Box Confidential: Alberto Puig’s final files

1. Alberto Puig, last card.

Rumors are once again circulating in the paddock that Davide Brivio may take over the management of Team Honda Racing next season. A possibility that was ruled out at the last Japanese GP. Yes, there were contacts – the approach was from Brivio to Honda – but in the end they would have told the Italian coach no to his proposal. Since then, HRC’s structure has undergone a transformation, with the chief engineer of the MotoGP project replaced, a leading rider leaving the brand and the head of communications sacked. Currently, only managerial positions will be renewed as responsible positions. With this blank slate that Honda worked on, that continuity doesn’t make much sense, but its home times have always been very common. Puig insists he has renewed his contract with HRC for a year, while Brivio insists he is “in very good shape at the moment”, which was apparently not the case two months ago. In this story, nothing is as it seems.

2. Solomon’s decision.

I’m not going to assess whether the tires that condemned Jorge Martin’s race in Qatar last Sunday were as bad as the driver claimed, or perfect as Michelin described them today. However, taking advantage of the fact that Turia will pass through Valencia, I will launch a solomonic proposal to minimize the impact of the inevitable percentage of defective tires throughout the season. That means eliminating many outcomes. With 44 races a year, all drivers are going to be affected sooner or later, so leaving out a lot of results (to be determined) not only takes away the drama from episodes like last weekend’s, but it also makes it easier for example to It will give you a lot of margin. For the recovery of injured pilots. This is not a new idea, as such schemes have dominated the World Cup for many years, but now with 22 double GGPPs, there is even more discussion. I mentioned this to some drivers this weekend and they don’t understand the idea and want to reduce the number of races. But knowing the organizers of the championship, I think that retreating may not be an option…

3. People also cry with joy.

In theory, 2023 was supposed to be a transition year with most MotoGP riders waiting for their contracts to end in 2024…and ham! The list of drivers bidding farewell this weekend here in Valencia says otherwise. It marks the end of 11 years with Honda for Marc Marquez. For Pol Espargaro, it’s a farewell as a full-time MotoGP rider. In the case of Alex Rins, it is an epitaph from his express days at Honda. This is Johann Zarco’s final chapter with Ducati before joining HRC. And for Franco Morbidelli, we have come this far with Yamaha. Luca Marini and Di Giannantonio also remain on the schedule and will be riding a different bike on Tuesday than the one they will be riding this Sunday. I think they will all cry when they cross the finish line because of what they left unfinished. Some people cry with joy, so it’s not all sadness.