Espargaró retired from full-time racing at the end of 2024 and registered as an official Aprilia rider in the season-ending Gran Premio Solidario. He then took on a development role at Honda, as well as a role at professional cycle racing team Lidl-Trek.
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Espargaro has made four wildcard appearances along with trial duties during 2025, but would have ridden more without cycling injuries getting in his way. He was scheduled to replace Somkiat Chantra when the Thai driver was injured mid-season, but two successive injuries prevented him from doing so.
Speaking to the media during the Valencia Grand Prix, the Spaniard admitted that Honda team principal Alberto Puig had intervened after Espargaro was unable to take part in the Hungarian Grand Prix.
Aleix Espargaro, Honda HRC
“There really was a turning point in Barcelona (the race that followed the Hungarian round),” Espargaró said. “I arrived completely exhausted with three broken vertebrae from the bike.
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“Alberto sat me down and told me that he understood my passion for bicycles, but that this was Honda and I needed to be more focused, he was absolutely right.
“I was probably wrong. I didn’t know how to calibrate my role as a test rider. It was all a bit new for me and I thought I could handle both (cycling and motorcycling), but that’s not the case.
“Next year, I’ll stay with the (cycling) team, but I won’t compete professionally. I’ll just train with them and be more focused on Honda.”
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With Honda moving from Group D of concessions to Group C after a strong second half through 2025, its drivers will not be allowed to participate in private testing for the foreseeable future. That will make Espargaró’s role even more critical in 2026, particularly as Honda plans the new MotoGP technical regulations, which will come into force in 2027.
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“Both Alberto and the Japanese team have asked me to do a double development next year, with the 2026 bike and the new 2027 bike with Pirelli tires, so I will have to dedicate myself much more to my work as a Honda test rider,” added Espargaró.
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