Rins: “I would appreciate it if Honda give me something new”
Rins started Sunday’s Grand Prix from 15th, and after missing out on scoring points during the inaugural MotoGP Sprint, Rins leaped up to tenth place come the checkered flag.
However, a large reason for that was due to crashes and incidents ahead of him, as Marc Marquez, Miguel Oliveira, Jorge Martin and Luca Marini were all in positions to comfortably finish ahead of the LCR Honda rider at the time of their accidents.
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Suffering from the same problem as Fabio Quartararo, which was overtaking, Rins said: "The most difficult thing for me was the overtakes. I am frustrated. I couldn’t overtake any rider, apart from at the start. It was a disaster.
"When Fabio overtook I was able to ride with him. But I was struggling a lot. In the last part of the race, the front was pushing a bit.
"I did my best. I put the bike on the limit. It reminds me of two years with Suzuki, losing on the straights and recovering everything on the corners."
Rins has his say on MotoGP Sprints
While the Sprint races divided opinion between riders, Rins was one of those who leaned towards it being too aggressive.
But with that said, Rins also pointed to it being the first race of the year and therefore not a surprise that riders wanted to show what they could do.
"For me, the sprint race was more aggressive than the normal race," added Rins. "But it’s true that it’s the first of the season and everyone was so excited - maybe it’s because of this.
"Tension? Yes. New teams, new people on the teams. Last year there was also a lot of aggression in the races. The bikes are getting faster, there is more aero. It could be because of this, also."
Next up for Rins and Honda is Argentina, a venue where the Japanese manufacturer has traditionally gone very well although a lot of that has been down to Marquez who will not compete this weekend after being ruled out due to injury.
But Rins is not thinking too far ahead and has instead asked Honda to provide him with help.
Rins said: "In Argentina, I would appreciate it a lot if Honda give me something new to try. The track might be better, there is a long straight there also."
