Honda, like its counterpart Yamaha, has been granted new concession points in the MotoGP regulations, providing them with greater flexibility in terms of developing their project to catch up with their European competitors. Alberto Puig, from Honda, acknowledges that these concession points will help them close the gap more quickly, as they are intended to assist factories that are lagging behind.
With the new measures initiated by Dorna and unanimously approved by the five manufacturers in MotoGP, Honda and Yamaha will have access to 260 tires for their test days. They can conduct private tests with any of their riders and have the freedom to choose the circuits. Six Wildcards have been distributed, 9 or 10 engines are now allocated per rider per season, with ongoing development allowed. Additionally, two aerodynamic updates are permitted.
Puig recognizes this as a real opportunity to start catching up. However, he emphasizes that it’s not just about having concessions and making the bike work; it’s about shortening the development period of the bike, and time is the real challenge.
In terms of testing, the new provisions allow the use of official riders for potentially more numerous tests on any track. This could be validated as early as the Sepang Shakedown from February 1st to 3rd, 2024. However, Puig cautions that they cannot rely solely on official riders for testing, as there are many races and they need to be careful. He warns that five or six days of testing in Sepang could end up “destroying” the riders.
Puig concludes that while these new points of concession are a significant help, Honda still needs to analyze how to make the most of them. As of now, nothing concrete has been implemented at Honda to exploit the situation fully.