Aleix Espargaro and his return with Honda this week during testing. But we will see him as a wildcard in the Spanish Grand Prix at Jerez.

This will be Espargaro's first race since retiring last year with Aprilia. And since then, he has joined Honda in the role of a test rider, and in Jerez, it will also be his first time racing on a Honda bike.

At Jerez, Honda is going to have five riders: Espargaro, who will join the factory riders Joan Mir and Luca Marini, and LCR’s Johann Zarco and Somkiat Chantra.

Private Test

This week, Honda and Yamaha had a private test at Valencia that lasted two days. Thanks to the MotoGP development concessions, both teams had a chance to test new updates and improve their bikes for the upcoming race.

And with Espargaro back on the bike, he shared a glimpse of his start on social media. Yet he wasn’t alone, as Honda also had test rider Stefan Bradl there.

Over at Yamaha, Cal Crutchlow made his return after an injury. He was joined by Augusto Fernandez, who is currently filling in for Miguel Oliveira.

Yamaha has confirmed that their new V4 engine is now being tested, but they haven’t said whether it was used in Valencia or which rider tested it.

Overall, the test in Valencia was valuable for Honda to fine-tune their setup before Jerez, as the team seems to be on the rise. And Espargaro’s experience is very useful, as his feedback could help Honda continue improving.

Honda’s technical direction also seems to be paying off, as their recent result—like Johann Zarco’s fourth-place finish in Qatar—shows that the team is finding rhythm again.

And with Espargaro joining the grid, Honda will look more competitive. So we have a lot to be excited about when the lights go out in Jerez next weekend.