Honda’s possible savior for MotoGP: Romano Albesiano

Romano Albesiano’s transfer to Honda this season will make a distinction to the Japanese manufacturing unit’s technical agility and assist it to remain within the growth race, based on the marque’s main rider, Johann Zarco.

Technical director Albesiano joined the HRC manufacturing unit squad firstly of the 2025 season after an 11-year stint in the identical function at Aprilia, as a part of a Honda personnel swap to attempt to flip its sagging fortunes round.

And it could be working as Frenchman Zarco, who rides for the impartial LCR crew, has been Honda’s strongest rider in latest months. In considered one of Honda’s most encouraging shows since Alex Rins received the Americas GP for LCR two years in the past, Zarco certified on the entrance row and was in podium competition on the final occasion in Argentina.

Whereas some will query Honda’s means to maintain up this degree in a season-long growth battle with different producers, Zarco believes the brand new technical director may have a constructive affect on this regard.

Honda’s droop in recent times has been put down in lots of quarters to a reluctance to embrace change, a trait rooted in Japanese enterprise tradition. Zarco referenced this in his reward for Albesiano on the Americas GP on Thursday.

“With Romano, I believe it is fairly attention-grabbing to have a European man coming from one other model to assist the Japanese to take perhaps some… faster selections,” mentioned the Cannes native.

“We all know within the Japanese schooling, in the way in which they work… when they’re on the correct means, you can not cease them. However the issue was that we weren’t clearly on the correct means. I believe Romano may help the Japanese to leap from one technique to one other till we discover the correct one.”

Honda may have extra alternative to experiment than pace-setter Ducati, due to the concessions system. Underneath these guidelines, Honda and Yamaha can check considerably extra – not less than for the primary half of this season.

Johann Zarco, Staff LCR Honda

Picture by: Crimson Bull Content material Pool

The rejuvenated and smiling Zarco additionally emphasised the function performed by LCR technical director Christophe ‘Beefy’ Bourguignon in deciphering suggestions from the 2 LCR riders (Somkiat Chantra, who companions Zarco) in addition to the HRC duo of Joan Mir and Luca Marini.

“’Beefy’ has modified his work a bit through the years, however now he actually takes all this info attempt to make all of the Japanese engineers work collectively. Like a spider, you realize?

“He additionally [helps them] perceive what’s occurred on different bikes with different riders. As a result of generally the remark might be the identical, however [not all the riders] clarify it in the identical means.”

Images from Americas GP – Thursday