Luca Marini is impressed with the “remarkable strides” Honda has made in its development over the past year in MotoGP.

The Italian rider and the Japanese marque finished dead last in both championships during the 2024 season, enduring their worst-ever campaign in the premier class.

In 2025, Honda has taken steps forward, highlighted by Johann Zarco’s win at Le Mans and Marini finishing every race he competed in, despite missing three rounds due to injury.

Aside from rookie Somkiat Chantra, who has scored just one point, Zarco, Marini, and Joan Mir have placed Honda in the battle for ‘best of the rest’ behind Ducati.

Marini is choosing not to get complacent, stating to GPOne: “We have to keep our heads down and work because, in my opinion, there is still so much to sort out.

“In any case, it’s part of the process, we are making remarkable strides, especially considering where we started from.

“We have made a lot of changes since i arrived and that has allowed us to have decent speed here, in Austria and at two or three other tracks, especially where there is grip.

“Whereas now in Barcelona it’s going to be a big question mark because it’s a track where there is little grip and the engine matters so much and right now, those are our two weak points.

“We’ll see how we perform there.”

The 28-year-old produced his season-best result at the inaugural Hungarian round at Balaton Park, finishing fourth in Saturday’s Sprint and fifth in the Grand Prix.

He tussled in a battle with Franco Morbidelli and Jorge Martin, defeating only the former as Martin secured a career-best fourth place for Aprilia.

“Very good race, I had fun,” Marini told the media post-race.

“I got off to a really good start, in the first two corners, I juggled around pretty well, and then everything went pretty much according to plan.

“We were all there one in a row, half a second apart. Honestly, it already seemed to me that both me and Jorge [Martin] were a little bit faster than Franco [Morbidelli], but it’s really hard to overtake so we waited for the tyres to drop a little bit.

“It went really well, I’m happy with all the work we did all over the weekend and how we’re improving.”

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Honda HRC Castrol MotoGP rider Luca Marini sustained major injuries following a “heavy” crash while testing for the Suzuka 8-Hour race.

Following the conclusion of the British GP at Silverstone, the Italian rider travelled to Suzuka as he was being considered for a part in the Honda lineup ahead of the prestigious race.

Honda stablemate Johann Zarco and Pramac Yamaha’s Jack Miller had already been confirmed to take part in the event, with the Italian expected to follow in their footsteps.  

However, the Italian has suffered multiple injuries following a crash in testing, including a dislocated hip and a pneumothorax. 

Honda released a statement stating: ”On Wednesday, May 28, Luca Marini suffered a heavy fall while testing for the Suzuka 8-Hour and will remain in Japan for observation and recovery.

“After the British GP, Luca Marini travelled to the Suzuka Circuit for a first test on the CBR1000RR-R SP. Having completed a successful first day, the Italian began the second day of his program but crashed heavily. 

“Suffering from a dislocated left hip, damage to the ligaments in his left knee, fractures in the sternum and left collarbone, and a right-sided pneumothorax, Marini was transferred to local hospital and stabilised.

“Marini will remain under observation in Japan until he is deemed fit to travel.

“Honda HRC and the Honda HRC Castrol team will support Marini fully in his recovery.”

Marini posted on social media following the incident thanking fans for their support and promising to keep them updated. 

However, it is currently unclear when Marini will be able to return to MotoGP action following his injuries. 

In his absence, HRC test rider Aleix Espargaro will likely fill in for the Italian with the next round at Aragon taking place next week.

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Joan Mir believes that Honda has the potential to “be competitive from the start” of the upcoming Argentina MotoGP weekend.

The 2020 MotoGP champion heads into the second round of the 2025 season in an optimistic frame of mind.

Mir crashed out in the Thai season opener but had a strong weekend with the Japanese marque, running in seventh place before his retirement in the second half of the race.

The Spaniard signed a two-year contract extension with Honda for the 2025 and 2026 seasons, as the Japanese outfit has made strides in its efforts to become the former superpower it once was.

“I am looking forward to this race after what we showed last time out in Thailand,” Mir revealed to Crash.net.

“We are capable of a lot and it’s important to get some points on the board and deliver.

“Argentina will be a different weekend to Thailand because we arrive without testing there but we normally have a very strong base, I think that we can be competitive from the start.

“In the past I have had some good results in Argentina, so I think the pieces are there to have a solid weekend and keep our season progressing.”

Luca Marini unfazed by Honda debut in Argentina

Mir’s teammate Luca Marini appears unfazed at the prospect of taking to the Argentine track for the first time in Honda colours.

The Italian missed the 2024 edition due to the cancellation of the race weekend, but he is feeling “optimistic” about his chances of a strong result after finishing 12th in Buriram.

Marini famously produced his first podium at the Sprint race in 2023 aboard the VR46 Ducati, finishing third on the Saturday.

“In Thailand we were able to accomplish a very good weekend overall, so now flying to Argentina I am optimistic we can continue in this way,” he said.

“I don’t think arriving there ‘for the first [time]’ on the Honda will be a problem – the team and I did a lot of work over the off-season to get the base of the bike into a good position so I know that we can start correctly.

