<MotoGP Developer Interview> Honda RC213V, three years after its major transformation, will deliver results in 2026!

February 18, 2026

<MotoGP Developer Interview> Honda RC213V, three years after its major transformation, will deliver results in 2026!

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WebikePlus Editorial

The pre-season test before the start of the 2026 season has finally begun.The Sepang Circuit in Malaysia, where the test is being held, was full of surprises.Joan Mir, riding the Honda RC213V, set the top time in the morning session on the second day of testing! His time of 1:56.874 was faster than his pole time set here last year and0.566 seconds faster than Mill's own qualifying time.Luca Marini set the second fastest time on the first day of testing, andsomething is happening to the RC213V.

Photo courtesy of Honda

The 25th model is the second year of the new generation

2025 Honda RC213V with Joanne Mill

2025 Honda RC213V (Joanne Mille car)

After 22 races and 44 races in the season, only one win has been by satellite team Johan Zarco, with works team Joanne Mille in third place twice and Luca Marini in fourth, one step away from the podium was the highest finish, with Zarco taking one 2nd place finish in addition to his win. This is the topic of the Honda RC213V for the 2025 season.While this is an improvement over the 2012 season, when Mill and Marini were the two worst regular riders in the points standings, it is not enough for Honda, once considered by many to be the "best" in the world. The last time Honda won the world title was in 19 years, when Marc Marquez became the rider champion. Five years have already passed since then.The 25th season was the second year after the major change in direction of the machine in 2012, and it turned out to be almost exactly what I expected, that we would be able to consistently finish in the top 10 and get on the podium a few times. Of course, the results were not enough for the fans and for us, but considering that it was the second year of a three-year plan, we felt that we improved a lot," said Taichi Honda, General Manager of HRC's Race Management Office. He was in charge of development when Honda returned to the Dakar Rally in 2001 after more than 20 years of absence, and is credited with developing Honda's rally team from zero to a champion team.

Castrol Honda LCR's Johann Zarco won his home GP, round 6 in France. He followed it up with a second-place podium finish in the seventh round in Great Britain.

Factory Team Honda HRC Castrol's Joanne Mille finished third on the podium in rounds 17 in Japan and 20 in Malaysia.

In the 24th season, Honda said in their customary MotoGP machine development interview that they had made a drastic full model change to the RC213V. Honda did not give any specific details at the time, saying, "We've done everything," but a year has passed, and we have the answer to that question.He said, "I meant everything that I could think of at the time," he said, "but I was thinking of doing away with the framework of the past. Of course, MotoGP machines continue to change every year, or even shorter cycles than a year, and each year they undergo what would be called a "full model change" in the case of production cars.The changes from the 24th model to the 25th model are in the engine power delivery. The changes from the 2012 model to the 2013 model are in the power delivery of the engine.Our focus was on the evolution of torque delivery. This is not only about the engine, but also about the overall dynamic performance, which is related to the chassis, control, and aero system. The question of how to generate torque to keep the tires gripped is an ongoing issue for modern racing machines," says Akiyuki Karashima, the development project leader of the 2013 RC213V. He has been involved in MotoGP for 10 years and is a specialist in body design.

2025 Honda RC213V (Joanne Mill car)

2025 Honda RC213V (Joanne Mille car)

The difference between Honda and its rivals in the 2012 season, when it finished fifth out of five manufacturers in the constructor's title, is dynamic performance. The fact that Honda was losing out in acceleration and top speed was further simulated in detail to verify with greater precision where and how much it was inferior. The process of matching the rider's impression with the development team's sensation and putting it into figures has become much more precise in the past 25 years.From acceleration, maximum speed, and tire grip to the management of how long the tires can hold the rider's weight, the team was determined to improve the areas of inferiority and to increase the areas of superiority. This was the approach taken for the 2013 season, starting with the fully remodeled 2012 model, which was designed to jump up to the next level.We had a sense that we had gotten a good grasp of the situation in the second half of the 24th season, so we decided to improve the 25th model in that direction. Races are competitive, so no matter how much Honda improves, its rivals also improve, and once the season starts, the relative difference will show up in the results. The riders have never once said to me, 'Oh, this is good' (laughs)" (Shinsima)

During the season, three specifications were used for the aero system. The general shape of the front wing appears to be the same, but the size and angle differ in detail.

The fins are attached to the front and rear of the center cowl, the under cowl, and the front fenders. The fender fins were removed in many races.

Air duct-like blisters on the undercowl. The overhang and duct length appeared to have changed.

Fins are also installed on the tail cowl and on the sides. The fins on the tail cowl are connected to the left and right spoilers until around the time of the Japanese Grand Prix.

The ducts under the swingarm, formerly known as spoons, were also seen in a more angular shape than the type shown in the photo. This may be to suppress turbulence generated around the links.

