Honda’s Bold Strategy: Signing Aprilia’s Romano Albesiano as MotoGP Technical Director for 2025

"Intriguing and significant": Joan Mir and Luca Marini share their thoughts on Honda acquiring Albesiano

"Romano is fully aware of his contributions to Aprilia's major development journey"

Joan Mir and Luca Marini, who race for Repsol Honda, have expressed their approval of HRC's decision to appoint Romano Albesiano from Aprilia as the new technical director for MotoGP starting in 2025.

Albesiano will become the inaugural non-Japanese individual to occupy a high-ranking design role within HRC.

Since taking over as Aprilia's technical director in 2013, following Gigi Dall’Igna's departure to Ducati, Albesiano has guided the RS-GP from being a backmarker in the MotoGP field to achieving pole positions, podium finishes, and victories in races.

Mir, who clinched the world championship in 2020 riding for Suzuki, has managed to secure just a single top ten finish in the Grand Prix since moving to Honda at the beginning of the previous year. The Spanish racer is optimistic that the strategies and methods employed by Albesiano, which significantly improved Aprilia's performance, can be similarly applied to enhance the RC213V.

Mir expressed that the developments surrounding Albesiano are both fascinating and significant. He also believes that HRC's decision to embrace this change is a positive step forward.

"Having someone of his caliber, with the wealth of experience he brings, especially since he was in a similar position to ours about five years ago – lacking competitiveness – he's fully aware of his journey with Aprilia and the significant progress they've made."

"Aprilia, being a much smaller operation than HRC, benefits from quicker response times. This is a detail they plan to share with HRC, likely leading to improvements on both ends."

"Additionally, we aim to further tap into the abilities of our technicians in Japan. The team in Japan is highly skilled; however, we need to slightly reduce the response time between one development phase and the next."

"Often, we find ourselves requesting something, and when it finally comes, it turns out to be minor. This approach might not be the best for reducing the gap with the leading figures."

Albesiano is set to take over from Ken Kawauchi, who was previously associated with Mir at Suzuki. It is anticipated that Kawauchi will move to the Honda MotoGP testing squad.

"At HRC, they're rearranging personnel to maximize everyone's potential. They likely view Ken as a pivotal figure in the bike's development, believing his role will be extremely beneficial," Mir explained.

Marini Claims Aprilia Possesses Unmatched Grip from 60 to 40 Degrees

As Kawauchi continues his significant participation in the MotoGP endeavor, Luca Marini, his team colleague, emphasized that Albesiano's addition will bolster the existing technical crew further.

"Marini believes that Romano's arrival will contribute significantly in terms of experience and expertise," he stated, having come on board with Repsol Honda this season after Marc Marquez's departure.

"In recent years, Aprilia has done an exceptional job, and I'm thrilled about this development. From the outset, we aim to provide the best care for him, striving to create a familial atmosphere with all the Japanese team members. I believe he will significantly bolster our efforts."

Marini further stated, "We will retain the same team and engineers. I believe that bringing Romano on board will be a beneficial addition, offering one more individual who can contribute new ideas and information, striving towards a common goal in collaboration with the entire team."

"I don't believe it's going to alter Honda's longstanding philosophy in any significant way. We excel in numerous areas, and our focus will be on enhancing our best attributes. In certain aspects, the motorcycle is outstanding, and the Japanese team has done an amazing job."

"We might benefit from enhanced coordination and clearer communication at times. It's important to establish a more direct link between the activities in the garage and our counterparts in Japan, ensuring that everyone is actively engaged in frequent discussions."

"However, I believe that since I've come here, starting from the season's onset, there's been a significant and positive transformation, and I'm very optimistic about it."

Marini believes that Honda has managed to cut its performance gap with Ducati by nearly 50%, yet there remains a significant distance to cover.

"Marini mentioned, 'Initially, we were lagging by 2 seconds per lap behind Ducati, but now we've managed to reduce the gap to about 1 second. However, it's still insufficient.'"

"Everyone shares the same goal, which is to quickly secure another win. We're all putting in great work and effort, and I believe that things will improve next year."

Marini identified improving traction during acceleration as a key aspect he believes Albesiano can impact on the RC213V.

"He believes Aprilia's most significant advantage this season lies in its edge grip, particularly the initial phase of picking the bike up from 60 to 40 degrees during the corner exit," he detailed.

"In that sector, Aprilia possesses the superior traction among all competitors. Hence, if he can aid us in comprehending and capturing that essence, it would significantly elevate our performance."

Starting in 2025, Albesiano will take charge of HRC's MotoGP efforts and further advancements of the Honda RC213V. This implies his initial outing with Honda is expected to occur during the Sepang Shakedown test in January.

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