“Only one goal” - Honda, Fabio Quartararo share “clear” MotoGP target
Alberto Puig says "there's only one goal for Fabio and Honda" while paying tribute to the team's outgoing MotoGP riders, Joan Mir and Luca Marini.
HRC team manager Alberto Puig has underlined that there is only one goal for Honda and new star signing Fabio Quartararo in MotoGP.
Both the Frenchman and Honda are looking to get back on top of the world championship after lengthy losing streaks.
Honda’s last riders’ title came with Marc Marquez in 2019, while Quartararo was crowned champion for Yamaha in 2021.
Neither has come close to fighting for a championship in recent seasons, with the factory HRC team winless since Marquez’s final victory in 2021, while Quartararo and Yamaha last won a grand prix in 2022.
Marquez broke a record five-year wait between titles with a return to the top with Ducati last year, a feat Quartararo would mirror if he can reclaim the crown with Honda in 2027.
Next season's new technical era, featuring 850cc engines and a switch from Michelin to Pirelli tyres, is seen as a chance for Honda to get back on terms with the European manufacturers.
“Of course there is only one target,” Puig told MotoGP pit lane reporter Jack Appleyard at Silverstone, when quizzed on the Quartararo deal.
“The target, sometimes you cannot achieve it.
“But there's only one goal, and for sure, for Fabio and for Honda, the target is to come back and try to get on the top.
"This is clear.”
The signing of Quartararo to lead an all-new HRC line-up means Honda’s factory team will have fielded at least one MotoGP world champion every season since 2014, courtesy of Marquez, Jorge Lorenzo, Joan Mir and now Quartararo.
“Fabio is a world champion. I think he's one of the fastest riders on the grid, and of course Honda is happy for this [agreement],” Puig said.
However, the Spaniard also paid tribute to outgoing riders Mir and Luca Marini, who, together with LCR’s Johann Zarco, have helped Honda recover from the low of 2024.
“We are happy and grateful for the job that Joan and Luca did in these last years because they helped us develop our bikes and we have to thank them for all the efforts,” Puig said.
“So everything comes to an end and this period for them is gone. And now we will start with a new rider. So we are happy for the past and with a lot of hope for the future.”
Alonso or Moreira for second HRC seat?
Although the signing of Moto2 star David Alonso has also been confirmed, Honda is yet to announce whether Alonso or current LCR rider Diogo Moreira will partner Quartararo at the factory team next season.
“Well, first of all, he's young,” Puig said of 20-year-old Alonso. “So, as we said in the past with Moreira, we cannot expect a lot in the first year. They need time to understand the class.
“It will be a challenging year for him [Alonso]. But he proved his speed last year. This year is coming a little bit difficult at this moment, but we believe he can catch up, and I think he will be an important rider for the future.”
Those words of caution could suggest Moreira is the more likely choice for the factory seat.
Puig said only that a decision “will be soon.”
Puig will move into the role of HRC Advisor next season, but continue to assist new team manager Mikihiko Kawase, currently Honda’s technical manager.
Mir meanwhile will follow Marquez’s path from HRC to Gresini Ducati, with Marini set to join Tech3 KTM.
Peter has been in the paddock for 20 years and has seen Valentino Rossi come and go. He is at the forefront of the Suzuki exit story and Marc Marquez’s injury issues.
