Honda in Crisis and Many Riders Missing: Injury Concerns Shake Up MotoGP

Honda with only Luca Marini in the factory team and no substitutes is once again shining a spotlight on a serious problem that has been particularly evident in MotoGP this year...

Next weekend in Australia will confirm that so far this MotoGP season, all the full-time riders have lined up on the grid on just one occasion. Honda has only Luca Marini in its factory team: Joan Mir will be absent for health reasons, while test riders Aleix Espargaro and Takaaki Nakagami are injured, but that does not change the situation. Across 22 Grands Prix, 17 of which have been completed and the 18th just around the corner, only at the Brazilian GP have all the full-time riders lined up on the grid. And it will stay that way through the end of 2026, since Toprak Razgatlioglu will not return due to his shoulder problems. It is a rather worrying situation that deserves reflection...

No fewer than 10 riders have been called up to cover emergencies—not just test riders, but also competitors from other championships. Iker Lecuona, for example, has already stood in for Fermin Aldeguer and will also race in Australia, while Somkiat Chantra has replaced Joan Mir for one GP; both race in the Superbike World Championship. Then there are all the test riders: Pol Espargaro and Jonas Folger (KTM), Augusto Fernandez (Yamaha), Michele Pirro (Ducati), Lorenzo Savadori (Aprilia), and Takaaki Nakagami and Aleix Espargaro (Honda). Some of them have also suffered injuries during tests or Grands Prix, creating further problems for the MotoGP teams.

Do you remember all the full-time riders who have missed at least one GP this year? Here they are: Fermin Aldeguer, Marc and Alex Marquez, Maverick Vinales, Toprak Razgatlioglu, Ai Ogura, Johann Zarco and Joan Mir. We can also add Marco Bezzecchi, since he missed the races at the Sachsenring after being injured during the GP weekend. This is a problem we have already highlighted, but the numbers it leaves behind mean it remains a pressing issue. As mentioned at the outset, having all the full-time riders on the grid at just one of 22 GPs is certainly nothing to be proud of—it is, quite clearly, worrying. Let’s hope the move to 850cc bikes helps solve this problem too!

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