Marco Bezzecchi
Honda have made dramatic improvements to their MotoGP operations over the winter and are real contenders for the top 10 this season.
A disastrous campaign with the worst bike on the grid saw them finish fifth of the five manufacturers last year.
Towards the end of the season, there were signs of progress for Honda, who failed to finish higher than eighth between their satellite LCR team and the factory outfit.
They managed to better that after just one race in 2025, as Johann Zarco finished seventh at the Grand Prix of Thailand.
It could have been even better if the accident-prone Joan Mir didn’t fall off his bike and retire from the race while running in the top 10 too. There’s some genuine hope for the Japanese manufacturer.
Mir says Thailand ‘confirms’ Honda’s recovery but they won’t want to get ahead of themselves yet, with 21 races left to go this season.
Luca Marini has urged Honda to make use of additions to make their bike better, with test rider Aleix Espargaro bringing some vital experience to the. He can help them develop the bike.
READ MORE: Honda engineers had to ‘control themselves’ after what Joan Mir did during testing
Romano Albesiano says suggestion that Honda’s MotoGP turnaround is on him is ‘absurd’
Honda welcomed a new technical director to their MotoGP ranks last October, when they secured the signing of Romano Albesiano.
He had been Aprilia’s technical director and was considered to be a big coup. It’s no coincidence that the team has begun to turn things around since his arrival.
Or is it? He told journalist Manuel Pecino that the bike already had a good base, and that he has only had to organise things.
“I spoke with Romano [Albesiano] for 30 seconds. I asked how much of [the turnaround] is yours? He told me it’s absurd that I have the credit for having changed the bike,” he said.
“No, the base [was] there [already]. The only one who had [to] organise the work and he told me [that] organising this was not easy because there was so much quantity.”
How Honda can use one key advantage to make more MotoGP progress in 2025
Honda has a key advantage over three of their main rivals when it comes to the development of their bike in 2025.
As part of the concessions system, they’re not part of a two-year engine freeze ahead of the 2027 regulation changes, which prevent Ducati, KTM and Aprilia from spending capital developing their engines.
Honda and Yamaha are free to push and develop as much as they would like, and are permitted to use two extra engines per rider, per season.
If they can attack that vulnerability, they have the potential to extract much more from their bike, and they might even be able to snatch a podium somewhere this season.
Thailand suggests that all four of their bikes at least will be top 10 contenders at every race weekend (If Somkiat Chantra can join the party).
Receive racing news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
