Honda “digging their way out, we are spotting results”

Honda have been credited for the first signs of recovery in their MotoGP project.

The once-mighty manufacturer was at its lowest ebb when Marc Marquez walked out, still with a year remaining on a big-money contract, due to their waning competitiveness.

They will also part ways with Repsol, the huge title sponsor who accompanied their many successes.

But Honda have been forced to start largely from scratch this season.

“They have thrown a lot at it,” TNT Sports’ Neil Hodgson assessed.

“But that’s what they’ve had to do.

“With the concessions, they’ve received more tyres and can do more testing. They have taken advantage of that.

“I feel like, for the first time, we are spotting the results of that. They have found some sort of direction.

“I am so pleased because they were lost. There’s lots of reasons why they were lost - they were late to the aero war, maybe lazy with electronics, and they relied on Marc Marquez too much.

“When he stepped away they realised they weren’t in a hole, they were in a crater.

“But they’re digging their way out.”

Honda will stick with Luca Marini and Joan Mir next season but have signed Aleix Espargaro, who is set to retire from racing, as a test rider.

Significantly, they have hired Romano Albesiano from Aprilia as a new technical director.

'Honda slower, Yamaha proactive'

However, fellow Japanese strugglers Yamaha have been praised for being ahead of Honda in their revival.

Yamaha have been on the downturn since Fabio Quartararo won the 2021 MotoGP title.

But they have signed Max Bartolini from Ducati to lead their technical department, and more recently acquired the Pramac satellite team to again give themselves four bikes on the 2025 grid.

“Japanese engineers like to be safe and accurate,” Michael Laverty explained.

“Yamaha are now being proactive on race weekends. They won’t win titles this weekend so why not work towards the future?

“I think Honda are slower. Yamaha are on course to match the way that KTM, Aprilia and Ducati work.

“There is a changing of the guard in terms of who reacts first and fastest, with the most data, is the manufacturer that prevails.

“Right now it’s Ducati so you have to steal a page from their copybook, as Max Bartolini has done.

“He is making forward progress in-season with big changes on-track during race weekends.”

Pramac have signed Jack Miller and Miguel Oliveira for 2025 meaning Yamaha can count on four experienced riders.

Yamaha are also in the process of developing a V4 engine in a major step away from their current philosophy.