Aprilia, + 1,809
21. Marc Marquez, Honda, +1,865
22. Lecuona, Honda, + 2,117
23. Folger, KTM, + 2,495
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