The Honda factory team concluded their 2024 season with a private test session at Jerez.
The 2024 season was Honda’s most challenging in the modern era, as the team failed to secure a top-five finish in any grand prix and endured its third winless season in five years. Honda ended the year last in the constructors’ standings, trailing rivals Yamaha and Ducati.

Honda’s best race-day performance came from Johann Zarco, who finished eighth at the Malaysian Grand Prix. Zarco also achieved an eighth-place finish in the Indonesian Grand Prix sprint. He was the highest-ranked Honda rider in the overall standings, finishing 17th in the riders’ championship. His teammates Takaaki Nakagami, Joan Mir, and Luca Marini ranked 19th, 21st, and 22nd respectively, with Marini at the bottom of the grid.

Throughout the 2024 season, Honda underwent numerous in-season private tests, utilizing its status as a concession manufacturer. However, progress was limited. The most notable development came after the San Marino GP, with the introduction of a new aerodynamic package designed to improve cornering.

During the post-season Barcelona test, rider feedback was mixed. Joan Mir expressed frustration, noting that the equipment he tested was not new, while Luca Marini disagreed, offering a more optimistic view. Zarco evaluated the 2025 chassis but did not find it to be a significant improvement, though he chose not to dwell on the setback. Marini hinted at new developments yet to be explored during the Jerez private test.

At Jerez, testing began on Tuesday with Marini and test rider Aleix Espargaro, followed by Mir and Zarco on Wednesday. This session coincided with World Superbike testing at the same track.

Espargaro joined Honda as a test rider following his retirement from full-time racing at the end of the season. He will collaborate with Honda’s technical director Ken Kawauchi, who moved to the test team this year, while Romano Albesiano now belongs to the factory team.