Track Report by Alberto Puig [Repsol Honda Team - Team Manager]

Give us a summary of the weekend, the performance of Rins shows there is potential in the bike.

If we look at the end result of the weekend and we have to make a judgement, it is undeniably a very positive weekend. A Honda bike won the GP, this is the objective we set out with each weekend. For the past few months, our potential has been questioned but today we proved that our bike is has some good potential within it.

We appreciate a lot Alex Rins’ efforts during the GP, his riding, his focus and his performance were what was needed. He showed that he is clearly a very fast rider, and we have to also take note and be pleased with the progress and evolution of the bike that we have had in a few races.

Mir had a weekend with a lot of potential, what do you think is the last thing he is missing?

It is true that Joan has a lot more potential. He must continue to improve his relationship with the bike and deepen his understanding, week by week he is making this progress. It has been complicated with some falls, but we as HRC believe his potential is at least the same as Rins because they have been racing together in the same team for many years and you can see the results they had together.

Sooner or later, Joan will find the last thing he needs to really understand the bike. He is working a lot with his position of the bike and made a step in America with it.

How is Marc Marquez, we saw him watching the race at home?

Marc continues to follow the plan set out by his doctors and is progressing. He will have another check before the Spanish GP to confirm the situation with the bone in his hand. From that point we will understand fully how his recovery is going. Certainly, this weekend’s results will have pleased him, we still have to improve the bike but there is potential.

And what’s the final message from the weekend?

The final, and key, message from the weekend is to confirm that all of the hard work from everyone in Japan and Europe is paying off. Everyone inside HRC is giving their maximum to return to the front, everyone from HRC Japan to the LCR Team, to the Repsol Honda Team is really working hard with this one goal in mind. Today, thanks to the effort of Alex Rins’, we were able to get the reward of victory and prove that we are still here, still working and still challenging.