Aleix Espargaro on Honda’s MotoGP goal: “We have to be A”

HRC test rider Aleix Espargaro is confident that Honda’s climb from MotoGP concession rank D to C is only the beginning and that "we have to be A".

Reaching A requires scoring at least 85 per cent of the maximum constructors’ points over a one-year window, a benchmark currently achieved only by Ducati, which has won the constructors’ championship for the past six consecutive seasons.

Honda is the first manufacturer to move up the concessions ladder since the A-B-C-D system was introduced at the start of 2024, having exceeded the 35 per cent threshold needed to join KTM and Aprilia in band C.

Yamaha is now the only manufacturer remaining in category D, retaining full concessions including ongoing engine development and private testing with race riders.

“It's a matter of where we have to be: We have to be A, so it's the logical first step we have to do,” Espargaro said of Honda’s promotion from D to C.

The decisive moment came in the closing laps of the Valencia season finale, when Luca Marini secured the seventh place required to push Honda over the threshold.

“Honda said, and they repeated, ‘we had to put one bike in P7’, we didn't hide it,” Espargaro said.

“I'm very happy that it was Luca who made it, because I think he's been strong this season. He worked very hard after the injury, and his commitment was amazing.

“Joan [Mir] did a couple of podiums. Johann [Zarco] won a race - it's not a victory, but I think it's a good present for Luca.”

Zarco ultimately finished as Honda’s top rider in the world championship, holding off Marini by six points for twelfth overall.

“The good thing is that [in the closing stages of the season] we had at least one bike near the top every weekend. It could be Joan, Luca, or Zarco sometimes. So it means the bike is working well,” Espargaro said.

“The level is really, really high and really equal for everybody. Sometimes it's one, sometimes it's the other. And Joan proved also in Portimao that the bike is fast.

“So obviously we are in a process. KTM is also making progress. Aprilia is flying. So the good thing is that everybody is getting close to Ducati.”

Reflecting on Honda’s intensive development push, Espargaro highlighted the scale of the test programme.

“It's amazing how much we have worked,” the former Aprilia MotoGP race winner said of the final stages of the campaign. “I've been testing one million days in Malaysia, then back in Europe, then before going to Valencia [for the wild-card], to Aragon.

“It just goes to show the commitment of Honda.”

Asked whether Ducati’s lack of concessions has limited its development options, Espargaro reflected on how Honda had evolved the RCV during the season.

“From my experience, the tons of material and hundreds of laps that I did in testing, how much we changed the bike during these last six months has been amazing,” he said.

“So if I imagine the situation without the testing… And don't get me wrong, it's not because of me, but because we had the possibility to test many, many things.

“Honda brought many things to Joan and Luca. For example, we had three engine updates during the season, and the engine we have now is super-fast.

“Ducati has no option to change the engine. If Joan and Luca were fighting today with the engine from the beginning of the season… not even top ten.”

Honda will now join Ducati, KTM and Aprilia in the MotoGP engine freeze from the opening round of 2026. The new 850cc era then begins in 2027.