Not at all Mike, there's not question about it..it's already been authoritatively established.
You really don't understand the corporate beast that is HRC do you? Perhaps you should reacquaint yourself with the reasons that your idol left? Honda always know what's best for their rider remember?
Genius. There you have it. Another Moto Vudu maxim. And that then applies to No.1 rider in history that has ever ridden for Honda? Let's see...that foolish Mick Grant and his oval piston folly, Spencer and his underseat tank insistence. "No need to worry about upgrading the chassis for '89" claimed an indifferent nonchalant Gardner after busting his bollocks throughout '88? Damn that inattentive Doohan ...92 was only a scratch, sod the medics, he should have been more concerned with the fuel injection flight of fancy intended by the HRC engine doctors for '93. Hayden went banging on the doors of HRC towers for that dodgy diaphragm clutch in 2006 did he? (actually, in truth he did)...but he certainly didn't ask for the raft of internals which was to help spawn the ah! ...mighty RC212v!!! And as for that abortion, I suppose we look no further than Pedrosa.
Actually, yeah, do blame Pedrosa come to think of it.
There are of course exceptions. Alex Criville was notoriously directionless at the helm of the 2000 NSR and granted, it wasn't until they actually listened and responded to Rossi and JB's feedback that they were able to craft the 2001 NSR around the rider to such resounding success again.
The main issue wth the 2015 RCV was the Sepang test. Was Márquez culpable? According to Nakamoto, kind of. Imagine that, 'HRC in rider to blame shock!!!' Surely not?
Of course Marc would have wanted more power. But I'm damn sure that the dialogue to HRC engineers wouldn't have gone along the lines of "and remember...it's nothing if it isn't peaky and unmanageable - and just to make it more of a challenge, could I possibly have an excessively stiff chassis to boot?".
Pre season that year, Honda brought new motors to the Sepang test and they were approved by both riders - in particular Márquez who enthused about the package. The excessive heat and humidity tamed the power and whilst also allowing for more flex in the chassis, did not exacerbate the rigidness of the new frame. Nakamoto conceded that HRC had made a mistake, but also that the riders too should have realised. Struggling with an overly aggressive motor which was in complete discord with the new chassis, all they could do was alter the throttle bodies and allow Marc to revert to the 2014 iteration. They did also concede that Dani, Marc, Cal and Scott were struggling to obtain a good lap time because of the engine characteristic.
So as lead developmental rider, should Marquez have realised that the extreme meteorological conditions at Sepang were taming the motorcycle? More importantly, would Honda have listened to him given that they hadn't either? I would suggest not.
From the comfort of our armchairs, (hi Segfault), very often we have no clue what is happening and our interpretation is often pure supposition. I remember last year at Qatar, when the Honda was so shockingly sluggish out of the turn (even more pronounced that this year) and the forthcoming wealth of speculative 'explanations' on this forum.
It turns that in addition to the new counter rotation, Honda had machined an excessively heavy crank to improve throttle response, yeah, I have no doubt the riders requested more feel on the gas, but are they then responsible for the lack of acceleration as a consequence of the solution? Marquez again hated the feel of the 2016 Honda, which delivered all the negatives of counter rotation in spades - such as understeer when leaned over and an overcompensating torque reaction. Again after Losail, the die was cast. It wasn't until as far into the season as Catalunya, that new chassis modifications arrived as I recall - which both riders rejected for their loose feel.
Last year, there had been a major rebalancing of all bikes to accommodate the Michelins remember, yet you laughably claim "the RCV is being developed for Márquez so if he has an issue with it he should be more careful about what development feedback he's giving his engineers." Like any contemporary prototype motorcycle, the RCV is developed around the tyres first, rider preferences second. In addition to major revision to the beams an attempt to ensure the retention of rigidity, (it didn't work) - there was a reduction in lateral strength to exact less pressure on the tyres when leant over. It transpires that the swing arm pivot point was lowered too which meant under acceleration it would not lift the rear with as much force transferring less load forward onto the Michelins' notoriously dodgy front. This would have also have been of intended benefit to Dani who as I recall was having problems hooking up the rear. Both riders found the chassis not to their liking due to it's loose feel - Márquez again opting for a 2014 hybrid.
As No.1 rider you are actually suggesting that he was entirely to blame for this set of circumstances? Actually, retaining a two year old chassis, in addition to his new conservative approach to racing (I use that in the relative sense) delivered another title, and less so the direction that HRC had taken themselves with the new bike.
Actually if you remember, the 'new concept chassis' rejected by Márquez and Pedro trickled down to the LCR garage of all places. Christmas and Birthday arrived at once for proud new Dad Crutch, who with a broad spread of experience outside of GP and hailing from production racing must have felt quite at home with the flex. Certainly his results improved - I remember him commenting that it felt more like the Yamaha.
Actually, here's what you originally said, let me remind you...
View attachment 12433
