Marco Bezzecchi
Honda will be desperate to improve their fortunes in MotoGP in 2025 after suffering a dismal season last year.
The Japanese manufacturer were bottom of the constructors’ championship in 2024 with just 75 points. Johann Zarco managed Honda’s only top 10 finishes all season in Indonesia and Thailand.
Optimism is not too high for improvements this year. Zarco has even said Honda’s 2025 bike may be worse than its predecessor.
The Frenchman will remain with satellite team LCR this season with rookie Somkiat Chantra partnering him. The factory team have opted to retain riders Luca Marini and Joan Mir.
Marco Melandri says Marini and Mir are ‘in crisis’ as he casts doubt over the duo and whether they can lead the team out of their poor run. The factory Honda team finished last in the teams’ standings in 2024.
2020 MotoGP champion Mir has struggled to find any performance at Honda since joining the team from Suzuki in 2023. But the Spaniard will be encouraged by what his fellow riders have found in testing.
Aleix Espargaro is ‘starting to love’ Honda’s 2025 bike after testing
Honda have recruited Aleix Espargaro from Aprilia as their reserve rider for the 2025 season. The Spaniard retired from full-time competition at the end of 2024.
Espargaro knew his career was over after he crashed during the Sprint race at Jerez, stating he did not want to fall from his bike again. The 35-year-old can now enjoy a more relaxed role as he tests Honda’s RC213V ahead of the 2025 season.
Pre-season testing is well underway after MotoGP held its Shakedown session at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia. The official test at the track is set to take place on February 5-7.
Espargaro has been testing the Honda bike since the post-season test in Barcelona in November. Espargaro previously said the bike’s balance was not right, but he has now had more time to get accustomed to the machine.
And full-time rider Mir will love hearing what his fellow compatriot is now saying about Honda’s 2025 challenger. Posting on Instagram, Espargaro said: “I’m starting to love the RCV213V”, as he gears up for the official test this week.
What is worrying about Aleix Espargaro’s lap times in private test with Honda
As per MotoGP’s concession system, Mir and Marini can test alongside Espargaro to try and bridge the gap in performance between Honda and the rest of the field.
As well as testing in Malaysia, Honda also conducted a private test in Jerez – the host of the Spanish GP in April. But the results from the session may be worrying for the factory team.
Espargaro outpaced Mir and Marini in Jerez – on the one hand that is an impressive feat given the limited experience the 35-year-old has had on the Honda machine.
But after such a miserable season in 2024, this will be concerning for Mir and Marini. The duo will be desperate to find performance from the RC213V in 2025.
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