Alex Rins: Honda support was not the same as Suzuki

A five-time race winner and factory rider for his previous six MotoGP seasons with Suzuki, Rins chose LCR on the basis that - unlike rival offers from Gresini Ducati and RNF Aprilia - he would have access to the latest bike.

Adding to his confidence, the Spaniard’s two-year contract was directly with HRC.

But cracks appeared to emerge when - after starting the season on different chassis parts to the Repsol team, and despite ending Honda’s MotoGP win drought with a shock victory (and Sprint runner-up) in COTA - Rins continued to wait for the latest RCV parts, including the Kalex chassis.

Whether such developments would actually have aided Rins is a matter for debate, with Marc Marquez and Joan Mir later switching back from the Kalex.

But the perceived lack of ‘support’ no doubt helped send Rins into the arms of Yamaha, which exploited an early release clause for a factory team offer.

“Honestly, I don't want to say it was so difficult to make the decision, but it was not easy [to leave LCR], let's say like this,” Rins explained of the Monster Yamaha move.

“My [Honda] contract is official, is factory, but the support was not the same as I had for example in Suzuki.

“It was not easy [to leave LCR] because I'm feeling super good in the team, Lucio [Cecchinello] is a super great person.

“But in the end, to be in a factory team is not the same as being in a satellite team.”

Although 'excited' for the 2024 challenge, Rins - currently recovering from leg fractures at Mugello - insisted he is eager to return to duty and help LCR Honda.

“I'm so excited for the coming season, for the new team, but still there are races this year,” he said.

“So I will try to come back as soon as possible, just go give my feedback to Honda, to Lucio, because they are struggling.

“I consider myself a rider with experience. So I would like to come back as soon as possible to help them, to let's say arrive to the top together.”

Watching, on crutches, from trackside in Austria, the 27-year-old noted:

“What I saw is that for example exiting from Turn 2, the chicane, our bike [Honda] is shaking a lot compared to the others. [But] I didn’t see big wheelies, with the new wings on the Honda, exiting from Turn 3 for example.

“[But] looking from the outside, it's quite difficult to judge or to see small things.”

With Yamaha in a similar technical situation to Honda, the Japanese brands are currently tied on points for last place in the constructors’ standings, behind Ducati, KTM and Aprilia.

“For sure I'm quite impressed in how the European brands improved their bikes,” Rins said. “The step they made is impressive, because it's not just Ducati. It's also Aprilia, it's also KTM. I mean, they work really hard.

“It's true that right now the two Japanese manufacturers are on the back. From the results, we can appreciate that Honda is suffering more than Yamaha, in Silverstone, also here. But they are working for sure to improve.

“I don't want to judge, but I think they [the Japanese manufacturers] need to change the mentality, the way of work. But it's not in the riders' hands, it's more on the engineering side.”

Rins is the only Honda rider to finish on a Sunday grand prix podium this season and, despite missing the past four rounds due to his Mugello injuries, is HRC’s top rider in the world championship standings (14th).

Johann Zarco will take over Rins’ seat at LCR next season.