Honda “have an advantage” over Yamaha at Barcelona MotoGP - Alex Rins
“In tracks like this, where the grip is very low, it looks like they have an advantage compared to us…”
A cold start to the MotoGP Solidarity Grand Prix of Barcelona did not provide any advantages for Yamaha, according to Alex Rins, who instead found themselves at a disadvantage even to Honda.
The cooler temperatures had been expected to improve the opportunities for Yamaha, who struggled at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in May when track temperatures were in the 40Cs.
The weather, according to Rins, was “freezing, [...] it’s on the limit to ride,” and, despite the relative optimism coming into this weekend, both Yamaha riders were outside the top-10 at the end of Practice, with Rins in 14th and one place behind his teammate, Fabio Quartararo.
In comparison, Honda seemed much better, with the LCR team’s Johann Zarco finishing fifth-fastest.
“It’s not the first time that we can see the Honda a little bit better than the Yamaha,” Rins admitted following the first day in Barcelona for this weekend’s Solidarity Grand Prix.
“It’s true that since some races I already say to the team that they have better grip than us, they have better mechanical grip.
“In tracks like this, where the grip is very low, it looks like they have an advantage compared to us.”
Rins also felt that Yamaha was struggling more at the Solidarity Grand Prix than they were at the Catalan Grand Prix over five months ago.
“It was a big question mark if it was going to be better or not,” Rins said. “But for sure, this GP is quite crucial, because we can compare data with a different bike that we were using in the sixth round here, some months ago..
“Honestly, we are struggling more than the first Montmelo GP.
“It’s a little bit more hard to get the traction, a little bit more hard to go into the corner. So, we need to find a way.
“Right now, it’s the truth: we are a little bit lost. We don’t know what to do to improve, just we need to keep working, we need to keep analysing, and it’s crucial to don’t lose the faith, to don’t give up.
“So, we need to keep working, but we are struggling.”
Alex joined the Crash.net team in August of 2024 having covered consumer and racing motorcycle news at Visordown for two years.
