Peter Bom doesn’t think one Honda rider really wants to be on the 2025 MotoGP grid amid ‘horrible’ season

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Johann Zarco has been the only shining light for Honda in another disappointing season for the Japanese constructor, despite them already nearly doubling their points total from the 2024 season.

Johann Zarco‘s win for the LCR team at Le Mans ended the two-year drought for Honda, adding win number 314 for the winningest team in Grand Prix motorcycle racing history.

The rest of the riders on the Japanese team’s bikes have largely struggled, though, with Zarco being the only Honda rider within the top 14 of the riders’ championship.

The only silver lining for Honda comes in the form of the concessions rankings. The team are still classed within the D rank, which opens them up to more testing and freedom with engines than their rivals, which they are reportedly already taking advantage of.

One of the biggest disappointments of the season for Honda is the results from their rookie rider on the LCR team, Somkiat Chantra.

READ MORE: Everything to know about Somkiat Chantra from career to height

Peter Bom thinks Somkiat Chantra wasn’t given an option to say no to Honda’s offer of a 2025 MotoGP ride

Speaking on the Oxley Bom MotoGP podcast, Peter Bom mentioned that Chantra’s decision to accept the Honda LCR Team’s offer for a 2025 ride wasn’t actually much of a decision, as he wasn’t in a position where he could freely turn the opportunity down.

As the first-ever Thai rider in MotoGP, Honda saw the opportunity of having Chantra as a way to tap into the Thai market and bring a swathe of fans with him.

“I don’t think he was asked. It was not a question,” Bom said. “He was going to be on that bike. The guy was probably not wanting to be, obviously everybody wants to be in MotoGP, but not this year on a Honda because he is seeing what happens there.

“But you can’t turn that offer down. He couldn’t. There’s just no way. He also made history as the first Thai rider to be in MotoGP, and even though he’s having a horrible time, he is in MotoGP.”

READ MORE: Everything to know about LCR from the MotoGP team’s riders to Honda ties

How ‘horrible’ has Chantra’s rookie season in MotoGP been?

Chantra has had a bit of a torrid rookie season in the premier class of Grand Prix motorcycle racing. He has collected a single point so far this season after a 15th-place finish at the Dutch TT, and missed the following two rounds due to a ligament injury sustained during training.

Chantra finds himself in 26th place in the riders’ championship. He is the lowest-placed full-time driver on the grid, with Aleix Espargaro, who has only competed in three rounds as a substitute, the only rider below him.

It was previously reported that the engineers in the LCR team disregard Chantra’s telemetry entirely. He is often off the pace of his LCR teammate Zarco, who currently sits eighth in the championship with two podiums, including a win at Le Mans, under his belt.

Honda signed the Thai rider at the back end of the 2024 season, replacing Takaaki Nakagami. Chantra was signed to a single-year deal, and it looks like he isn’t going to be receiving an extension to it anytime soon.