Honda hunt down Aprilia and KTM as MotoGP's development battle gets serious
Honda MotoGP riders eagerly await upgrades as Aprilia and KTM climb the 2025 constructors’ table.
After scoring double-digit constructors’ points at six of the first seven MotoGP rounds this season, Honda has hit a rough patch, managing the same feat just once in the past five events.
The drop-off has seen HRC slide from second in the 2025 constructors’ standings to fourth, behind Aprilia and KTM. Only Yamaha, 14 points further back, sits lower.
Nonetheless, Honda’s current total of 147 points - led by Johann Zarco’s Le Mans win and Silverstone podium - is a huge improvement over last year’s tally of just 75 points across 20 rounds.
But as the RC213V riders left for the summer break, the impression was that new parts are needed to keep in touch.
“It's a tough period, but I think that when some updates arrive, we can make a very good step forward,” said Luca Marini, who was the top Honda at Brno in 12th place.
“At the moment, Aprilia and KTM made a step, and this is good for the championship.
“I think we’ll arrive to their level soon, but we need to wait for some updates to the bike that we know are coming.”
Johann Zarco 'at the limit' without Honda upgrades
Zarco, who struggled in Brno due to a risky soft tyre choice, feels there is little more to be extracted from the current package.
“At the moment, with the bike we have, we are really at the limit,” explained the Frenchman, who went on to win Sunday’s Suzuka 8 Hours for Honda.
“At Mugello and Assen, we tried very different setups. It didn’t work. We came back to our old setup, and I returned to the top ten.”
While Zarco has proven adept at dealing with the RCV’s vibration, reducing the chatter and improving engine performance remain high on Honda’s to-do list.
Honda updates coming to Austria?
More versions of a carbon fibre swingarm are currently in production, while Honda’s concession ranking means revised engines can be introduced when ready.
However, Marini hinted that aerodynamics could be the first visible post-summer break change.
“Something in Austria, yes, will arrive,” Marini said of the upgrade timeline.
“It’s a step - maybe not enough - but it’s something they already tried in the Brno test. You will see it…”
Last in the MotoGP constructors’ standings for the past three years, Honda remains very much in contention for runner-up behind Ducati in 2025.
Honda sits 28 points behind KTM and 40 behind Aprilia with ten rounds to go.
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