Marc Marquez ‘discards’ one Honda prototype, ‘we are far, but…’

Out has gone not only last year’s 2022-spec bike, easily distinguished by its full livery, but also the most radical of the three ‘black’ prototypes.

While Marquez wouldn’t say exactly which machine he had rejected, the eight-time world champion said the ‘quite different’ bike will be put to one side - but could yet return at the Portimao test.

“Today, the Repsol coloured bike wasn’t in the box because it was the '22 bike and we concentrated on the three different black bikes,” Marquez said. “We tried all three bikes, already one we discard and tomorrow we need to continue working.

“No, I will not say [which bike has been discarded]. But maybe tomorrow it’s not in the box!

“Tomorrow we only have one day. You need to make some priorities and the bikes I feel better on, I will chose to keep working on tomorrow.

“There was one bike that was quite different and that bike I don’t feel a real good potential, but it has some interesting things. So now they must analyse and they have one month to continue in one way or the other way.”

While Pramac Ducati's day two pace setter Jorge Martin said he is ready to race his 2023 bike, Marquez said a decision on the specification of the new RC213V will only be made at the final Portimao test.

“The final decision will be the last day of the last test,” said Marquez, who was 13th fastest (+0.7s) on the rain interrupted second day at Sepang. “We have many things, small and big, and it’s easy to lose the way. We are comparing back-to-back to be very precise and not lose the way.

“We’re still far from the top guys, this is obvious.

"I had said today was time to try things and tomorrow to concentrate on the rhythm and small details. But we couldn’t [because of the weather] so tomorrow we’ll continue testing and continue with the three different bikes.

“I’ll say my comments, but they [Honda] will decide [to continue] either with both [prototype] bikes, or maybe in one direction, I don’t know. “

While Marquez was also vague on the feeling of the new aerodynamics, he gave a clearer answer to the engine.

“I’m riding always with the new engine. The old engine was in the bike with the Repsol colours.”

Marquez: ‘We’re not at the level to fight in the top 5, we are far’

Marquez, who had sent a warning to Honda at last November’s test by spelling out that the 2023 prototype on offer was not good enough to fight for the title, said today that they are not capable of fighting in the top five.

But he added that some of the deficit was down to his own riding performance at the Malaysian Grand Prix venue.

“Malaysia is one of my worst circuits in terms of results, riding style… but we are far. I believe we can improve a bit, but the bike must make a step,” he said. “At the moment we’re not at the level to fight in the top five.

“But I believe in Honda and still they have one month. They already said in the schedule after Valencia that Malaysia will be one step [of development] and Portimao we’ll try to do another step.

“Sometimes [what is said] in the computer is one thing, the reality another… But we want to push and I want to believe. We’re [only] in the second day of the 2023 season.”

In terms of what he’s looking for on the final day, Marquez explained:

“Still I’m struggling for my riding style with the front. But more than the front I’m looking for the connection with the gas on the exit of the corner. It’s there where the Ducati is making a lot of difference, exiting the corner in the acceleration from last corner. The first metres.

“Then the engine is powerful. The top speed and the engine is there. But we arrive late to the top speed because the acceleration is not weak, it’s just we don’t have traction.

“I’m looking a bit in all areas but those are two areas where I’m checking more deeply. It’s true we don’t play with set up at the moment. Just riding with the same set up and trying the new things.

“We have enough horsepower. Now we need to look how to be efficient,” he added. “This is the most important. The horsepower is there. Now we need to understand why we have the horsepower but we can’t use."

New LCR rider Alex Rins was the top Honda rider in eighth, with Marquez's new team-mate Joan Mir 16th fastest and Takaaki Nakagami 21st.