The Honda factory team is rumored to be close to finalizing a deal with Castrol to replace Repsol as a sponsor starting from 2025.

Although the rumors had been circulating for months, Repsol officially informed Honda this year that it would not renew its sponsorship deal, which will expire at the end of this year.

In a statement released after the San Marino Grand Prix, Repsol confirmed the end of the 30-year partnership with Honda, a relationship that has weakened since Marc Marquez left the team at the end of last year. Following Marquez’s move to Gresini, Repsol’s financial support was significantly reduced. This change was visible in the diminishing presence of Repsol’s logo on the RC213V, moving from a prominent spot to a less visible one on the bikes.

Honda’s factory team has continued to use the Repsol Honda Team name out of goodwill, though the bikes have mostly been in Honda’s corporate colors (red, blue, and white).

With the end of this collaboration nearing, Honda has supposedly secured a new deal with Castrol, which will step in to replace Repsol next season.

Castrol already has a prominent partnership with the LCR team, which is led by Lucio Cecchinello, where it serves as the main sponsor on Johann Zarco’s side of the garage. This new deal with Honda’s factory team will not affect the existing arrangement with LCR.

While Castrol won’t take on the role of title sponsor for Honda’s factory team, it has the potential to expand depending on various factors.