Honda warns Aleix Espargaró: a clear message for the test rider

Aleix Espargaró ended his MotoGP riding career at the end of 2024. He wrapped up his eighth season with Aprilia on a high to open a new chapter as a test rider with Honda. It was also the right time to give more room to his visceral passion: cycling. The rider from Granollers took part in several professional competitions, even with more than decent results, joining the Lidl–Trek team.

Cycling began to take a prominent place in his life. So much so that in the height of summer he competed in the Tour of Austria, a high-level endeavor that cost him a few crashes and, consequently, retirement during the third stage. Aleix Espargaró also joined a small one-day tour at the beginning of August in Spain. Since then, we haven’t seen him on a racing bike, except for occasional training sessions. And there’s a very specific reason...

The MotoGP test rider was supposed to replace Somkiat Chantra in the LCR team in Hungary. However, shortly before the race weekend, he was injured in a cycling crash. Although he went to the track, medical examinations revealed injuries and he couldn’t get on the Honda RC213V. “There really was a turning point,” the Spaniard recalls. “I arrived completely exhausted, with three broken vertebrae. Alberto [Puig] sat next to me telling me he understood my passion for cycling.”

“But this was Honda and I needed to focus more. He was absolutely right. I was probably wrong. I didn’t know how to calibrate my role as a test rider. It was all a bit new to me. I thought I could handle both things, but that’s not the case,” admitted the elder of the Espargaró brothers. “I will stay with the cycling team next year, but I won’t race at a professional level. I will only train with them and focus more on Honda.”

The HRC tester will have a dual task in the next MotoGP season: continue developing the 2026 bike and focus on the new 2027 prototype with Pirelli tires. “Therefore, I will have to dedicate myself much more intensely to my job as a Honda test rider,” continued Aleix Espargaró, as reported by Motorsport-Total.com. “I love being part of this team. My job is fantastic because I can ride the bike and help them from the pit lane at the same time.”

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