Honda needs stronger leadership, says Mick Doohan

Aussie legend Mick Doohan reckons Honda needs stronger leadership to drag itself out of the doldrums in MotoGP.

After watching factory Honda rider Dani Pedrosa recently outclassed by Casey Stoner and Valentino Rossi at the Australian GP in Phillip Island, five-times world champion Doohan told MCN: “My take is that the Honda still need people on the ground.

“You need a strong manager who can take a few risks and make some quick decisions.

“It is not an easy thing for a big company like Honda to do, so I think the more pressure that comes out of the box the better it is for them to put some pressure on themselves.”

When Honda had Doohan and Valentino Rossi racing for its factory team, HRC was untouchable.

But the once dominant factory has won only one premier class title since 2003, and Doohan believes the loss of Rossi had a devastating impact on Honda.

“When Rossi left the heart of Honda left too. They are still racing but I don’t believe they are the best racing team they could be,“ said Doohan.