Santi Hernández , Marc Márquez’s track engineer, was one of the most wanted men at the Aragón Grand Prix. And it is that its pilot, the eight-time world champion, returns to the ring after several months out of combat.
Marc was able to test himself in the last Misano tests, with a satisfactory result, so he decided to finish his recovery and be among those registered to race in Motorland.
Santi said he was happy with the return of #93. “When you have been working with the same driver for almost eleven years, the feeling of seeing him again gives you joy. Not because of the good relationship I have with him, but because I like this sport,” he explained to the media on Thursday.
“The Misano test was for him [Marc], to understand what situation he was in after a long time without getting on a MotoGP bike. The results were positive and he had a good feeling”. Later, he revealed that “Marc drives in a better position” than before the operation . “He is already back to driving in a normal way. But he still needs to do more laps and gain strength.”
Although the engineer prefers to be cautious before his return. “The goal for this weekend is not to see old Marc again; the goal is for him to continue to prove himself. A test is not the same as a race. In a Grand Prix you have to do many more things. He knows that he can compete, but we have to see how he evolves over the weekend.”
He also said he was “surprised” with his pilot’s recovery , “after undergoing four operations and going through what he went through.” “That he does what he is doing is impressive. Every day he surprises me,” he added.
However, in the paddock there are doubts about whether Marc will be able to endure all the laps . “ If he is here it is because he believes that he can endure the entire race”, Hernández sentenced. “I have no doubts, if he’s here it’s because he can run. He’s smart and he knows where he’s coming from. He’s had some tough times, so he won’t make any aggressive moves. He knows what he should and shouldn’t do.”
In fact, the team is going to “plan a normal weekend”. “From the first training session we will see if anything needs to be changed for the other sessions. But the approach will be that of a normal Grand Prix, which is what he wants”.
“From the team we are not going to demand anything from him, because the most important thing in the remainder of the season is that he gets back in shape and have feeling . If the results come, they are welcome, but they are not the most important thing”.
What is clear to him is that Marc “has not changed”, something that he was able to verify first-hand in Misano. “In the tests he gave us good feedback to improve the bike. He hasn’t forgotten how to ride or how to convey his sensations to us. For me that’s important”. “The only thing that has changed is how long he’s been away,” he added.
And, as every time a member of Honda appears before the cameras, he had to talk about the obvious underperformance of the RC213V . “We know that we are not living our best years, and we have to make changes,” he acknowledged. “It is something we are working on for the future. But we don’t have to make drastic changes. We have to analyze what has happened, where we want to go and what we have to do. It is obvious that we have a problem , but for me the most important thing is that [in Japan] they have realized that some things have to start to change”.
One of those first changes will be the departure of Jenny Anderson , an electronics engineer in the orange box. ” It is something that has to do with HRC”, explained Santi. “It’s nothing personal with her, she’s doing a really good job. Sometimes to get better you have to find the right person, not because she’s not doing well, but because we’re looking for other things.”
Hernández denied that Marc’s absence had helped them improve , but admitted that it did make them see that “there are areas in which we have to improve.”
When asked about these “changes” and “areas for improvement”, the engineer was somewhat annoyed . ” To try to improve, we have to talk inside, and with the public we have to be positive. Where we have to talk is in the truck and with the engineers, not here,” he settled.
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