Ex-Marc Marquez MotoGP crew chief offering Joan Mir signs of Honda hope
“I spoke with Santi last week and he was happy”
Joan Mir says his MotoGP crew chief Santi Hernandez has offered him encouraging signs that Honda is moving in the right direction with its 2025 bike.
Honda comes into 2025 off the back of one of its worst seasons ever in grand prix racing, having finished with just 75 points in the constructors’ championship in what was its third winless campaign in five.
The Japanese marque has made a raft of personnel changes for the new season, including the addition of Romano Albesiano from Aprilia as technical director.
Mir, who ended last season second-to-last of the full-time riders in the standings on 21 points, regularly voiced frustrations over Honda’s apparent lack of progress across 2024.
Ahead of winter testing beginning next week in Malaysia, however, Mir says he has been reassured by his crew chief Hernandez - who previously worked with Marc Marquez in MotoGP between 2013 and 2023 - of Honda’s progress.
“I spoke with Santi last week and he was happy,” he said following the launch of Honda’s all-new livery in Indonesia.
“And Santi is one person that is very clear with the emotions.
“He is someone who doesn’t hide his emotions. He said ‘Joan, listen: last year when we started the year I said that with the direction they took it’s probably going to be a difficult one. But maybe this year I can say something a little bit different’.
“For sure it will be a difficult year, but I’m starting to see a lot of calm and I’m happy and I trust the process.”
Albesiano officially began his role with Honda in January, but Mir believes the Japanese marque will give the Italian engineer the “freedom” he needs to improve the RC213V.
“I think when people like Romano join the team, more than Aleix [Espargaro] because in the end his function is to be test rider and to give his comments,” he added.
“The impact of Aleix inside the engineering structure is none. It’s more Romano that has to implement his working method to Honda… probably not implement, but adapt his working method.
“From what I could see, he’s very methodical. We have a line to follow. Everyday we follow the rules, he wants everything super clear.
“It’s a way of working that it worked for him in the past, so it’s normal he wants to do it here in Honda.
“I want to understand if Honda will give him total freedom to give everything he has. Probably yes. I see how he is adapting to all of this is very positive.”
Honda’s test team has been on track this weekend already for the Sepang shakedown, which concludes on Sunday, ahead of the official test on 5-7 February.
