Espargaro set for another MotoGP wildcard weekend with Honda at Silverstone

Honda will field a wildcard rider for the third time in as many MotoGP weekends when Aleix Espargaro appears at the British Grand Prix later this month.

The Japanese marque has embraced the wildcard opportunity ever since the series returned to Europe last month. Espargaro rode its ‘development bike’ at the Spanish Grand Prix before ceding it to Takaaki Nakagami for this weekend’s French Grand Prix. 

Now British fans can look forward to seeing the 35-year-old Espargaro in action at Silverstone, where the third RC213V will revert to the Spaniard’s hands.

Espargaro became a Honda test rider following his retirement from full-time race action at the end of 2024, when he was an Aprilia factory rider.

Speaking after the sprint race at Jerez, in which he finished 18th, Espargaro confirmed that there was still plenty to work on. He pointed in particular to a vibration issue that only surfaces under race conditions.

“It only appears when you are pushing the bike to the limit and is barely seen in a test, when you are two seconds or one and a half seconds off [race] pace,” said Espargaro, who finished the Sunday Jerez race in 14th. 

“The chatter is a huge problem. In every other area the bike works well, but we have to understand how to solve this problem before more races go by. It’s not about power delivery – it’s when you enter the corner. 

“In my opinion it comes from the inertia of the engine, but to [confirm] this we have to do various tests that the official riders can’t do but I can. I’ve already spoken to [technical director] Romano Albesiano – I have a lot of ideas for different tests to understand where the problem comes from.”

Honda will not take part in next week’s private test at Misano, where Yamaha has rented the track to continue developing the M1 2025 and the V4 engine.

Both Japanese manufacturers benefit from concessions under the current regulations. These allow them greater freedom to test and develop their bikes.