Marc Marquez's bike "was not fast" - but this is why...
Bradl tested the Honda RC213V in Jerez ahead of the new MotoGP season, where Marquez is hoping to challenge for a seventh premier class title and end two years of injury hell.
"We did 100 laps, but that's not relevant because we weren't really fast because the tyres didn't work well in these weather conditions,” Bradl told Speedweek.
“It was cooler here on the two days than in Phillip Island in October, when it's really cold there. In addition, at Phillip Island you have other tyre compounds.
“I got the same tyre compounds here as at the Grand Prix, but in May it is 30 or 35 degrees here. The test was very borderline because of the weather. Everything went well, but conditions were not good, especially on Thursday; a very cold wind was blowing. It was partly cloudy, and the Michelin tyre compounds did not work ideally in this weather. That was difficult.
“You won't see from the outside that the motorcycle is completely turned upside down. Because that's not possible in such a short time.
“You have to be realistic and make sure that you don't get even more lost. We are trying to get one problem after another under control and make the whole package a bit more powerful. But not just in one area, but we have to bring all the pieces together everywhere.
"More power is always the goal. I don't think it has become less. But at these low temperatures with a maximum of 12 degrees, the air is very oxygen-rich.
“In Sepang it will look very different at 35 degrees and high humidity. There, because of the heat, it's a completely different story.
“We have now placed the test parts on the table for the Malaysia test and pre-sorted them. But all new parts have to be confirmed and clarified again in Malaysia.
"We made attempts to get started. Because it was so cold in the morning, we thought we would use the time for launch attempts. I always drove such slow laps, and since the outside temperature was only 9 degrees, the tyres cooled down completely.
“I only turned around slightly before this left-hand bend – and clumsy, the bike has already slipped away from me. Nothing happened to me, but it was still annoying. But my, nothing broke on the bike in the end."
The next phase of Honda’s preparation will come at the shakedown in Sepang, before Marquez will get back on the bike at the official test on February 10-12.
James was a sports journalist at Sky Sports for a decade covering everything from American sports, to football, to F1.
