“Crashing out from the back of the grid might seem absurd, but unfortunately, that’s the situation they find themselves in.”
Honda has been advised to prioritize bike development throughout race weekends for the remainder of this season.
The Japanese manufacturer currently finds itself trailing at the back of the MotoGP grid and has been urged to shift focus towards the new 2027 regulations, with the understanding that a victory by 2026 seems increasingly unlikely.
Once a dominant force in MotoGP, Honda has struggled to emerge from the dismal form that led to Marc Marquez’s departure.
“They find themselves in a significant predicament, a considerable one,” analyzed Neil Hodgson on TNT Sport. “Their performance at the start of the season is far from competitive.
In the American race, all four Honda riders occupied the rear positions. It’s one thing to lack speed, but it’s another to lack speed and suffer crashes.”
“The fact that riders are still pushing to the limit, even while crashing out from last place, speaks volumes about their determination,” Hodgson added.
“But they are throwing everything at it, and that’s what they have to do now. They need to write off this season. In my opinion, they should experiment with different strategies every weekend. They have to fast-track their development.
“We’re aware they have concessions, so they have more testing opportunities anyway, but they might as well use race weekends as testing grounds. Because let’s face it, they won’t be anywhere in the championship standings. They’re nowhere, as I see it.”
Sylvain Guintoli added, “Austin was a disaster. Luca Marini finished last in both the sprint and the grand prix, and the other three riders crashed out of both races. It’s an absolute disaster, and they have a mountain of work ahead of them.”
“How much time will they spend focusing on the current rules?” Guintoli questioned. “Wouldn’t it be better to shift their focus towards the regulations beyond 2027?”
Hodgson responded, “In Austin, Marini was even overtaken by Alex Marquez, who crashed and then got back on his bike! That’s unheard of.”
Even Yamaha, with two fewer bikes and facing their own challenges, is currently outperforming Honda.
The crash-filled sprint race in Jerez saw Repsol’s Joan Mir finish ninth, while LCR’s Takaaki Nakagami and Johann Zarco secured 10th and 11th places, respectively, while Marini crashed out.
However, disappointingly, Marini once again finished as the last of the riders in the Spanish MotoGP, with Mir securing 12th place.
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