Team Profile
Honda’s leading premier-class works team
The Honda team is Honda Racing Corporation’s (HRC) MotoGP works operation, linking Honda’s prototype development with premier-class competition. Honda entered the 500cc premier class with the RC181 in 1966, while HRC was established in 1982 and has long developed racing motorcycles, components and technology. The brand’s racing debut and the racing company’s foundation mark different parts of its history.
From the 500cc two-stroke era to modern MotoGP, Honda has raced platforms including the NSR500, RC211V, RC212V and RC213V. The RC213V arrived with the 1000cc rules in 2012, and Marc Márquez won his first premier-class title on it in 2013. Honda HRC Castrol in 2026 continues that works-team lineage, while sponsor names and liveries evolve with partnerships.
The RC213V and manufacturer structure
Honda continues with the Honda RC213V in 2026. Its official season launch described the technical progress made in 2025 as a foundation for further work, with sustained competitiveness as the goal. Feedback gathered by both works riders in races combines with manufacturer development and testing to guide improvements.
Honda LCR also uses Honda bikes but is independently run. Works-team and LCR results must be assessed separately: pace shown by riders on the same brand over different weekends helps explain the platform, while team standings reflect each team’s own riders’ points, not all four Honda riders combined under the works team.
The 2026 line-up and continuity
The race riders are number 36 Joan Mir and number 10 Luca Marini, entering their third season together at Honda’s works team in 2026. Mir won the MotoGP world title with Suzuki in 2020; Marini arrived at Honda with previous Ducati experience. Their understanding of different platforms offers different perspectives for long-term development.
At the 2026 launch, team manager Alberto Puig emphasised how Marini’s consistency and Mir’s podium results had both driven the previous year’s progress. Assessing this pairing therefore requires attention to front-running pace as well as whether both riders can finish consistently and accumulate results.
What to watch
Honda’s challenge is to repeat isolated breakthroughs across more circuits. Track the frequency of reaching the second qualifying phase, race positions and finishes separately, then compare LCR riders. As viewing analysis, strong results in a wet or chaotic race are valuable, but consistent gains across circuits are a better guide to development progress.
Rider Line-up
Last checked: 1 October 2026 · Historical statistics and current points are maintained separately