The Honda factory team has presented the colors for the 2023 MotoGP season. Marc Márquez and Joan Mir showed the new RC213V in Spain’s capital Madrid. With main sponsor Repsol, the basic color design does not change. Honda has been working with the Spanish oil company since 1995. The agreement was recently extended up to and including 2024.
In recent years, Honda has slipped deeper and deeper into the crisis. In 2019, Márquez still dominated the field and confidently became MotoGP World Champion for the sixth time. Honda also won the team and manufacturer championships.
After Márquez’s injury-related layoff, Honda failed to win in 2020 for the first time since 1981. In the manufacturers’ standings, they slipped down to fifth place. The following year, Márquez won three races.
But in 2022 Honda did not manage a single win again. In the manufacturers’ ranking, the world’s largest motorcycle manufacturer came sixth and last. Behind the scenes, Honda has made some personnel changes to respond to this slide.
Ken Kawauchi was signed by Suzuki and is the new technical director in place of Takeo Yokoyama. Kawauchi should primarily optimize the structures of the work and act as an interface between the racing team and the developers in Japan.
Honda also changed exhaust manufacturers over the winter. Instead of SC-Project you now drive with Akrapovic. The Slovenian brand equips all other MotoGP teams except Aprilia. The new exhaust system has already been used in the winter tests.
But despite many changes to the bike, Honda haven’t made the big strides. After the three days of testing in Malaysia, Márquez stated: “Right now we’re not in a position to fight for the top 5. The feeling has gotten better but we’re way behind.”
Lack of traction was one of his criticisms. Only at the second winter test on March 11th and 12th in Portimao does Honda want to put together the final package for the season opener on March 26th at the same place. It remains to be seen whether Honda still has large development parts in the pipeline.
Joan Mir gets to know the Honda
Mir, the 2020 world champion, is new to the team. After Suzuki announced its exit, Honda team boss Alberto Puig quickly tried to find his Spanish compatriot. Mir has signed a two-year contract until the end of 2024.
Honda used the signing to make further changes. Ramon Aurin, Pol Espargaro’s crew chief for the past two years, has joined the test team. Klaus Nöhles, who has been in charge of the test team so far, is Takaaki Nakagami’s new crew chief in the LCR team.
And Giacomo Guidotti, who was previously the Japanese crew chief, now takes care of the crew around Mir. So far, Mir has had four test days with the RC213V. He also has to convert from the Suzuki’s in-line engine to the Honda’s V4 powerplant.
“It’s progressing steadily, but I’m still a rookie with this bike. You have to adapt your riding style a bit. It’s a learning process. We now know better what I need to be fast with this bike,” said Mir the Sepang test.
And how does the RC213V differ from the Suzuki GSX-RR? “You have to attack a little more on the brakes, especially in the second part of the braking phase, than on the Suzuki. The electronics are also very different.”
Overall, Mir was pleased with his process of adapting to the Honda. But he also admits, like Márquez: “We are still a long way from Ducati and Aprilia.” I also mentioned lack of traction as a weak point.
Lucio Cecchinello’s LCR satellite team presents the colors online on March 7th. Nakagami’s new teammate is Alex Rins, who Honda also brought in from Suzuki.
With 312 wins and 25 world championship titles in the manufacturers’ championship, Honda is the most successful brand in the premier class (500cc plus MotoGP).