Following his retirement from full-time racing in 2024, the three-time race winner made the shift to a test rider position with the Japanese manufacturer. Former MotoGP star Aleix Espargaró is poised to make a dramatic return at this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix, marking his first competitive outing as a Honda test rider and his debut on the RC213V.
The 35-year-old Spaniard, who retired from full-time racing after the 2024 season following a distinguished career with Aprilia, Suzuki, and Ducati, will become the oldest rider on the grid as he lines up at the Jerez-Ángel Nieto Circuit. This wildcard entry will be Espargaró’s 256th premier class race, putting him second only to Valentino Rossi in all-time MotoGP starts, and his 340th Grand Prix appearance across all categories.
Honda has brought in Espargaró to help fast-track the development of their underperforming RC213V, hoping to leverage his proven ability to turn around teams, as he did with Aprilia, taking them from backmarkers to race winners during his eight years with the Italian brand. The three-time MotoGP race winner has been working as a test rider for Honda since January, but he admits that the weight of representing such a prestigious marque is not lost on him.
“I feel a huge responsibility – even though I’m just the test rider,” Espargaró shared with MotoGP.com. “This is the biggest team in our sport, so I feel incredibly fortunate to be racing with these colours.”
The Catalan rider has confirmed that he will race with a different bike specification than factory riders Joan Mir and Luca Marini, as Honda aims to use his wildcard entry to test new components. “Hopefully, by the end of the weekend, we can find the bike to be a bit more competitive,” Espargaró said, though he tempered expectations regarding immediate results.
Espargaró’s return adds an intriguing dimension to a Honda garage eager for progress, having accumulated just 12 points across the season’s first four races. With 15 years of experience in the premier class, he offers a valuable reference for Honda’s engineers as they aim to close the gap to the dominant Ducatis and KTMs.
Although he’s ruled out podium expectations (“that wouldn’t be realistic”), the seasoned rider is focused on delivering valuable data: “I’m not setting a top-10 target, but I’ll give my all and we’ll see where we end up.”
The Spanish Grand Prix marks the start of Honda’s expanded testing program, with Espargaró set to make more wildcard appearances, including at Catalunya and potentially Misano later this year. His insights could be pivotal in helping HRC break a victory drought that has stretched since the 2021 Emilia-Romagna GP.
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