The 2025 MotoGP season offers one of the most perplexing statistics in the paddock: within the same manufacturer, Honda, Johann Zarco is the king of crashes, while Luca Marini, until Sepang, embodied perfect stability. Two faces, one bike: the RC213V, a symbol of a still-unfinished revival.
The numbers speak for themselves: 28 crashes for Johann Zarco since the start of the season.
A staggering total, equivalent to that of Peter Acosta over the course of 2024, when the calendar had fewer races. In the box LCR Honda de Lucio CecchinelloThe French veteran is experiencing a grueling season, punctuated by promising highs… and numerous setbacks.
And he is not alone: Joan mir, on the official machine, occupies fourth place in this unenviable ranking with 21 falls, surpassed only by zarco, Jack Miller (24) et Alex Marquez (22)
The temptation is great to blame the motorcycle — a prototype still under construction despite the technical concessions made to Honda. But Roman Albesian, technical director of HRC Since the end of 2024, this explanation has been refuted.
« Normal falls depend on each rider's style and his propensity to take risks "That's the Italian engineer's conclusion. When a driver wants to go faster, he attacks where he is strong, not where he is weak. This is often where the boundary breaks. »
According to him, the errors therefore do not come from the motorcycle, but from the excessive exploitation of individual strengths.
Romano Albesiano Honda: " Joan Mir is an extreme case »
Albesian doesn't hide behind euphemisms:
« Joan Mir is an extreme case. He is exceptionally aggressive under braking and corner entry. He is incredibly fast there. But it's also what sometimes pushes him beyond the limits. »
Mir remains one of the most combative drivers on the grid, but his impetuous style continues to clash with a Honda in full reconstruction.
For zarcoThe problem would be more psychological than mechanical: Johann started the season fantastically, with an incredible feeling. But he lost that connection with the bike. as the races progressed ", Explain Albesian. " At the same time, his rivals have progress in this area, and This has widened the gap. »
The Frenchman, renowned for his analytical approach, now seems trapped in a spiral of doubts — one where each technical correction generates additional uncertainty.
And then, at the other end of the spectrum Honda, there is Luca mariniUntil Malaysia, the Italian had not known no decline in 2025A rare feat in such a demanding championship.
« Luca is a complete, precise, methodical pilot. ", said Albesian"He manages his limitations with remarkable intelligence."
But even consistency has its limits. On Saturday in Sepang, the unbeaten run of number 10 came to an end during the Sprint. A minor crash, due to a misjudgment of the situation with Pol EspargaroIronically, that same weekend, zarco didn't fall even once.
Between *the passion of Mir, the search for reference points zarco, and the rigor of Marinithe garage Honda This alone illustrates the work that remains to be done on the RC213V. A motorcycle in evolution, between tangible progress and a margin for error that is still too narrow.
For AlbesianThe message is clear: performance will not come solely from technique, but from the osmosis between the driver and the machine.
And in this game, Honda knows that the season MotoGP 2025 will be remembered as the year of the most brutal contrasts — between balance and fall.
