Honda’s difficulties have worn out and exhausted the drivers in recent years. Pol Espargaró experienced two difficult seasons with the official team before returning to the fold of KTM. Marc Márquez, who embodied the brand for 11 years and won its six titles with it, slammed the door a year later and relaunched with Ducati, whose factory team he will join in 2025.
“The reality is that no one leaves Honda in better shape than when they arrived”, summed up his former teammate Joan Mir, whose future with the brand is dotted, as the current situation is so difficult to live with. As for Takaaki Nakagami, who arrived in 2018, he also admits to having difficulty accepting the poor performances that follow one another.
Author of a pole and close to the podium several times in 2020, the LCR driver is now constantly among the last positions. Asked about solutions that could keep him motivated, he made no secret of finding himself in a certain impasse. “I don’t know“, replied Nakagami, constantly seeing his efforts go unrewarded: “I asked myself the question but I don’t know how I can continue to attack.”
“It’s really disappointing. We attack like crazy but the results are always 20th, 21st, 19th… We are fighting for the last places and it’s obviously not a good situation for Honda, for the Honda drivers. We attack on the track but the times don’t match up. We do crazy things on the bike but it never pays off, so it’s very difficult.
After seven races this season, Nakagami has only scored eight points, far from the 26 he totaled at the same stage in 2023, in an already disappointing campaign: “Last year was the most difficult year but if I look at the results, it’s even worse this year. Not only for me, for the four Honda riders. We are fighting… Or rather, we don’t fight, but we compete against each other at the bottom of the rankings.”
Takaaki Nakagami
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
“It’s really difficult. Every weekend, we don’t have the feeling that we will be able to finish in the top 10 or do anything, not at all. We cross our fingers to finish in the points, just for a point These are the results and you have to take them but. [au Mugello]there weren’t many falls and the reality didn’t change.”
No certainty for 2025
Short-term progress seems difficult, however the 2027 regulations could change the situation, with a completely new generation of motorcycles. “I hope so! Honda is a big company”recalled a Nakagami who is nevertheless not ready to wait that long: “I’m waiting for a high-performance motorcycle as soon as possible.”
“I’m not 20, I’m already 32, and I can’t wait a few more years. If next week, or this weekend, I see clear progress, I’ll take it. [Au GP d’Italie], I was in front of the other Hondas and I don’t doubt myself, I’m always fast. The reality is that I give everything but in terms of results, we have a lot of difficulty.”
Honda’s current situation is so difficult that Takaaki Nakagami wonders about its future, which however only seems to pass through this brand, its place at LCR being reserved for a Japanese driver due to the financial support of the oil company Idemistu. At the end of 2022, she was very threatened by her compatriot Ai Ogura, who ultimately preferred to stay in Moto2 and had experienced a difficult campaign there. For the moment, everything remains open for 2025 and Nakagami does not know if he will still be riding the Honda in a few months.
“I don’t know. Honestly, I haven’t discussed it with HRC yet. I haven’t made a decision yet, I’m not sure. I don’t know yet. After Assen or the Sachsenring, I will start maybe to think about it more. For the moment, I really have no idea so I haven’t discussed it with the HRC First, we’ll have to have some discussions for the future. Afterwards, we’ll see.
