Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1542014
P88 FEATURE I 2025 MOTOGP SEASON REVIEW As the title fight became an all-Marquez affair in the season's first half, it was left to the reigning champion to bring the drama, even if he was absent. What can't be denied was Jorge Martin living through a nightmare. An injury sustained on the first day of testing was compounded by another on the eve of the first Grand Prix. His comeback in Qatar was ruined when he crashed at over 100 mph and was tagged by Di Giannantonio. Soon after that, he started to lose confi - dence in the project. A disagreement over a contract clause that confirmed his slot at Aprilia in 2026 and was enacted after six races (Martin wanted to delay, but Aprilia refused) led to the Spaniard angling for a move away in May. Considering he had yet to complete a full race weekend for the brand through three of his own mistakes, sympathy was hard to went with too many options to the first GP." But Acosta wouldn't take it lying down. From July, it felt as though he was dragging the RC16 forward on otherworldly talent alone. He turned defensive riding into an art form, with performances in Indo - nesia and Portugal particularly standing out. And Honda, the whipping boy of the class from 2020, finally got its act together. With new Technical Director Romano Albesiano at the helm, its MotoGP project was more coherent from the first months of the year. It could finally boast of a top-class test team, while it went from the slowest bike through the speed traps at the start to one of the fastest by November thanks to various engine updates. Its progress was such that it climbed out of the lowest concessions category thanks to Luca Marini's seventh place at the final race. "We are super close," said Marini soon after. "Now, we need just to use well all the resources that we have; use all the tires that we have less. So with a good plan, we can handle it even without concessions, and it will be fantastic to improve the bike for next year." The Honda Racing Corporation finally stopped feeling sorry for itself and got some runs on the board in 2025, moving up to Rank C from the lowest concessions status (Rank D) as a result. Pedro Acosta changed his mindset midseason and became the rider we all knew he could be by season's end. Jorge Martin's season was an absolute horror show, going to the depths of physical and mental despair.