Honda working to get back to the top: test team in action at Sepang

Honda isn’t standing still: while waiting to return to racing at Jerez, the MotoGP test team is in action in Malaysia.

After too many years playing a supporting role, Honda is eager to reclaim the MotoGP crown. The new technical regulations coming into force in 2027 will be a great opportunity to become the benchmark on the grid again. Major investments have been made to improve the racing department, and the hope is to be back at the front as early as next year. This doesn’t mean HRC won’t try to improve the current technical package, but it’s clear that at a certain point in the season the focus will shift mainly to the future.

The 2026 MotoGP championship will resume at Jerez on the April 24–26 weekend, but Honda is at Sepang with its test team to get work done. As shown on the social profiles of test riders Aleix Espargaro and Takaaki Nakagami, both are in Malaysia. The Spaniard specified that three days of testing are scheduled, although there are no details about the exact work plan. It’s not out of the question that the former Aprilia rider could ride the Honda prototype with 2027 specs for the first time, featuring the 850cc engine and reduced aerodynamics. Nakagami, on the other hand, has already tried it: the test took place right at the Sepang International Circuit in March.

HRC is working for the present and the future—a future full of major changes, including new faces arriving in the box. One will almost certainly be Fabio Quartararo, practically exhausted by his experience with Yamaha and eager to turn the page. The Frenchman is a MotoGP world champion and hopes to return to winning ways on the RC214V. It remains to be seen who his teammate will be.

There are rumors about David Alonso, the talented Colombian from Moto2, but the possibility shouldn’t be dismissed that he could be placed in the Tech3 box if the team led by Gunther Steiner leaves KTM to become Honda’s second satellite squad in MotoGP. As we have already reported, there have also been talks with Gresini, who in the end should renew their contract with Ducati.