“When Honda has a winning bike, winning riders will want to get on it”
Alberto Puig vows that Honda's MotoGP bike will become coveted by top riders
Honda insist that “winning riders” will soon covet their MotoGP bike.
The unexpected situation surrounding Jorge Martin’s reported desire to quit Aprilia in 2026 has put Honda in the focus.
The factory Honda seat is Martin’s preference for a surprise move that nobody saw coming, according to Sky Italia.
The once-mighty Japanese manufacturer has been struggling for several years to recapture the glory days of Marc Marquez’s pomp.
But their progress in the earliest rounds of 2025 has hinted at bigger things to come.
Honda insist "winning riders" will want to join
Team boss Alberto Puig told El Periodico that the team’s rise back to the top is “not a dream”.
He said before the French MotoGP: “We are coming back, we are improving.
“We have created a department in Italy with European technicians, Honda Japan has been restructured.
“The relationship between the factory, Europe and the circuit is fluid and we are working hard to have a competitive, winning bike again.
“Let no one forget that we are Honda and Honda will return. As Yamaha will return.
“And, when Honda comes back, when Honda has a winning bike, the winning riders will want to get on it and we will want to hire them.
“We would like it to be now, but everything takes time. How much? I don't know, but we're coming back, yes.”
After Puig’s declaration, the French MotoGP was brilliantly won by LCR satellite rider Johann Zarco.
It was a major statement and a reward for the manufacturer’s clear progress this season.
Zarco is sixth in the MotoGP standings overall, the top non-Ducati rider.
Zarco and current incumbent Luca Marini both insist they are talking to Honda about a factory contract for 2026.
But the shock news from Aprilia’s garage regarding Martin’s future has thrown the entire rider market into doubt.
There are a handful of vacant bikes in the 2026 MotoGP rider line-up including Honda’s factory seat.
Martin, if he follows through with the claim that he will quit Aprilia, would be the prized asset on the market, as the reigning MotoGP champion.
That will give Honda a headache about whether they are able to acquire his services - and whether they want to sign him up instead of their alternate options: Zarco, Marini and reportedly also Toprak Razgatlioglu.
James was a sports journalist at Sky Sports for a decade covering everything from American sports, to football, to F1.
