Lecuona: 2024? "Honda will choose for me"

With Alex Rins leaving LCR Honda for Monster Yamaha next season, Iker Lecuona is rumoured to be in the running for a full-time MotoGP return in 2024.

Peter McLaren

03 Aug 2023

Lecuona, currently a factory Honda WorldSBK rider, will get another chance to impress HRC when he replaces the injured Rins at LCR during this weekend’s British MotoGP.

It will be Lecuona’s third MotoGP appearance for Honda since leaving KTM at the end of 2021.

Although he is yet to score points on the RCV, the young Spaniard feels his impressive pace for Repsol Honda before a technical failure at Assen showed his potential.

“At Assen it was like ‘OK, maybe it's time to push a bit more and try to feel bit more the limit’ and during the race I was P11-P10 when the bike broke, at half race, with a really good pace,” Lecuona said.

“So this helped me to show my potential to Honda and [with Rins continuing his recover from a broken leg] they wanted to give me another chance in MotoGP.

“We will see for the future. Honestly, I cannot say nothing [about 2024]. All I can say is that I want to stay in Honda because I'm really happy here.

“I feel that I am a factory rider, and for this I race in three different championships in the same year, quite a busy year! But we will see what happens in future.”

Lecuona underlined that he will go wherever Honda decides to place him next season.

“I'm interested [in LCR] with Honda but if I'm honest… [Honda] will choose for me in the end. I don't think I can say ‘now I prefer to go to MotoGP’. If [Honda] needs help here, maybe I can come here. If [Honda] still needs help in Superbike because [Honda] finds another rider to replace Rins, OK, I agree because I want to stay with Honda.

“We will see after this weekend and then maybe I can say something.”