In every heartbreak there is always a time when one of the parties knows that the break will come and, in one way or another, prepares for it. In the relationship between Honda and Jorge Lorenzo , that moment came a month ago in Alcañiz.

Until then the Spaniard, who this Sunday in Motegi will meet 200 races in MotoGP, had already starred in debates in the dome of the brand. Despite the secrecy of the Japanese leadership formed by Tetsuhiro Kuwata, Shinichi Kokubu and Takeo Yokoyama , the team knew that Lorenzo's continuity in 2020 had been questioned and that it was Alberto Puig , technical director and responsible for his signing, who responded for him. But in Alcañiz the majority of doubts were dispelled. In the Aragonese circuit, Lorenzo not only finished twentieth, he also accepted defeated and criticized the changes made this year in the Honda RC213V to improve the top speed and overcome the Ducati straight. "It should be a more bearable motorcycle, not so difficult to ride butt, so that everyone can drive it," he claimed and that, in such a delicate moment, he warned the end.

In Honda they understood that, despite the margin that should be granted to a newcomer, his bad luck for injuries and his extensive curriculum, a pilot unable to get into the points with the same motorcycle as the world champion, Marc Márquez, does not It can stand up in demands and devised an alternative. As Puig warned so many times, despite the debate, until that moment the majority opinion in Honda was to fulfill the contract, that Lorenzo would follow next year and that it would be replaced in 2021. But his results and his attitude forced to organize a plan.

And the first step was to look for a substitute, a very complicated task. Although it sounds strange being Honda the best factory in the World Cup, at the end of the summer all the riders with possibilities, both in MotoGP and Moto2, had already signed contracts and in the market there was no one able to compare themselves with Márquez. The pilots of the satellite teams, veteran Cal Crutchlow and Japanese Takaaki Nakagami , offered no better prospects than Lorenzo and the brand's tester, Stefan Bradl, Moto2 champion in 2011, had been out of the competition for three years. It seemed that the alternative path was ending soon, but an option emerged.

In Alcañiz, Johann Zarco dissociated himself from KTM and, despite being negotiating with Yamaha to become his test driver, the Frenchman presented himself for Honda as an interesting option. They signed him. And in the last three races, from Sunday 27 in Australia, he will climb the Nakagami Honda RC213V to show if he is able to approach the podium with her. Champion of Moto2 in 2015 and 2016, Zarco astonished in MotoGP with the Yamaha satellite in 2017 and 2018 and became one of the most sought-after riders, but this season it was not known to adapt to the KTM. In Honda you will have a second chance and if you take advantage of it, the brand can continue with your project.

And the second step of it cannot be other than to reach an agreement with Lorenzo. After the failure of his approach to Ducati, the three-time MotoGP champion should accept a farewell to the championship, but Honda is confident that, if necessary, the rider himself accepts the failure. After all, in recent weeks he has always acknowledged his misfortune. «I don't know if I'm lost or not, but the results are not good and there is no progression. It is the reality », he accepted yesterday upon his arrival in Motegi and for that reason he can reach an agreement. In the team they still dream of an improvement of Lorenzo before the end of the season - which finally ends in the top 10, for example - and with the repair of their relationship with the leaders, but both variables are complicated. One of the parties has already prepared for the farewell.

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