“In 2023 I achieved my first Sprint podium in Argentina, and I hope that we can have a positive weekend with the Honda HRC Castrol team.”

The Urbino-born rider revealed he will stay in South America for the Brazilian Grand Prix launch event after the weekend’s events.

“After Argentina, I will go to Brazil for the first time to try the new track we will race at next year – an exciting trip!”

READ MORE – Johann Zarco admits his Thai MotoGP race was ‘better than I expected’

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As the 2025 MotoGP season approaches, a new era is dawning for Honda, who enter the year with a new label and a new development program.

2025 marks an entrance into unknown territory for Honda, who will start the new season with a new title sponsor after parting ways with Repsol, in a split likely caused by five years of stagnancy within the Japanese manufacturer.

The Honda team has only won two races since the turn of the decade, both at the hands of Marc Marquez in 2021. For the most prominent factory team in the sport, the level of performance has not been good enough and 2024 may have been the worst campaign of them all.

In a challenging season, Joan Mir and Luca Marini combined earned less than 100 points last year for the team as the 21 race weekends consisted of poor performances from the RC213V and heavy crashes when the riders found the limit.

There has been a clear dissatisfaction at the team’s situation, with 2020 world champion Mir growing increasingly unsettled and suggesting the concessions have not helped Honda gain on its rivals. However, as the Asaka factory has made key changes to its engineering department, there is a chance that things could be getting better a lot sooner than anticipated.  

READ MORE – Joan Mir: Honda didn’t gain any ‘advantage’ from MotoGP concessions system

Honda riders hold contrasting opinions over manufacturer’s progress

The 2024 season saw Honda record its lowest ever points tally in grand prix history, with Marini and Mir earning just 75 points between them.

Frustration was evident from both riders, but especially from former champion Mir, who believes there has been no short term gains from the new concessions system introduced by the championship.

In contrast to his teammate’s claims, Marini believes Honda has made some good progress in 2024 and that next year he will perform better as he adapts to the new machine.

“As a rider I will be next year stronger on the Honda,” Marini said via Crash.net.

“I think that during this season they made a huge step. Since the day that I came to this factory I saw many changes and next year even more changes will happen.

“So, it just gives me positive vibes. Let’s see how the new guys, how the new engineers will work and for sure everybody wants to bring Honda back to the top.”

Will Honda’s redevelopment project make the difference?

One of the big changes Honda has made as it attempts to recover from its five years of struggles is the hiring of Romano Albesiano as its new technical director, which marks the first time a European engineer has been the head of the company’s MotoGP project.

The boss of Honda’s satellite team Lucio Cecchinello is a big admirer of Albesiano’s work and said he was unsurprised by the decision to appoint him as leader of the redevelopment project.

“I wasn’t surprised, I had already heard within Honda about the need to use additional European figures to strengthen what was the RCV project,” Cecchinello told GPOne about Albesiano’s appointment.

“What happened, and I think it’s a positive aspect, is that new managers have come in who have a more open mindset to the rest of the world. Not everything necessarily has to be done in Japan because we need to have our industries working and take pride in our technology.”

Albesiano joins the Japanese squad after 11 years with Aprilia, a manufacturer which he helped develop from a backmarker to a regular podium contender. The Italian’s work will be tried out by Honda’s new test team which includes Aleix Espargaro who worked with him for the majority of his time in Noale. 

“Regarding his move to Honda, I think it has been very intelligent to sign him as the Italian engineers, the European factories, are improving a lot,” said Espargaro to MotoGP.com.

“So, it’s a really big help for Honda and the Japanese engineers – with his ideas, what he has done with the RS-GP has been remarkable.

“I’m happy also for Romano. To go to the biggest factory with such an incredible history in the championship has a main technical director is such a privilege.”

The post What to expect from Honda in the 2025 MotoGP season appeared first on Motorsport Week.

Honda Racing Corporation is the latest team to exhibit its 2025 MotoGP livery, with the Japanese marque geared up for the new season.

It’s a new era for the factory squad considering the three-decade-long affiliation with Repsol came to an end after the 2024 season.

Honda’s presentation revealed the return of a large partnership with Castrol for the upcoming season.

The new season sees Honda announce an unchanged rider lineup, featuring Joan Mir and Luca Marini.

Marini’s contract expires at the end of the 2025 season, while Mir signed a two-year contract extension through 2026.

The Japanese brand finished a distant last at the bottom of the riders’, teams’ and constructors’ championships, highlighting the significant improvements needed for the upcoming season.

To lead its comeback to the front of the grid, Honda has brought in Romano Albesiano from Aprilia as the team’s new technical director.

Moreover, the Japanese marque has hired former Aprilia race winner Aleix Espargaro to join its test and development team, alongside Takaaki Nakagami, who departed LCR Honda at the end of 2024.

Stefan Bradl continues in his test rider role for another season but will not take part in wildcard races. It remains uncertain how many wildcards Espargaro and Nakagami will receive for the upcoming season.

Honda’s satellite team, LCR Honda, will unveil its 2025 livery on February 8th ahead of the first test session of the year.

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