MotoGP: Wet handling still a problem, Marquez says

The handling problems that stymied the first part of Honda's 2015 MotoGP season are still present in wet conditions, says Marc Marquez.

The reigning world champion crashed out of second place in last weekend's British Grand Prix at Silverstone while chasing Valentino Rossi's Yamaha in increasingly heavy rain. Marquez's title defense has been hampered by the aggressive power delivery of the 2015 Honda not suiting his riding style. His discomfort with the bike was a factor in a string of early-season errors that dropped him out of the championship battle.

A switch back to a 2014 chassis has cured much of the problem in the dry, but Marquez said Silverstone proved work is still needed to make the bike amenable to ride on a wet track.

"The floating feeling at the rear that we had at the beginning of the season in dry conditions, in the rain I have that feeling again," he explained. "In the end, I lost the rear and when I tried to save the crash I was already flying.

"In dry conditions you are able to try different setups but the last time I tried the bike in the wet was Austin, and then we had big problems with the floating feeling. The biggest problem with the floating feeling is that you don't have any control to save the crash.

"If you don't have grip at the exit of the corner, maybe you will be slower but you will be safe because the traction control is going in. When you have this floating feeling, the problem is that when it comes you cannot do anything, just try to manage. And a small mistake means a crash."

He said Honda had now found solutions to work around the fundamental problems in the 2015 design.

"After the Montmelo [Barcelona] race we changed the chassis and we did some big changes on the bike, and then from Holland I was able to change the riding style," said Marquez. "The character and the problems are still there, but we are able to fix them now."

As well as the engine characteristic hampering a previous Honda strength, Marquez believes Yamaha has gained in what had been its weaker areas.

"Last year one of my strongest points was braking. I was really good there, then on the mid-corner speed maybe a little bit less, then on acceleration I was good," he said. "This year with this engine we cannot ride like this.

"We need to brake a little bit earlier, prepare the exit of the corner more because the bike is becoming aggressive. Yamaha since last year have improved the exit and also the braking point – they are braking really, really deep now.

"We are working on this because I think we cannot lose this potential on braking. But this year we must lose it a little bit to try to gain on the exit."

Originally on Autosport.com