Yamaha clinches ‘Japanese Cup’ at Sachsenring as Marini admits Honda’s shortcomings
Yamaha claimed an important psychological victory over Honda at the German Grand Prix, pipping their Japanese rivals for the third time this MotoGP season. Scoring 17 points to Honda’s 13 at the Sachsenring, Yamaha further strengthened its lead in the hotly contested battle for Asian manufacturer supremacy – having previously won at both Le Mans and Assen.
Fabio Quartararo once again proved vital for the Iwata-based team, securing a place on the second row with a remarkable sixth place finish – a rare feat for the struggling M1 machines this season. Quartararo’s strong Saturday performance was complemented by Jack Miller, who also took Yamaha into Q2, a scenario rarely seen in recent times. Meanwhile, Luca Marini emerged as Honda’s top qualifier, finishing 12th on the grid, but benefited from the absence of Marco Bezzecchi. Under normal circumstances, no Honda would have made it past Q1 – a new low for the Japanese marque in 2024.
During the sprint race, Quartararo’s determined ride earned Yamaha another important point, finishing ninth ahead of Diogo Moreira and Marini. After the sprint, Marini reflected on Honda’s qualifying struggles, saying: “I think if we can start from the same position as Fabio, we can be better than Yamaha and finish ahead of them. The problem is that Fabio did an incredible lap in qualifying and that makes a difference on short circuits, especially in sprint races, but even more so on tracks where it is difficult to overtake. I think we can still We are ahead of Yamaha, but qualifying is not our strong point,” said Marini, representing Honda HRC.
Sunday’s full distance race brought more challenges. Both Marini and Quartararo suffered serious tire management problems, with Marini lamenting that his RC213V suffered the most tire management problems. “In the end, the Sunday race we always have the worst conditions of the weekend, because we go out after Moto2, it’s hot, and we use the medium rear tyre, so our grip is always a little less. But I think it’s the same for everyone, so you just have to deal with it,” Marini commented.
He added: “Especially on this track, it was not just the rear but also the front. There was a lot of understeer and movement at the front, so turning into corners was not easy. We tried to improve the front but there’s not much more we can do right now.”
Quartararo ultimately finished seventh, while Marini finished eighth, trailing both Miller and the 2021 world champion for most of the race. Marini observed that the Yamaha, although seemingly slower, actually held the upper hand at the Sachsenring. “To be honest, Jack was very fast, very strong. Then all of a sudden, I don’t know what happened – he was very slow from one lap to the next. It was a completely different speed, so I don’t know what happened,” Marini admitted, citing Miller’s issues.
He added: “Also, to be honest, the Yamahas turn a lot. They turn a lot in the corners – turns, turns, turns! – whereas for us, it’s not easy this time. We struggle a bit more. On this track, the turning is very important, so in the end, the Yamahas were a little more competitive than us throughout the weekend and we lost the Japanese Cup. It’s an issue for them! But we’ll try again at Silverstone.”
Despite Honda’s difficulties, Marini remains the top-ranked rider on the Asian machine in the championship, and has broken into the top ten overall due to his continued consistency – he is the only rider to score points in every Sunday race this season, holding a 24-point lead over Quartararo, Yamaha’s highest placed challenger in 14th place.
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