Marco Bezzecchi
Honda made the most progress of any MotoGP manufacturer during the 2025 campaign. The project’s direction is a lot more positive now.
Earlier in the campaign, Johann Zarco was the man taking the lead, winning his home race at Le Mans and finishing second in Silverstone.
At one stage, he was as high as fifth in the MotoGP standings. After the summer break, things began to fall apart a bit for him.
But Honda still built enough momentum, and the factory team began to pick up podiums, courtesy of Joan Mir at the end of the campaign. They achieved a lot to be proud of, relative to the year prior.
What would you change in our Honda ranking?
Honda may be in a ‘duel’ to sign Marc Marquez and bring him home ahead of the new regulations in 2027.
Santi Hernandez would welcome Marquez back to Honda, and it’s a move that would have them immediately back in contention for victories at the very least.
READ MORE: Marc Marquez’s mechanic makes ‘very difficult’ admission about a return to Honda
Johann Zarco can’t afford another ‘descent into hell’ for Honda in 2026
In the 15 races after finishing second at Silverstone, Zarco failed to finish in the top eight once for LCR. There were a few reasons.
He has just explained to Canal+ why he thinks he ended up descending into ‘hell’ after competing in the Suzuka 8 Hour.
“And after that podium at Silverstone, it was a bit like a descent into hell, it was tough,” he said. “And even after the summer break, I didn’t have time to recover.
“[That was] due to a race at Suzuka, where it’s usually a pretty good week, but we weren’t lucky there: there were two riders instead of three, and that actually cost me energy.”
Sending Zarco away when he’s on a factory bike is something that Honda can’t afford to be doing in 2026, no matter how much the Suzuka 8 Hour means to them.
They need him to help improve their bike and deliver consistent results. Without a solid baseline, they will struggle to know whether the outlook is improving.
READ MORE: Marc Marquez reveals how Honda’s sponsors made it ‘difficult’ for him to leave MotoGP giants
Why Honda will look completely different in the 2027 MotoGP season
With two riders who have expiring contracts in 2026, Honda are going to be sifting through the MotoGP rider market to see whether they can make any improvements.
Mir is a champion, and Luca Marini is the most consistent rider on the grid, but there might be a way they can sign someone who gives them a better chance of winning.
Pedro Acosta could be an option, and so could the aforementioned Marquez. It all depends on how much they want to spend, as well as what their vision for the future is.
Marquez could take Luigi Dall’Igna to Honda, which would be a nightmare situation for Ducati. It also depends on how they perform over the next few months.
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