[analyse_image type=”featured” src=”https://cdn.crash.net/2026-04/gng_1283211_hires_1600x900.jpg?width=1600&aspect_ratio=16:9″]
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.”
A post shared by Honda HRC Castrol – MotoGP (@hrc_motogp)
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.
A post shared by Aleix 41 (@aleixespargaro)
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.”
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.”
[analyse_source url=”http://crash.net/motogp/news/1092890/1/hondas-850cc-motogp-bike-back-track-sepang”]