Marini has “really high expectations” from Honda for 2026 MotoGP season

Luca Marini says he has “really high expectations” from Honda for the 2026 MotoGP season after being impressed by the progress he has witnessed so far this year.

The factory HRC squad has enjoyed a strong run of form since MotoGP returned from summer break, with Joan Mir finishing sixth in Austria and Marini going one better at the returning Hungarian Grand Prix.

In the sprint race at Balaton Park, both riders ended up inside the top-10, with Marini finishing on the cusp of the podium in fourth, and Mir bagging more points in sixth.

The Sakura-based manufacturer also achieved some headline results earlier in the summer, with LCR’s Johann Zarco taking a sensational victory in a rain-hit French Grand Prix and then finishing on the podium in a dry British GP.

But Marini knows that Honda must carry on its upward trajectory in the final year of the current rule cycle, and believes the upcoming in-season test in Misano will provide a better indication of how competitive the 2026-spec RC213V will be.

“I have really high expectations for next year because now we have a lot of material to work on,” he told MotoGP’s official website.

Luca Marini, Honda HRC

Photo by: HRC

“It’s not easy to improve everything during a normal GP because you don’t have time, so we need a little bit of testing. 

“When the Misano test comes, we will also have a better idea for next year, and it will be a key moment to understand our potential for next season. 

“And then the winter will be so crucial, so important. We need to not waste time in the winter period because in the past we made some mistakes in that part of the season. And now with more experience, we understand many things better.”

In 2024, Honda finished at the bottom of the constructors’ championship with just 75 points.

This year, the Japanese marque has already accumulated 175 points and is currently ahead of its fellow Japanese manufacturer Yamaha in fourth place. In fact, Honda briefly sat second in the championship, just behind the all-conquering Ducati, after Zarco’s heroic run in June.

Marini, who signed a new contract extension for 2026 on Monday, highlighted how Honda has been continuously making organisational changes since he joined the squad at the start of last season.

Luca Marini, Honda HRC

Photo by: HRC

“I really enjoy being a part of this family,” he said. “I know we represent a great manufacturer that made history in this sport, and I’m proud to be here now. 

“Since I’ve been here, we are improving so much; everything is changing from the first day I arrived at Honda.

“It’s great to feel part of this change. For the future, it will be back to the top and fighting for the title, and I want to be that rider riding the Honda in that moment.”

Marini explained that while Honda’s MotoGP prototype is easy to get up to speed, it is much harder to extract the last ounce of performance from the bike.

“I think the strongest point in some way [is] how nice it is to ride the bike. It is super easy,” he explained. 

“Especially if you check many times in FP1, at the beginning, we are always at the front. But when you need to go over [to find] that peak performance, you need to find the last two or three tenths - and then it starts to become super difficult. This is also a little bit of our weakness.”