“90 percent” of reason for Honda’s improvement is pinpointed
Cause of Honda's better results has been named
The crucial reason behind Honda’s impressive rise this season has been identified.
Romano Albesiano, their new technical director, has been showered with plaudits for his input.
Albesiano, formerly of Aprilia, started work at Honda at the beginning of 2025. He is widely regarded as a major coup for help the struggling project.
Results have swiftly improved on the race track.
“They’ve gone full circle now. They have made such a step,” TNT Sports’ Neil Hodgson said.
“I’d say it’s 90 percent [Albesiano].
“Honda have been lost for years, and with Marc Marquez.
“They brought Albesiano in from Aprilia, who knows exactly what [Aprilia] have done.
“He’ll say ‘don’t go down that road, do this…’
“‘If you want feeling on the front, tweak this…’
“Whatever he has said, has worked.”
Honda 'found half-a-second' in MotoGP revival
Factory Honda rider Joan Mir, who was disappointed at times in his first year with the manufacturer because of his lack of competitiveness, has shot further forwards this season.
Although he crashed out, Mir was seventh in the sprint race at the Americas MotoGP. Teammate Luca Marini finished P8 in the grand prix.
In Argentina, Johann Zarco was P6 while Mir and Marini were also in the top 10, results which are a far cry from 2024.
“It feels like an eternity,” Hodgson said about Honda’s rise.
“What I like about Joan Mir is that you know how he feels. He’s not PR savvy or false. If he’s miserable, then he’s miserable!
“But they’re on their way. They’ve found half-a-second this year.
“The key word he said was: the feeling on the front.
“When you have weird crashes, it zaps your confidence. You can’t save them because you’re not expecting it.”
But those incidents which blighted Mir for the past two years are no longer happening.
Suddenly, with LCR’s Zarco also in the mix, the powerhouse of Honda is catching the eye again for the right reasons.
With Albesiano at the helm of their technical department, optimism is suddenly high for where Honda could go.
James was a sports journalist at Sky Sports for a decade covering everything from American sports, to football, to F1.
