From languishing at the back of the grid to standing on the top step of the podium, Honda’s 2025 campaign marked a turning point. The factory has now quantified that recovery, calculating a “57% speed improvement” based on slashed race deficits.
After three years anchored to the bottom of the Constructors’ Championship, Honda successfully broke out of the restrictive ‘Rank D’ concession tier. The numbers compiled by HRC tell the story of their most competitive season since the Marc Marquez glory days of 2019.
Crunching the Numbers
The headline statistic is the dramatic reduction in race time deficit. In 2024, a Honda rider finished, on average, 30 seconds behind the race winner. In 2025, that gap plummeted to 13.5 seconds.
This performance boost translated into tangible silverware:
- Johann Zarco’s emotional victory at Le Mans and a podium at Silverstone.
- Joan Mir’s rostrum finishes at Motegi and Sepang.
- Luca Marini’s impressive haul of 142 points (a tenfold increase over his previous tally), despite missing three races due to injury.
Collectively, these efforts lifted Honda above Yamaha in the standings and pushed them past the crucial 35% points threshold, graduating the manufacturer from Concession Rank D to Rank C for 2026.
Tech Focus: Rideability Over Raw Power
How did Honda execute such a sharp turnaround with a largely unchanged rider lineup? According to HRC MotoGP Technical Manager Mikihiko Kawase, the answer lies in the heart of the RC213V.
“From the second half of 2024, we achieved quite a good aerodynamics package and were able to find a sort of base bike to make next steps with,” Kawase explained. While work continued on chassis and electronics, he pinpointed the engine as the decisive factor.
“One of the biggest steps has come from the engine,” Kawase noted. “We worked not only on top-end speed but also on the power delivery – to make it more rideable.”
This shift in philosophy—prioritizing usable power over peak horsepower—allowed the riders to extract more from the package consistently.
“Here to Fight for Victory”
While celebrating the progress, Kawase remains grounded regarding the ultimate goal.
“2025 has been a very good season… but finally, Honda HRC is in MotoGP to fight for victory,” he asserted. “We must keep working and pushing until we return to consistently fighting at the front of races and battling for the World Championship.”
Looking ahead to 2026, the factory team retains stability with Mir and Marini, while LCR sees a changing of the guard: reigning Moto2 champion Diogo Moreira will step up to replace Somkiat Chantra as Zarco’s teammate.
