We can't fully ascribe Honda's lack of major changes to the 2025 bike at the Barcelona test as them being overly conservative. Most manufacturers don't debut major changes at the first test. Ducati for example, the most innovative when it comes to aero had no new aero at Barcelona. The 2025 bike with new engine and chassis still used the 2024 aero. Alot of manufacturers wait until the Sepang test to unveil more obvious upgrades so their rivals don't have time to analyze, copy or improve on their designs. Honda now has former Aprilia engineer Romano Albesiano as well as Aleix Espargaro and HRC may be waiting for their feedback on the current packages before making any major changes. Especially from Romano on the technical side. Let's see what turns up at Sepang but even then, it will likely be 2026 when will likely see any major contributions from the former Aprilia duo.
You're right that many manufacturers, like Ducati, hold off on revealing major changes at the first test. Honda might be waiting for feedback from Romano Albesiano and Aleix Espargaro before making adjustments. It's likely we'll see more significant upgrades at Sepang, with the real changes coming in 2026.
Puig’s leadership has been a point of debate. Honda may benefit from fresh leadership, especially if they want to catch up to teams like Ducati with strong leadership in place.
A sad situation for sure. It seems that Honda simply does not or will not spend the money necessary. Unfortunately I think this has a lot to do with Honda wanting to go full EV in the future. It seems Honda has no desire to put any money or man power into further I.C.E. development. Why continue in Moto GP at all?
I don't think this is true. They're still pushing ICE efficiency. They also just put out V3 + electric turbo combination. There's something else going wrong here.
You make a solid point. Honda's shift toward EVs could be impacting their MotoGP focus. However, staying in MotoGP might still serve as a platform for tech development and brand presence. Whether they’ll fully commit to competitive ICE advancements remains to be seen.
Even though honda is strugling with the development of the bike Zarco are often faster than the factory riders. He rides very well on a bike that are under developed . I wood like to see full support on him and his riding skills are actualy fantastic. Hold on to him , he can do great things with small improvments of the bike .
Zarco has shown impressive skill despite the bike's struggles. With full support and some key improvements, he could achieve great results-definitely a rider worth investing in!
With all due respect, but mir was never a driver even close to be known for his resilience and mental strength. Quit the opposite unfortunately Otherwise great video;) keep it up
Thanks for the feedback! While Mir has faced criticism for resilience, his 2020 title showed he can deliver under pressure. Let’s see if he can turn things around with Honda. 😊
@@TheRaceGP True, he won that championship through sheer consistency. Making fewer mistakes than his rivals. Not unlike Jorge Martin or Nicky Hayden. He's almost always had better pace on the Honda than Marini but he's also crashed more often, so he was pushing trying to make the bike faster instead of just giving up.
@@TheRaceGP The only reason Mir won the title, even only winning one race, was that Marc was out and Mir was the most consistently average rider left over. Quartararo was not ready yet, unraveling in Misano and Pecco didn't know how to win yet. Mir is riding out his contract with his 2020 "title". Let's be real, Mir would not have won the title if Marc didn't injure himself.
@@TheRaceGP Thx for your response. I didn’t intend to diminish mir’s achievments in 2020 and 2021(3rd in wdc). He is a great driver talent, one of the best. But if you compare Rins and Mir during their whole stint at suzuki the lack of resilience on mir’s side becomes very clear. Mir is always quick to blame the bike, the team, the setup, his teammate etc. . While Rins was a nearly perfect wingman in 2020, mir had some kind of critisism of Rins every other week. Rins never blamed the bike or threw his team under the bus. The difference became even more apparent in 2023. It felt like the minute Mir joined HRC he lost all of his fighting spirt and crumbled under the pressure of having Marquez as a teammate. Rins on the other hand never complained, never threw jabs at his team and just pushed to perform and develop. Sadly he paid big time for it. Mir lost me as a fan over the last few years since he appears to lack true racecraft while being a talented driver. Tbf, recency bias might be at play, cause the comparison between marc and mir made mir look like a weak crybaby without fighting spirt.
Honda is lacking innovation. The Japanese at the headquarters are showing a very less interest in racing. It's good to see Yamaha, ktm and Aprilia are constantly improving themselves while Honda struggles.
Honda does seem to be falling behind in innovation compared to Yamaha, KTM, and Aprilia. However, they may be focusing on longer-term solutions, and with the recent changes in their team, it's possible we'll see progress down the line.
Buying an existing bike like KTM’s could be a practical move, but it would still require significant investment in development and integration. It’s a tough situation for many teams.
Mir’s frustration is understandable given Honda's struggles, but it’s part of the sport. It’ll be interesting to see how he handles the challenges ahead.
