Casey Stoner shares concern over Honda and Yamaha quitting MotoGP
Suzuki shocked the entire paddock by quitting the series at the end of last year, and fellow Japanese manufacturers Honda and Yamaha have struggled ever since despite each having a recent MotoGP champion on their bike.
Stoner, who won his two premier class championships with Ducati and Honda, is concerned for the future.
"I don't think Honda and Yamaha are to blame for the current situation,” he is quoted by Speedweek.
“Rather, I think the rules have been changed to help European manufacturers with their aerodynamics.
"A few years ago it was actually decided to ban all aerodynamic aids, but then this plan was suddenly overturned again.
“That's why Suzuki left MotoGP and I'm concerned that Honda and Yamaha will also leave because what we have now is not what they committed to.
“The bikes are now Formula 1 cars on two wheels.
“Last time I looked, it was still a motorcycle sport and not Formula 1!
“A few years ago it was said that it should go in a different direction, but now it has changed all of a sudden.
“Aerodynamics consumes a lot of resources and it is also the case that it is more difficult to develop something quickly in Japan than in Europe, but that is exactly what aerodynamics is about.
“It's hard to tell what's going on in the minds of the decision-makers at the Japanese manufacturers, I haven't spoken to them personally.
“But the fact is that they are struggling and maybe they don't want to follow this development.
“In my opinion, there shouldn't be all these winglets and stuff anyway."
Honda’s Marc Marquez won the title in 2019, Suzuki’s Joan Mir won in 2020 and Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo won in 2021.
But Ducati are currently dominating, with fellow Europeans KTM the nearest challengers, leaving Marquez’s Honda and Quartararo’s Yamaha languishing behind.
James was a sports journalist at Sky Sports for a decade covering everything from American sports, to football, to F1.
