Joan Mir and Luca Marini set ambitious Honda goal for the 2026 MotoGP season

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Honda have enjoyed a positive MotoGP season for the first time in quite a while, as they move up the concessions tiers following 2025.

Joan Mir scored two podiums, and Luca Marini scored points at every Grand Prix he finished, as the Japanese manufacturer made a clear leap over their 2024 offering.

Honda’s next step is to try and be competing at the sharp end of the grid regularly, and work on some of their inconsistencies.

If they can make further progress next season, then it may be time to start considering them for a MotoGP title challenge once more in 2027, when the new regulations come into effect.

Honda may regret not signing Luigi Dall’Igna at the end of 2023, after making an approach that was rejected by him. Presumably, the terms didn’t meet his demands.

After finishing seventh at the Valencia Grand Prix with Marini, it transpired that Honda were ‘desperate’ for a new concessions tier and willing to give up favourable terms in 2026 to do so.

READ MORE: Pedro Acosta told to pursue ‘golden ticket’ opportunity for the 2027 MotoGP season

Alberto Puig sets Luca Marini and Joan Mir top-five finish goal for 2026

Honda have built a ‘phenomenal’ bike for 2026, suggests whispers in the paddock. With Ducati and Aprilia nearly on level terms, it could make for a fascinating three-way fight.

With that in mind, Mir’s experience of winning a title over five years ago now will come in handy, while Marini’s consistency will help too.

One of their bikes won a race this year courtesy of Johann Zarco at the French Grand Prix, so it’s not unrealistic to think that could be achievable and more over the next 12 months.

For now, Honda boss Alberto Puig is setting his sights on a top-five finish and believes that there is room for improvement for his riders.

“We’ve improved, that’s clear, the bike has gained power, now we have to try to find consistency in our results,” he told the Spanish edition of Motorsport.com. “A top-five finish would be a good goal, we’ll see.

“We need to be consistent without the riders having to push to the limit every lap, because that leads to crashes and not being able to qualify well. If we can get a bike that can consistently finish in the top five or six in both qualifying and the race, that would be another very important step towards next year.”

READ MORE: Luca Marini explains how Honda’s confidence in Marc Marquez caused them to suffer in MotoGP

How Honda have proven they have turned a page in 2025

Since the summer break, Honda’s form suggests that their bike really has improved, especially compared with the year prior.

From Austria onwards, they missed the top-10 once, when they finished 11th in Portugal at the penultimate round.

In the first half of the season, they missed the top 10 five times and lacked pace on both a Saturday and a Sunday.

Mat Oxley compared Mir to Marc Marquez following his podium in Malaysia. They have the riders to do well, now they just need the right bike.