Close racing as it is, 0,8 seconds is a full calendar distance, however Honda using Kalex chassi frame, there is something missing under breaking and rear grip. As people say, the Devil is in the details.
Exactly, the small details make all the difference. Honda's missing link could very well be in those areas-braking and rear grip need refinement for better results.
Everyone has their opinion, but Mir earned his title through consistency and skill in a tough season. Frustrations are natural when a rider struggles, especially with an uncompetitive bike.
@TheRaceGP hahaha, I have been watching gp races for 35 years. Believe me, he gets paid a lot of money by Honda, and zarco did ok on a private Honda and didn't cry half as much, mir. won't be in gp for much longer, and how many races in the top class has he won ???
@@ChrisLewis-ef8rs Checinello said Zarco was really really frustrated in the box a lot of times but never spoke it out to the media. Mir is struggling, and its his 2nd year at Honda with no real performance jump on the bike. Marc also complained a lot in 2021,2022,2023 and finally he decided to rather leave. If things go the way they did in the past few years at Honda you will see Zarco complaining about the performance by the time we arrive Summer Break 2025. Let's see but I think Mir wanted to see much more progress even in 2024 season. Yes Zarco scored 53 points throughout the 2024, by staying on bike and can be happy about that. But the WC winner scored more than 500points so the best Honda scored 1/10 of that. And that shows how far Honda is realistically.
@kalcine hahaha that's what I said. zarco did better and cried less, and i know how far Honda has fallen. i don't need that book u have written, but thank u anyway
As a Mir fan, this is so hard to watch 😢
It’s heartbreaking for Mir fans, but he’s a fighter. Let’s hope Honda steps up and gives him the tools to shine again! 💪
I didn’t know there were others
We can't fully ascribe Honda's lack of major changes to the 2025 bike at the Barcelona test as them being overly conservative. Most manufacturers don't debut major changes at the first test. Ducati for example, the most innovative when it comes to aero had no new aero at Barcelona. The 2025 bike with new engine and chassis still used the 2024 aero. Alot of manufacturers wait until the Sepang test to unveil more obvious upgrades so their rivals don't have time to analyze, copy or improve on their designs.
Honda now has former Aprilia engineer Romano Albesiano as well as Aleix Espargaro and HRC may be waiting for their feedback on the current packages before making any major changes. Especially from Romano on the technical side.
Let's see what turns up at Sepang but even then, it will likely be 2026 when will likely see any major contributions from the former Aprilia duo.
You're right that many manufacturers, like Ducati, hold off on revealing major changes at the first test. Honda might be waiting for feedback from Romano Albesiano and Aleix Espargaro before making adjustments. It's likely we'll see more significant upgrades at Sepang, with the real changes coming in 2026.
After the Barcelona test, he was the only Honda rider that said “this machine sucks”
True, Mir hasn't held back his frustration, and it highlights just how challenging things are with the Honda right now.
poor mir, i wish honda can give their rider the better bike so joan can be more competitive😞
It’s tough for Mir right now, but Honda is known for bouncing back. Hopefully, they’ll deliver a more competitive bike soon to match his talent!
I hope Honda fired Puig. He is not on the same level of Gigi or Davide. Honda needs better Leader.
Puig’s leadership has been a point of debate. Honda may benefit from fresh leadership, especially if they want to catch up to teams like Ducati with strong leadership in place.
A sad situation for sure. It seems that Honda simply does not or will not spend the money necessary. Unfortunately I think this has a lot to do with Honda wanting to go full EV in the future. It seems Honda has no desire to put any money or man power into further I.C.E. development. Why continue in Moto GP at all?
I don't think this is true. They're still pushing ICE efficiency. They also just put out V3 + electric turbo combination. There's something else going wrong here.
You make a solid point. Honda's shift toward EVs could be impacting their MotoGP focus. However, staying in MotoGP might still serve as a platform for tech development and brand presence. Whether they’ll fully commit to competitive ICE advancements remains to be seen.
Even though honda is strugling with the development of the bike
Zarco are often faster than the factory riders.
He rides very well on a bike that are under developed .
I wood like to see full support on him and his riding skills
are actualy fantastic. Hold on to him , he can do great
things with small improvments of the bike .
Zarco has shown impressive skill despite the bike's struggles. With full support and some key improvements, he could achieve great results-definitely a rider worth investing in!
With all due respect, but mir was never a driver even close to be known for his resilience and mental strength. Quit the opposite unfortunately
Otherwise great video;) keep it up
Thanks for the feedback! While Mir has faced criticism for resilience, his 2020 title showed he can deliver under pressure. Let’s see if he can turn things around with Honda. 😊
@@TheRaceGP True, he won that championship through sheer consistency. Making fewer mistakes than his rivals. Not unlike Jorge Martin or Nicky Hayden. He's almost always had better pace on the Honda than Marini but he's also crashed more often, so he was pushing trying to make the bike faster instead of just giving up.
