Honda using upcoming MotoGP races to decide on 2019 line-up
Honda MotoGP team principal Alberto Puig says the Japanese manufacturer needs more time to weigh up its 2019 rider options, as it considers whether to offer Dani Pedrosa a contract extension
Pedrosa has raced for the works Honda squad since his premier class debut in 2006, and has won at least won race per season in that time, but his contract expires at the end of this year.
While the 32-year-old has expressed a desire in continuing the relationship, Honda has said it wants to continue evaluating its options for its second bike after renewing Marquez's contract.
Puig described keeping Pedrosa on board as a "great option", but he stressed the need to see how the next few races unfold before coming to a final decision.
"Marquez renewed and we want to see the options depending on the [upcoming] races," Puig told Autosport.
"What I want to make clear is that we haven't sat down to negotiate with any rider.
"It is important to see and analyse the progression of the riders, the ones that are stuck [contractually] and the ones aren't.
"Our commitment is to give the best option to our team and Dani is a great option. That's why he is and has been with us for so many years."
Puig also admitted that Marquez would have some influence on the decision, saying: "It is obvious that having a rider like Marquez, at some point you will ask his view about the second rider."
The list of candidates has been reduced in the wake of the revelation that Johann Zarco has decided to join KTM for the 2019 season, while Andrea Dovizioso is deemed unlikely to leave Ducati despite rejecting the Italian marque's initial offer in contract talks.
This has come as a boost to Pedrosa's chances of staying, as did his ride to seventh in Austin just 12 days after breaking his wrist in Argentina.
However, Moto3 champion Joan Mir remains one possible alternative signing, especially after a strong comeback ride to fourth place in only his third Moto2 race last weekend.
Iannone ready to explode over criticism before Austin MotoGP podium
Jorge Lorenzo says Valentino Rossi copied him on Yamaha return
Miller ‘didn’t know I had dominant Motegi MotoGP win in me’
Ducati’s Jack Miller admits he “didn’t know I had it in me” to dominate the MotoGP Japanese Grand Prix at Motegi.
Marquez: Japanese GP first MotoGP race where “I didn’t feel pain"
Marc Marquez says Sunday’s MotoGP Japanese Grand Prix was the first race since badly breaking his right arm in 2020 where “I didn’t feel pain during the race”.
Bagnaia crashed out of Japan MotoGP race because he was “too ambitious”
Ducati’s Francesco Bagnaia says he crashed out of the last lap of the MotoGP Japanese Grand Prix trying to overtake points leader Fabio Quartararo because he was “too ambitious”.
Quartararo laments “frustrating” Motegi MotoGP race
Championship leader Fabio Quartararo says his MotoGP Japanese Grand Prix was “frustrating” because he “cannot overtake at all” on his Yamaha after finishing eighth.
The unique advantage Ducati must now use to win the 2022 MotoGP title
Ducati has littered the grid with eight strong motorcycles that has ensured it has had at least one rider stand on the podium at every grand prix in 2022. The drama of the Aragon Grand Prix has thrust Francesco Bagnaia well and truly into title contention with five races to go, and Ducati must now consider utilising a unique strength it has so far been reticent to embrace
How KTM failed one of its brightest MotoGP prospects
Reigning Moto2 champion Remy Gardner’s career has been derailed by KTM’s decision not to retain him at Tech3 for 2023. Amid difficult circumstances, Gardner hasn’t shamed himself. But KTM’s apparent reasoning for dropping him raises questions about its handling of its young riders and the unrealistic expectations placed on them
Why it won’t just be Marquez’s speed that saves Honda in MotoGP
OPINION: Honda is in the midst of a second winless season in the space of three years. The absence of the injured Marc Marquez has been a major contributing factor, but HRC’s inability to alter its own approach has seen it slide down the order. Marquez returned to the MotoGP paddock in Austria and provided a rallying cry Honda needed to hear.
The signs Quartararo’s 2022 MotoGP title is slipping away from him
Prior to the summer break, the 2022 MotoGP title looked like it was Fabio Quartararo’s to lose. But a crash at Assen and the consequential penalty he had to serve last weekend at Silverstone stopped him from capitalising on a main rival’s injury woes, while a resurgence from another, plus the rise of a former team-mate, look set to conspire against the Yamaha rider
Why Marquez’s toughest MotoGP foe is stopping at the right time
On the eve of the British Grand Prix, Andrea Dovizioso announced that he will be retiring from MotoGP after September’s San Marino GP. The timing of his departure raised eyebrows, but his reasoning remains sensible and what has happened this year should not diminish a hard-built legacy
Why a Suzuki refugee feels he deserves MotoGP's toughest challenge
Alex Rins’ MotoGP future was plunged into sudden doubt when Suzuki elected to quit the series at the end of 2022. Securing a deal with Honda to join LCR, he will now tread a path that many have fallen off from. But it was a move he felt his status deserved, and it’s a challenge – he tells Autosport - he faces with his eyes wide open…
How Formula 1 has driven MotoGP's changing nature
The hiring of technicians from Formula 1 has clearly contributed to a recent change in the MotoGP landscape, with the role of engineers gaining greater significance relative to the riders. Here's how this shift has come about
The revolution behind Aprilia's rise from MotoGP tail-ender to pack-leader
Coinciding with the arrival of Massimo Rivola as head of its MotoGP division, Aprilia has undergone an internal revolution that has spurred it from occupying last place in the team standings to leading the table in the space of just two years. Those entrenched in the project reveal how the ex-Ferrari F1 chief has achieved the dramatic turnaround