Honda MotoGP test rider Stefan Bradl said the brand’s 2025 bikes no longer require him to be ridden “at 110% risk all the time, like Marc Marquez used to do.”
After coming off the worst season in modern history in 2024, Honda made huge strides with their MotoGP bikes in 2025.
The Japanese brand returned to the top step of the podium in the wet French Grand Prix with LCR’s Johann Zarco, as well as taking podiums in the dry British and Japanese Grand Prix.
With four races left in the season, Honda maintains a 46-point lead over fourth-placed Yamaha in the standings and just 44 points behind third-placed KTM.
The 2025 RC213V received a number of significant updates this season, including the chassis and engine, which continue Honda’s progress.
According to Stefan Bradl, the engines in particular have come a long way and the risks that riders once had to take on Hondas are gone.
“Honda has tried a lot over the last three years with the swingarm, suspension and chassis,” he said. GP one”It was a huge ups and downs.
“I can now see the direction toward my goal.
“And the engine also has the power you need to catch up on the straights, so you can take a little breather on the straights and brake into the next corner more relaxed.
“This means physical relief for all Honda riders, who no longer have to ride at 110% risk all the time, as Marc Marquez has done for many years.
“That’s why he fell off his bike so often every year.”
Bradl also praised Honda for its “better structure and higher efficiency” under technical director Romano Albesiano, who joined from Aprilia late last year.
Honda’s progress this season has been impressive, with Honda becoming the center of major rider market rumors during the summer.
2024 world champion Jorge Martin was heavily linked to the 2026 factory Honda team as he was embroiled in an ultimately fruitless contract dispute with Aprilia.
KTM’s Pedro Acosta was also linked with the Japanese brand earlier this year.
Following this, Honda is expected to become a major player in the rider market in 2027.