After years of Marc Márquez's dominance at Sachsenring, Honda took the flag on Sunday (20) without scoring a single point in the Constructors' World Championship. It was another bad chapter in a year where everything has gone wrong for the Japanese carmaker
2022 is not easy at all for Honda. And as if anyone still needed evidence, the German Grand Prix highlighted the perilous moment for the golden-winged brand: for the first time in 40 years, the Japanese outfit dropped points in the premier class of the World Motorcycling Championship.
After years of Marc Márquez's dominance at the counterclockwise Chemnitz circuit, Honda arrived without its biggest star, who is recovering from surgery on his right arm, the fourth since the fracture he suffered in the 2020 season opener at Jerez de la Frontera.
MOTOGP STANDINGS
▶️ Quartararo wins 3rd and extends lead into MotoGP 2022
That left Pol Espargaró and replacement Stefan Bradl, and the LCR Honda starters: Álex Márquez and Takaaki Nakagami. Of these, the German test rider of HRC was the only one to see the flag, but only in 16th, and victim of burns due to the high temperatures reached by components of the bike in the German heat.
Pol Espargaró, victim of a strong tumble in TL1, dropped out due to severe pain in the rib, while Nakagami crashed. Álex Márquez had mechanical problems and also had to abandon.
Thus, for the first time in MotoGP history - that is, since 2002 - Honda failed to score points. In premier class terms, it is the first zero since the 1982 French GP at Nogaro, a race that was boycotted by many riders because of the track conditions.
A historical embarrassment that highlights the poor conditions faced by Honda in 2022 and the latent need for changes not only in the official team, but also in the satellite structure.
MotoGP returns to the track next week for the Dutch GP in Assen, the 11th round of the 2022 season.GRANDE PRÊMIO is following all the activities of the 2022 MotoGP World Championship.