Honda and Yamaha are the most successful constructors in MotoGP history. Honda leads the race with 25 titles while Yamaha is in the overall 3rd position with 14 Championships. Moreover, Honda owns the record for the most number of wins (300+) with Yamaha coming 2nd with close to 250 wins. But in recent years they have been struggling a lot in the MotoGP. DeshiBiker took an insightful look and, here, will reveal why Honda and Yamaha are struggling in MotoGP.
What has Happened to Honda and Yamaha in MotoGP?
Marc Márquez is the last racer to win a Rider’s Title with Honda. He won the prize of being the latest Honda rider in 2019 and no Honda riders have managed to do that in the next 5 years. Although Honda riders claimed 7 titles in the previous decade (2011-20). That’s a sheer downfall. Meanwhile, Fabio Quartararo is the latest Yamaha man to win the Rider’s Championship in 2021. Between 2008-21, Yamaha riders clinched the title on 6 occasions but haven’t managed to do so in the last 3 years.
Honda’s 25th as well as the latest Constructor’s Title came in 2019, when they made it 4 in a row. So, the most successful constructor in MotoGP history has gone 6 years without the Manufacturer Championship Title. Meanwhile, Yamaha grabbed their latest (14th) Constructor’s Title in 2015, making them trophyless for a decade! So, what’s the problem with the 2 popular Japanese brands? Why are Hondas struggling in MotoGP? Why is Yamaha struggling in MotoGP Reddit? Also, Why is Yamaha not doing well in MotoGP? Let’s try to find it out.
Why Honda and Yamaha Struggling in MotoGP?
Some key reasons behind the struggle of the Japanese constructors in MotoGP are as follows:
Magneti Marelli Spec ECU Effect
The introduction of Magneti Marelli as the spec ECU proved to be vital. The Italian constructor brand Ducati hired Magneti Marelli’s engineers with a view to optimizing the new shared ECU. It has dramatically provided them an advantage over other constructors. In fact, previously the Japanese brands were reputed for stronger proprietary electronics. But the implementation of spec ECU knocked them back!
Poor Improvement and Lack of Aerodynamics
There is little doubt that Yamaha and Honda haven’t improved their bike much compared to Ducati’s. In fact, the Italian constructor brand has many aero packs to control the motorcycles. They have leveraged the aerodynamics aspect to get additional benefits. Seems like, the Japanese constructors are a bit old school compared to their European rivals.
Gigi Effect
Ducati Corse General Manager Gigi Dall’Igna has been simply superb. He has developed a legit chassis based on data from more than half a dozen motorcycles. The Gigi effect put Ducati ahead which means Yamaha and Honda automatically fall behind.
Ducati’s Better Investment Policy
A few years back, people used to laugh at Ducati. The Bologna-based brand rarely had success. But they kept investing in technological development and personnel while also fixing the bike issues. And now they are getting the results.
Bike Issues
The bikes manufactured by Honda & Yamaha are having issues that put the riders in a problem to match their counterparts who use Ducati bikes. Among many issues, one of the serious problems has been: the rear tyre up to temperature. It was observed to be a problem for all their racers during the Australian GP. It caused the riders trouble during the opening laps. No doubt, the racers had plenty to complain about the Japanese bikes.
Absence of Great Rider
Critics also think that these Japanese brands had issues from years ago. According to them, a top-level Marquez was the savior for Honda during his peak. Meanwhile, Rossi & Lorenzo were the reasons behind Yamaha’s success. Someone also claims that Fabio Quartararo outperformed the Yamaha bike’s issues when he claimed glory in 2021.
Bad Spell
Another reason we could find is bad spells. In sports, you always go through ups and downs. If we go half a decade ago, you could notice Honda & Marquez’s domination. And if we go further back to 10 years, you’d find Lorenzo or Rossi (Yamaha) domination. That’s how the sports work. One may notify the same things at the F1. Right now Red Bull & Verstappen dominate, meanwhile 5 years ago Mercedes & Hamilton had the upper hand. Similarly, 20 years ago Ferrari reigned with Schumacher. Same story in football as well, 2006-15 FC Barcelona dominated Europe meanwhile from 2016 onwards it’s been Real Madrid’s supremacy.
More Dependency on Technology in MotoGP
Some experts found out a crucial fact that, nowadays, MotoGP has been quite like F1. The riders don’t have much to do. Instead, the winner is decided by the best aero package or equipment like ride height adjusters and holeshot devices. So, the personal skill of the rider isn’t as vital as before. However, many of these devices will be banned from 2027 and who knows, the Japanese brands may get some serious advantage then.
Some fans refused to agree that Honda and Yamaha are faulty for their falling back. Instead, they have given credit to European brands like KTM, Aprilia, and especially Ducati. According to them, Honda & Yamaha are right in their places, in fact, it’s the other brands that have advanced and hence the Japanese brands have fallen behind. That surely makes sense. A few have debated bringing COVID-19 as a factor for the setback of the 2 alluded brands.
There can always be debate, but, one thing is sure no constructor or team can dominate all years or seasons. You must have ups and downs in sports and that’s the reality. Honda wouldn’t have 25 titles if they were too bad and so would Yamaha (14 titles). But one thing we must remember is that there was constructor like MV Agusta who once dominated and then completely disappeared. So, everything is possible in sports and the fans will be only hoping for strong comebacks of the 2 renowned Japanese brands as soon as possible.
