– After the MotoGP winter tests, the Honda camp was confident because they were convinced that they had made progress. Nevertheless, it was simultaneously emphasized that there is still a gap to the front runners. In the first three race weekends, Honda was not able to fight for the podium.
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At the season opener in Thailand, Luca Marini was the best Honda rider in tenth. In Brazil, LCR rider Johann Zarco finished ninth. Most recently, Marini was ninth in the USA. The fastest Honda rider so far has been Joan Mir, but the former world champion crashed regularly.
The Spaniard went down in both races in both Brazil and the USA. Nevertheless, he fought for third place in Austin in the sprint until his crash on the last lap, which is why Mir was basically satisfied with the performance.
Teammate Marini assesses how good the current Honda RC213V is: “Well, it lacks maximum performance. The bike is really fun to ride. It gives the feeling of a really good bike, like you’re used to riding from the beginning of your career.”
“The DNA of our bike is that of a real bike, and it’s fun. I can’t tell you exactly how much better this or that [bike] is, but you get on it and feel fast right away – everything just works.”
“But when you then have to get close to the lap record time, it becomes difficult because of the lack of grip we constantly complain about. Plus the aerodynamics, which don’t help us enough with turning. It’s a few things that are always the same.”
Honda continues to work and brought new detailed developments after Austin, including in aerodynamics. Mir was in sixth place in the early stages until his early crash. If things go optimally, Honda could be in this chasing group.
Honda without margin at the limit
“The reality is that the level of the current top five is really, really high,” says Marini about the competition from Aprilia, Ducati, and KTM. “It’s difficult to keep up with them, and we have to be at the absolute limit in every braking phase, at every corner entry.”
Mir also cited this circumstance as the reason for his crashes. He noted that the Honda currently leaves no margin at the limit and every small mistake is paid for dearly. Therefore, the races are also difficult for the four Honda riders.
“We push at the limit in every corner throughout the race because the tires also work very well,” says Marini and confirms: “It’s hard, it’s really hard. We are not satisfied with still being in P10 or P9. We must continue to improve our package.”
“Now the most important thing is to focus on qualifying. Because if we can start from further forward, we can at least enjoy a good position. Joan was there, a few places ahead of me. 5th place is already a good result.”
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“I think for our current level, P5 is really a great result at the moment. Currently, we realistically have to expect places 6, 7, and 8. But we want to improve, we want to achieve a better result.”
“We cannot end this season with this performance. Because we want to fight for the podium in at least some Grands Prix this season,” Marini formulates clear goals. It is expected that Honda will bring new developments to the Spanish Grand Prix at the end of April.
Marini waits for new developments
Whether they will be used in Jerez during the race weekend or only at the Monday test is not yet known. It is also open whether these developments can provide significant progress.
“In my opinion, we did a fantastic job with the set-up this winter,” Marini mentions a positive aspect. “I worked very well with my team. They did a fantastic job listening to my feedback.”
“I believe we have a very good basis, but we need some larger components. We will wait and try to get the best set-up at every race. Because the tracks differ significantly from race to race.”
“But always starting from my basis, which is very good. We certainly have some ideas. We know we need improvements in the turn-in phase of the corner, a bit more stability so the rider can act more aggressively and doesn’t have to ride at the absolute limit as much.”
“That will be the top priority at the moment. And of course, always the rear grip, but we’ve known that for a long time.” Another aspect concerns aerodynamics. Marini also sees “great potential” in this area.
Since Honda has moved up from Concession Group D to C, only one update of the homologated aero body can be brought during the season. The development possibilities in this area are more limited than last year.
“So that’s something Honda needs to think more about for the future. I only advise them to try out all the aerodynamic details they can still bring this year for the 2027 project. Because we can still take advantage of it this season,” says Marini.
After the first three race weekends, Honda has 28 championship points in the manufacturers’ standings.
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