Honda has announced the presentation of its troops for the 2024 MotoGP season under the sponsorship of Repsol in Madrid on February 13, but everything is not yet organized for this major event. Thus, the presence of Repsol would be considerably reduced this season on the official Hondas in MotoGP, the Japanese manufacturer instead incorporating its corporate colors. This year, however, will mark the 30th anniversary of the partnership between Repsol and Honda, an association which has made its orange livery one of the most recognizable in the history of motorcycle racing. However, despite this important year for their long-standing association, the Spanish oil giant will have limited exposure of its brand on the two factory RC213Vs, while the size of the Repsol logos on the stands, trucks and hospitality Honda will also be reduced…
Repsol renewed its contract with Honda in 2023 for one year with an option for a second lease, under certain conditions. One of the main stipulations was the continued presence of Marc Marquez in the team, which already seemed uncertain given the brand's declining performance in recent years. The departure of Marquez toward Gresini Ducati allowed Repsol to negotiate the finances of the deal and reduce its involvement. As a result, Honda believes that the contribution of Repsol as a sponsor is not enough to give it such an important presence on the livery of the RC213V.
In addition, the Japanese brand seeks to strengthen its brand image and one of its medium-term objectives is to expand the use of its corporate colors red, white and blue in all factory teams of different disciplines. Honda already uses this color scheme in World Superbike, Dakar Rally and motocross.
Honda's decision was not well received by Repsol
The decision to Honda was not well received by Repsol, which continues negotiations with the Tokyo-based brand to expand its presence on factory prototypes. In fact, with just two weeks until the start of pre-season testing at Sepang, where Honda will ride with black fairings, there is no agreement on the final design of the motorcycles which will be ridden by Joan Mir and Luca Marini this season, we learn fromMotorsport. The two HRC drivers are still waiting to be called for the usual team launch photoshoot, which will take place on February 13 in Madrid and will be organized by Repsol, as the Spanish oil company announced on Tuesday.
In addition to reducing the presence of Repsol and its orange color, Honda lost sponsorship of Red Bull following the departure of Marc Marquez. This means there will be no Red Bull branding on the bike's fairings or elsewhere in its hospitality unit in the paddock. For now, Honda does not plan to add new sponsors, while some of the existing sponsors present on driver suits, trucks and hospitality, such as the brewery Estrella Galicia, do not intend to incorporate their logos on the fairings of the Honda 2024.
In this situation, the 30th season of Repsol as a sponsor of Honda in the world championship will not go as planned, especially as the championship moves towards the use of 40% non-fossil fuels in 2024 and 100% synthetic gasoline in 2027. It is a transition in which Repsol hopes to play a leading role, it therefore remains to be seen whether it will go hand in hand with Honda during this phase...
