With the arrival of Aleix Espargaró and Takaaki Nakagami as test riders, Stefan Bradl will retain his functions at Honda. However, he will not make wildcard appearances in MotoGP, unlike in recent years.
The decision was not imposed by the manufacturer but was the German’s own choice, as he explained to the Motosan.es website: ‘I simply understood that Aleix and Nakagami, who were still full-time riders in 2024, are a bit faster than me at the moment. It was my intention to tell Honda: «If you need me as a wildcard rider, I’m available, but I prefer to take a step back and give the opportunity to other riders». This was clearly my decision’.
Bradl’s idea is to focus more on working behind the scenes, contributing with his seven years of experience as a test rider while believing that Espargaró and Nakagami are better suited to wildcards due to their recent full-time competition experience.
According to the #6, his role remains unchanged, though he thinks he may focus more on communication: ‘My role as a test rider will remain the same, but I will no longer do wildcards. Honda has the opportunity to work with three test riders: one like Nakagami and another who brings his experience with Aprilia. This will allow us to develop faster and provide more precise and clear feedback. I will probably focus less on testing and more on communication with Honda’.