‘No leader’ accusation for Honda as bleak predictions made
“I don’t see Honda making tangible steps..."
Honda’s fortunes in 2025 were a key topic on the latest Crash MotoGP podcast.
Honda have appointed Romano Albesiano as new technical director, and have Aleix Espargaro and Takaaki Nakagami as test riders.
Their factory duo will again be Luca Marini and Joan Mir - who badly struggled in 2024 - while LCR’s Johann Zarco will be joined by rookie Somkiat Chantra.
But the problems at the manufacturer are at a higher level, our experts explained.
“They seem to lack a ‘head coach’ figure, like Max Bartolini has become [for Yamaha]. Honda don’t seem to have that,” Lewis Duncan told our podcast.
“They have a bulldog in Alberto Puig who defends the rider and the situation, but not someone who can unify the riders.
“Joan Mir is miserable all the time. Why did he sign a new contract? He says that he didn’t want to leave it on that note. But if he’s not enjoying it and is being negative all the time…
“Honda doesn’t have a leader. Maybe Johann Zarco fills that role, he was better spoken than their other riders, more level-headed and certainly more competitive.
“It’s hard to know where Honda go, and what impact Romano Albesiano can have. The base package had nothing to do with him so he’ll have to spend time untangling it.
“I don’t see Honda making tangible steps this year. There were little signs of progress towards the end of last year, but only for Zarco.
“I think if Honda can be in the points every weekend, it will be a success. But to get to the level that Yamaha might be at? Difficult.”
Honda told about key area to improve
Peter McLaren added: “How will much influence will Albesiano and Aleix have on the bike?
“It’s one thing to bring people in. Honda hired a lot of engineers, they work with Kalex, but it hasn’t transformed the fortunes of the bike.
“The key for Honda to begin with will be not to take a step backwards, like last year. That’s what ruined the first half of last season, the wrong direction in testing.
“If they can, at least, pick up where they left off…
“Riders with more experience of the bike - Zarco and Marini - should also help.
“Marc Marquez was asked ‘what’s the difference between Ducati and Honda as a factory rider?’
“He said ‘communication’. Gigi Dall’Igna ties all the things together at Ducati.
“It’s these areas that Honda need to make a step in.
“It comes down to what foundation they have after testing. Aleix has already been testing this year, and he had a few last year.
“We’ll know after Buriram and Sepang what kind of step. Will they make a leap forward?
“Maybe there is something [that Albesiano can do] by looking at the bike, saying ‘do it like this’, which will give them a couple of tenths per lap. It’s possible.
“The top Honda in 12th-place in the championship would be a good result. Zarco was 17th [last year].
“You can always have one-off results in MotoGP, we saw it with Alex Rins at COTA.
“But realistically they’ve got to look at step-by-step. But, the first thing, is not to take a step back…”
