In an interview, Lucio Cecchinello, boss of LCR Honda, gives an unvarnished overview of Honda's situation in MotoGP. Recent results in Austin suggest an improvement, but the road to the top remains fraught with pitfalls. Between technical progress, the arrival of Romano Albesiano, and rider strategy, the Italian deciphers a brand in reconstruction, far from Ducati and KTM, but on an upward slope.
In an exclusive interview for Moto.it, Lucio Cecchinello shared his thoughts on the current situation of Honda, particularly on the progress made this season and the outlook for the future. The owner of Honda LCR stressed that, although much remains to be done, the Japanese brand has taken important steps in the right direction, particularly in terms of competitiveness on the track.
« Honda still has a long way to go, but the light is visible", said Lucio. According to him, after difficult years, where it was complicated to find the right direction, Honda began to find solutions. Last year we took a significant step forward in aerodynamics, and I am pleased to say that we contributed to this by providing information on the solutions used by the competition" he added, referring to the progress made, particularly thanks to the tests at Misano.
Cecchinello also mentioned the engine improvements, while specifying that the progress was made more in the engine response than in the top speed. This year the engine is smoother, which ensures better rear tire grip“, he explained. “ But we still need to improve the maximum performance of the engine, especially in terms of top speed, so that we are as competitive as Ducati or KTM"
Lucio Cecchinello: “ There are phenomenal riders like Marquez and Acosta and very strong riders like Zarco and Mir »
The arrival of Roman Albesian, technical director of HRC, also marked a turning point. Lucio expressed his satisfaction with the more cautious approach ofAlbesian. " He managed to convince the Japanese not to start a completely new project but to work on the improvement of the current motorcycle, to carry out comparative tests and adjustments" he said. This approach has allowed Honda to better understand its strengths and weaknesses while gradually improving the bike.
About the Honda 2025, Lucio explained that the bike is fundamentally different from the 2024 one, although the base has remained similar. The results show that it is more competitive, but there are still issues to be addressed, including top speed" he conceded. " The goal is to make the Honda as fast as the Ducati and KTM, and for that, the engineers must find more power while maintaining low-end gains"
Cecchinello also took the time to talk about his drivers and the competition. He emphasized that, although Marc Marquez be a phenomenal driver for Honda, the brand does not need to rush the recruitment of such a driver at the moment. It is obvious that Honda would be interested in recruiting a phenomenal driver like Marc, but there is no point in doing it without being competitive" , did he declare. " For now, it's best to have several strong and experienced riders to evolve the bike. before seeking to recruit the phenomenal driver of the moment"
He specifies : " There are very fast drivers and phenomenal drivers. Among the phenomenal drivers, we find Marc Marquez, Acosta. Even though he is making a lot of mistakes at the moment, he too is destined to become a phenomenonAnd there are the very strong riders, world champions like Mir, sprint winners or those who get on the podium, like Marini, or who have obtained several podiums, like Zarco. ».
With these statements, Cecchinello show that Honda is in a phase of reconstruction and consolidation of its forces, with the hope of regaining its competitiveness in the near future, and potentially, returning to recruiting drivers capable of bringing the brand back to the top.
