For Johann Zarco, Romano Albesiano is the agent of change Honda desperately needs

It's been a long, struggling ride for the Japanese MotoGP team. But hires like Albesiano for the bike's technical development, and a few shining achievements with Zarco at the helm, show a more promising future

Romano Albesiano’s move to Honda this season will make a difference to the Japanese factory’s technical agility and help it to stay in the development race, according to the marque’s leading rider, Johann Zarco.

Technical director Albesiano joined the HRC factory squad at the start of the 2025 season after an 11-year stint in the same role at Aprilia, as part of a Honda personnel switch to try to turn its sagging fortunes around.

And it may be working as Frenchman Zarco, who rides for the independent LCR team, has been Honda’s strongest rider in recent months. In one of Honda’s most encouraging displays since Alex Rins won the Americas GP for LCR two years ago, Zarco qualified on the front row and was in podium contention at the last event in Argentina.

While some will question Honda’s ability to keep up this level in a season-long development battle with other manufacturers, Zarco believes the new technical director will have a positive influence in this regard.

Romano Albesiano, Honda HRC at Sepang testing

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Honda’s slump in recent years has been put down in many quarters to a reluctance to embrace change, a trait rooted in Japanese business culture. Zarco referenced this in his praise for Albesiano at the Americas GP on Thursday.

“With Romano, I think it's pretty interesting to have a European guy coming from another brand to help the Japanese to take maybe some… quicker decisions,” said the Cannes native.

“We know in the Japanese education, in the way they work… when they are on the right way, you cannot stop them. But the problem was that we were not clearly on the right way. I think Romano can help the Japanese to jump from one way to another until we find the right one.”

Honda will have more opportunity to experiment than pace-setter Ducati, thanks to the concessions system. Under these rules, Honda and Yamaha can test substantially more – at least for the first half of this season.

Johann Zarco, Team LCR Honda

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

The rejuvenated and smiling Zarco also emphasised the role played by LCR technical director Christophe ‘Beefy’ Bourguignon in interpreting feedback from the two LCR riders (Somkiat Chantra, who partners Zarco) as well as the HRC duo of Joan Mir and Luca Marini.

“'Beefy' has changed his work a bit over the years, but now he really takes all this information try to make all the Japanese engineers work together. Like a spider, you know?

“He also [helps them] understand what’s happened on other bikes with other riders. Because sometimes the comment can be the same, but [not all the riders] explain it in the same way.”