Dani Pedrosa urges caution on Honda team changes

Dani Pedrosa has told Honda not to tamper with its factory MotoGP squad as a row between HRC management and title sponsor Repsol escalates.

Pedrosa signed a new two-year deal at the Motorland Aragon last weekend but talks between Repsol and Honda have hit deadlock.

Repsol is rumoured to be stalling on extending its title sponsorship for a 17th season with Honda planning to install Livio Suppo in a Sporting Director role next season.

Honda has responded by saying Repsol has no sway over the personnel hired by the Japanese factory.

Pedrosa and his manager Alberto Puig have refused to deal with Suppo in 2010, who left Ducati at the end of last season to join HRC in a marketing role.

The outcome is stalemate with Repsol and as yet no agreement has been finalised.
Pedrosa, who finished second in Sunday’s race, said: “I don’t know how he (Suppo) works and I don’t know him. This structure right now is working quite well now and I think it will be difficult to make it better.

“I don’t see how we should change things when they are working. It is so hard to get things working well and you have to work a lot to get things correct and suddenly when it is correct everybody wants to change.”

Pedrosa is currently 56-points adrift of Spanish rival Jorge Lorenzo with five races remaining.