The 2024 MotoGP season continues to be a challenging one for Honda, but internal progress is underway. Despite being the least competitive manufacturer on the grid, Honda is making adjustments to find its way back to success.
With three rounds remaining, Johann Zarco (from the satellite LCR team) is the highest-ranked Honda rider, followed by his teammate Takaaki Nakagami. Meanwhile, the factory team riders, Joan Mir and Luca Marini, are outside the top 20, sitting in 21st and 23rd place, respectively.
Repsol Honda team manager, Alberto Puig, shared with the official MotoGP website: ‘The season has not been easy, it’s obvious. We started the season with a new rider who came to the team, with Luca. I would say that we spent six or seven months trying many, many things, and trying to understand. And it has been tough, honestly speaking – the results show the reality’.
The Spaniard noted that the Misano test brought some progress: ‘We finally found something in Misano, some kind of direction. And from there on, we think, we believe, we can start to go. Even though from the outside it looks like we are not progressing – because in terms of results we are not progressing so much – internally we are changing the system. And we will change it even more’.
Despite the ongoing changes and adaptations, Puig emphasized that Honda will remain true to its identity: ‘Honda is a company that has been in racing for many years. Every company has its process. You can adapt, you can change, but what you never do is completely change your philosophy. So, we can make some changes, but Honda will always be Honda’.