Honda’s 850cc MotoGP bike back on track at Sepang?
Aleix Espargaro and Takaaki Nakagami’s Sepang presence suggests further testing for Honda’s 850cc MotoGP bike.
HRC MotoGP test riders Aleix Espargaro and Takaaki Nakagami are both present for a private multi-day test at Sepang, fuelling speculation that Honda’s 850cc prototype is back on track.
Honda’s 2027 machine made its debut at the same Malaysian circuit in late December, with Nakagami reporting:
“The first impression is 'super light'. I was a bit surprised, in these conditions. Yeah, quite nice.”
That first outing was heavily disrupted by rain, but social media posts from Espargaro suggest dry and bright conditions for the current three-day test.
If Espargaro does sample the 850cc machine, it would be his first outing on the prototype and fit with his previously suggested timeline:
“Taka will take care of the 850cc in the beginning... the first three months of the year,” Espargaro explained last season. “Romano [Albesiano, HRC technical director] wants me to stay focused on the 2026 bike until then.”
Espargaro, working with Albesiano, won three premier-class races for Aprilia before retiring from full-time competition and joining Honda, alongside fellow ex-MotoGP racer Nakagami, at the start of last year.
Honda and KTM are currently the only MotoGP manufacturers to have confirmed on-track testing of 850cc machinery.
The 2027 regulations include smaller engines, a ban on ride-height devices and tighter aerodynamic restrictions.
But, most significantly, MotoGP will also switch from Michelin to Pirelli tyres.
Former world champion Fabio Quartararo is rumoured to be headlining Honda’s MotoGP project for 2027, with Moto2 star David Alonso also recently linked to an RCV seat.
After a group Pirelli debut with factory test riders at Misano last September, Pirelli has been supporting individual manufacturer tests to help build up its data on a variety of circuits.
“The manufacturer test teams are now preparing a calendar for us with all the tests and circuits they will decide to use," Pirelli Motorcycle Racing director Giorgio Barbier told Crash.net at last year's Valencia finale.
“We know we will have four, five or six tracks [nominated for private testing] that we have to go to.
“So, we can adapt our compounds or casing for the characteristics of each... And, at the same time, we will accumulate experience on these different tracks.”
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