The 2025 Season: A Grip on the Direction

At the beginning of the 2025 season, the gap between the two teams did not seem to have narrowed much. The two works teams continued to fall apart, with Marini consistently running in the points and in the top 10, and Mill including getting caught up. After the 12th round of the season, which was the summer break, Zarco was 8th in the standings, Marini was 15th, and Mir and Chantra were 19th and 26th, the two worst finishes of the regular riders.Zarco was 8th in the championship and Marini 15th, while Mir and Chantra were 19th and 26th, the two worst positions of the regular riders . We were not far behind in both qualifying times and race standings, but we were making progress little by little. Especially in the second half of the season, I think that progress was gradually reflected in the numbers."

2025 Honda RC213V (Joanne Mill car)

Some interesting data. If we assume that the "second half of the season" mentioned above by Mr. Honda is from the 13th round of the Austrian GP after the summer break, the top speed has visibly increased.For example, in the season opener, the top speeds of the four RC213Vs were 18th, 19th, 20th, and 22nd out of 22 machines. Honda's best machine in terms of top speed was barely able to break into the top 10, and by the 12th round in the Czech Republic, its average position was actually 9.75.In the 17th round in Japan, Mill and wild-card entry Takaaki Nakagami finally recorded the first and second fastest top speeds!　Mill also marked top speed in the Malaysian GP and the Valencia GP, and in the Valencia GP, Mill and Marini again recorded the first and second positions, in that order.While an increase in top speed alone is not enough to win races, an increase in top speed is a good link to higher results, as Mill's 3rd place podium finishes at the Japanese and Malaysian GPs attest.

The RC213V has certainly improved its fighting power in the second half of the 2025 season; the photo shows Takaaki Nakagami, who recorded the second fastest speed after Mir in the Japanese GP.

"During the season, we updated the engine twice and used three specifications. The frame was changed in the middle of the season and used 2 specifications, and the aero was also changed twice and used 3 specifications. In particular, the aero specs we used in the middle of the 25th season were very close to the correct response. The combination of power output and fuel efficiency, maximum speed and braking, and the effect of the aero system are inevitably a trade-off, i.e., a subtraction of advantages and disadvantages.Ithink this is the season when we gradually began to understand how to balance these factors.However, because we made too many changes, there was a large swing in performance, and our results were not stable. But thanks to that swing, we were able to reach a point where our rivals were struggling during the 2012 season. We took that machine further in the 25th model year. We will continue in this direction for the 26th model year, and I hope to achieve the three-year plan that we started with the 24th model year. 517435" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]

Factory's Luca Marini racked up points with a steady drive. [/caption]

2025 Honda RC213V (Luca Marini car)

The steering wheel area, which features not only a button for switching power modes, but also a holeshot device, ride height control, a lever for the rear brake and a lever to put the transmission in neutral.

The curved surface on the top of the fuel tank was designed so that the chin of the helmet, upper body, and arms are perfectly aligned when the rider is in the full prone position.

The center of the tail cowl, where the mufflers for the rear two cylinders were once laid out, is said to house a mass damper that dampens vertical vibration.

Öhlins carbon forks, OZ Racing wheels, and Brembo carbon brake rotors and calipers. An inner tube guard has also been added, possibly for aerodynamic measures.

The long mufflers for the front two cylinders, shown in the photo, were adopted around the beginning of the European round. The mesh guards at the openings, which were seen on earlier models, are no longer present.

The swing arm section has a cover over the rear suspension link rods and a guard at the bottom has been added. Covers have been installed in all areas where air flowing from the front of the vehicle might cause turbulence.

Honda's 2026 season...will it be the best ever?

This is the third year of a three-year plan. Mr. Honda, who assumed the position of general manager, was not only in charge of machine building, but also kept a close eye on the development process and even the movements of the staff at the race site. He reviewed operations from how to efficiently schedule times at the circuit, to how to prepare the car and tires, and even how to apply tire warmers, and the mood of the team improved considerably.The test team features Alessi Espargaro and Nakagami, who just retired from full Grand Prix competition, and continues to have Stefan Bradl on standby. The entire development team and Grand Prix team had the feeling that they could do it this year, and they have kept it up for the past 26 years, even after the off-season.Three months after the end of the 25th season, when the results were not what they had hoped for, the light began to shine a little more brightly. Three months after the end of the 25th season, the RC213V was seen in action at the Sepang Circuit in Malaysia. In the shakedown test, where only test riders and rookies were allowed to run, Espargaro, in his second year as a test rider, marked the top time with dignity, and in the test where regular riders joined the team, Mir set the top time in the morning of the second day.Naturally, the comments from both Espargaro and Mill were of a similar tone.This year's car is the best we have ever had"

Joanne Mille & the 2026 RC213V set the top time at the February Sepang test... Honda finally strikes back!

Interviewed are Taichi Honda (left), head of HRC's race management office, and Akiyuki Karashima, development project leader of the 2025 RC213V.

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<MotoGP Developer Interview> Honda RC213V, three years after its major transformation, will deliver results in 2026!

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The 25th model is the second year of the new generation

The 2025 Season: A Grip on the Direction

Honda's 2026 season...will it be the best ever?

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