Why Honda’s latest MotoGP tech update is its biggest philosophical change

So bad are Honda’s current problems that Marc Marquez remains its top rider in the 2022 standings by 14 points despite not having raced since the Italian Grand Prix.

Ahead of the summer break, Honda boss Alberto Puig admitted Honda has to “change the way of thinking” back at its Japanese base to dig itself out of the hole it has found itself in.

Honda’s woes are a combination of factors. The major injury problems for Marquez back in 2020 highlighted just how much he was making the difference on an RC213V that was almost impossible for any other rider to get the best out of.

Riding below his peak in 2021 and his eye injury woes at the end of the year meant Marquez was not able to contribute much to the development of the 2022 bike.

Honda made a massive change in concept with its bike for this year, making it more rear-biased to try and cure the rear grip problems which plagued its riders in 2021.

This hasn’t worked, and moreover changed the way in which Marquez could ride the bike. Famed for his aggressive entry to corners and his feel of the front tyre, Marquez was unable to employ his normal riding style in the races he did contest this year before his absence following Mugello to have a fourth major operation on his right arm.

When he returned to the paddock in Austria, Marquez said Honda had to “change the concept” – both with its bike and how it operated in general.

Assessing Honda’s year so far on Thursday at Aragon, HRC’s technical chief Takeo Yokoyama said: “We made a radical change on the bike from ’21 to ’22. In the beginning we were more confident that we were on the right direction.

“But obviously we cannot be as confident as we used to be of course. Of course now it’s time to study and make the decision on what to do with next year’s bike.

“Obviously, we have found out some things are going as we expected, but some other things are not working as expected. So, we need to make some kind of combination for the next year. So, we will not stay completely like we are doing now, but we will not go back to the old concept.”

While all eyes were on Marquez last week at the two-day post-San Marino GP test at Misano, which marked his first ride on a MotoGP bike since Mugello, it was what was going in the Honda garages that proved most significant.

In a major departure from conventional working practices, Honda ran a swingarm built…