The Honda MotoGP bike that Stefan Bradl rode at the Spanish Grand Prix received overwhelmingly negative feedback from the brand’s regular MotoGP riders. The updated RC213V had a completely different look, with a new aerodynamic layout and seat unit. Bradl, who is a Honda test rider, performed decently in his guest appearance, qualifying as the second fastest Honda and finishing ahead of regular rider Luca Marini in the race, despite being 40 seconds behind. However, during the post-race test day at the same track, it was the LCR satellite team riders who had the opportunity to try out the prototype bike. It was revealed by official rider Joan Mir that he and his teammate Marini had already tested the bike in Barcelona and were not impressed. Mir stated that he would not be testing the bike on that day. Similarly, both Johann Zarco and Takaaki Nakagami from LCR came to the same conclusion, expressing their disappointment with the bike’s performance. Zarco mentioned that there was only one area where the bike showed some improvement, but overall, lap times were not satisfactory. Despite this, Zarco acknowledged that the information gathered from the tests would be valuable for Honda to determine the development direction. However, he did not foresee testing the prototype bike again. On a positive note, Honda introduced some new features on the engine side, which the riders hesitated to discuss in detail, but saw as a step in the right direction, especially in addressing the cornering issue.
