Honda a “top six” MotoGP bike despite “worse” results
Luca Marini believes Honda has top-six pace despite a difficult start to the 2026 MotoGP season.
After breaking out of the lowest MotoGP concession band at last year’s Valencia finale, Honda has endured a tougher-than-expected start to 2026.
Across the opening four races, the best result for an RC213V is seventh place by Joan Mir in the Buriram Sprint.
To put that into perspective Aprilia, Ducati and KTM have at least one race win so far, with even Yamaha’s new V4 claiming a best of sixth place with Fabio Quartararo in last Saturday’s Brazilian Sprint.
Heading into this weekend’s COTA round, Luca Marini insists the 2026-spec Honda is capable of fighting for the top six, but qualifying remains a weakness.
The Italian started 14th on the grid in Thailand and 19th in Brazil.
“Back to work right away at a track which I enjoy a lot,” Marini said. “To go from one of the shortest circuits on the calendar to one of the longest is certainly a big change!
“COTA is a track where the rider can really make the difference, in the past I have gone well there, and so has the Honda RC213V. I’m looking forward to seeing what we can do together and seeing how the bike has progressed since we last visited.”
“Improving, but results a little worse”
“I think we will have the opportunity to fight for the top six and this is the target we must have. Because we are improving, but in the results, we are a little worse than last season," Marini said.
“So it is not great to feel this step back in the standings.
"We will try to achieve a better position and show our potential, but in the qualifying we are missing something and to start from the back is always difficult.
“I hope we can put everything together in Texas and enjoy the weekend.”
Marini will start the event holding twelfth in the world championship, one point behind the top Honda of LCR’s Johann Zarco.
Meanwhile, Mir, who scored two Honda podiums in the second half of last season, suffered a nightmare double retirement in Brazil.
“In Brazil, we showed our speed, we showed our ability to be the top Honda rider and repeating that is the objective this weekend,” he said.
“It will be about staying focused and working well with the team to create the best situation possible to deliver on what we know we can do.”
Aprilia currently leads the 2026 MotoGP constructors' standings with 64 points, ahead of reigning champion Ducati on 47. KTM has 42 points, Honda 16 and Yamaha 8.
Free practice at COTA, the final MotoGP event before a three-weekend break caused by the postponement of Qatar, starts on Friday morning.
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