Alex Rins’ stay at LCR Honda was short. After just one season, during which he was absent for long months due to injury, he left to join Monster Energy Yamaha in 2024. The contract was terminated after one of the two planned years, but this possibility was foreseen in the agreement.
Lucio Cecchinello, owner of LCR Honda, explained as quoted on the Motosan.es website that Yamaha was always the only possibility for Rins to eventually leave:
– Alex had a two-year contract with HRC [Honda Racing Corporation], which only allowed him to leave if he received an offer from an official MotoGP team. His manager was always very honest and told me: “The only option would be to go to Yamaha.” Because all other teams had no space, while at Yamaha the future of [Franco] Morbidelli was uncertain.
The switch from Rins to Yamaha was completed in the summer and, by August, LCR Honda had already hired his successor – Johann Zarco, who also has a direct contract with HRC.
