MotoGP | Qatar GP: Alberto Puig talks about his first weekend as Honda team manager

MotoGP Gp Qatar Honda Repsol – The first event of the 2018 MotoGP is always full of expectations and news. New riders on the starting grid, changes of jersey and, as in the case of the Honda Repsol team, a new team manager.

At the end of last year, Livio Suppo resigned as Honda team manager, after a career full of successes, which ended with the 2017 drivers' and constructors' title. In his place, the house of the golden wing called Alberto Puig.

The Spaniard's very first move was to renew Marc Marquez's contract until 2020, and then focus on the 2018 season. This weekend, Puig attended a MotoGP race for the first time as Team Manager of Honda Repsol , and through the team blog, he recounted his debut.

What was the strategy for the race in Qatar?

“The strategy for the race in Qatar was very important: to stay calm during the first four or five laps, because our drivers used the harder tyres. We were worried about the cool temperature at the start of the race. But they handled the first laps quite well and everything went well. This was our main goal for the first part of the race.”

Positive and negative sides after the race?

“The positive side is that we achieved a podium on a track that is always difficult for Honda and our riders, so we achieved a good result. And we could clearly see that compared to other years we have made a big step forward. We are also sure that Dani could have been in the leading group until the end and fought for the podium. But he had some problems with his rear tire and this was the handicap that hurt the team's overall result.”

The view from the pit wall during the race?

“I have watched races from the pit wall for many years and we all know that if you are really involved in the race you suffer a lot!”

Any inside stories from the weekend?

“After a few laps of the MotoGP race, we suddenly had a blackout on the TV monitors in our garage. The Repsol Honda Team technicians immediately solved the problem, thanks to a Honda generator!”

Photos: Alex Farinelli