@@TheRaceGP The only reason Mir won the title, even only winning one race, was that Marc was out and Mir was the most consistently average rider left over. Quartararo was not ready yet, unraveling in Misano and Pecco didn't know how to win yet. Mir is riding out his contract with his 2020 "title". Let's be real, Mir would not have won the title if Marc didn't injure himself.
Garbage point of view@@countbrapcula-espana
@@TheRaceGP Thx for your response. I didn’t intend to diminish mir’s achievments in 2020 and 2021(3rd in wdc). He is a great driver talent, one of the best. But if you compare Rins and Mir during their whole stint at suzuki the lack of resilience on mir’s side becomes very clear. Mir is always quick to blame the bike, the team, the setup, his teammate etc. . While Rins was a nearly perfect wingman in 2020, mir had some kind of critisism of Rins every other week. Rins never blamed the bike or threw his team under the bus. The difference became even more apparent in 2023. It felt like the minute Mir joined HRC he lost all of his fighting spirt and crumbled under the pressure of having Marquez as a teammate. Rins on the other hand never complained, never threw jabs at his team and just pushed to perform and develop. Sadly he paid big time for it.
Mir lost me as a fan over the last few years since he appears to lack true racecraft while being a talented driver. Tbf, recency bias might be at play, cause the comparison between marc and mir made mir look like a weak crybaby without fighting spirt.
Does the all black helmet mean he’s switching to a different brand next year? That definitely doesn’t look like an AGV
Good observation! The black helmet might just be a test setup, but it’s sparking plenty of speculation about his future.
@ it looks very similar in shape to Aleix’s
Honda is lacking innovation. The Japanese at the headquarters are showing a very less interest in racing. It's good to see Yamaha, ktm and Aprilia are constantly improving themselves while Honda struggles.
Honda does seem to be falling behind in innovation compared to Yamaha, KTM, and Aprilia. However, they may be focusing on longer-term solutions, and with the recent changes in their team, it's possible we'll see progress down the line.
I think he should concentrate on becoming the fastest Honda rider and actually finishing some races instead on whining.
Fair point! Focusing on consistent performance could definitely help him turn things around. Let’s see how he handles the challenges ahead!
Stop calling him Joan! Say it like half way between Juan and Joanne, as in juh-wan Mir. Otherwise sweet video.
Honda and Yamaha need to quit in MotoGP.
Its a waste of money and time.
They're clearly tanking and saving up for 2027
Interesting take! 2027 might be part of their long-term strategy, but it's tough for riders like Mir in the meantime.
No money in the kitty for MotoGP ... they should just buy the KTM bike ...
Buying an existing bike like KTM’s could be a practical move, but it would still require significant investment in development and integration. It’s a tough situation for many teams.
Sack Puig and Bradl
Mir, always negative, get rid of him.
Bulshit behaviour out of your phone dude.
Mir’s frustration is understandable given Honda's struggles, but it’s part of the sport. It’ll be interesting to see how he handles the challenges ahead.
Close racing as it is, 0,8 seconds is a full calendar distance, however Honda using Kalex chassi frame, there is something missing under breaking and rear grip.
As people say, the Devil is in the details.
Exactly, the small details make all the difference. Honda's missing link could very well be in those areas-braking and rear grip need refinement for better results.
Mir is the worst world champion ever, so he can shut up and do his job he gets paid, anuff not too cry about everything
Everyone has their opinion, but Mir earned his title through consistency and skill in a tough season. Frustrations are natural when a rider struggles, especially with an uncompetitive bike.
@TheRaceGP hahaha, I have been watching gp races for 35 years. Believe me, he gets paid a lot of money by Honda, and zarco did ok on a private Honda and didn't cry half as much, mir. won't be in gp for much longer, and how many races in the top class has he won ???
@@ChrisLewis-ef8rs Checinello said Zarco was really really frustrated in the box a lot of times but never spoke it out to the media. Mir is struggling, and its his 2nd year at Honda with no real performance jump on the bike. Marc also complained a lot in 2021,2022,2023 and finally he decided to rather leave. If things go the way they did in the past few years at Honda you will see Zarco complaining about the performance by the time we arrive Summer Break 2025. Let's see but I think Mir wanted to see much more progress even in 2024 season. Yes Zarco scored 53 points throughout the 2024, by staying on bike and can be happy about that. But the WC winner scored more than 500points so the best Honda scored 1/10 of that. And that shows how far Honda is realistically.
@kalcine hahaha that's what I said. zarco did better and cried less, and i know how far Honda has fallen. i don't need that book u have written, but thank u anyway