Honda's signing of Aprilia MotoGP technical director Romano Albesiano shows it is serious about recovering its past standing in the premier class, according to Honda legend Marc Marquez.
Marquez, who won six premier-class crows for Honda but left at the end of 2023 with his long-time employer in a competitive tailspin, has always kept a door open for a reunion with Honda somewhere down the line.
But a reunion at the earliest possible opportunity - 2025 - was made totally unthinkable by Honda's terrible form to start this season, with Marquez instead putting himself in a position to secure a works Ducati ride and a very realistic shot at the title next year.
Marquez still has plenty of affinity for his former team, though, and told media at Motegi following the announcement of Albesiano's impending switch to Honda that it was a positive sign.
"I just heard [about it] five minutes ago," said Marquez. "I don't know Albesiano, but it's a good move. In the end, Honda has the budget, all these things, they have the biggest potential inside this paddock. Everybody knows.
"To do that move, some Spanish journalists said it's something against the philosophy of Honda - for me, the philosophy, sometimes in competition you need to change and you need to adapt to what the situation requests."
The "philosophy" in question is Honda's historical reliance on its in-house Japanese-based engineering talent, which had served it in good stead in several eras of MotoGP dominance but has been increasingly seen as a relative weakness in recent years.
"Now the situation of Honda requests [for it] to be at the top as fast as possible," added Marquez. "To do that, it takes [signing] engineers to make that movement faster and cheaper. Because in the end you go on the way that the other manufacturers have already gone, and he [Albesiano] will give information, for sure.
"For me it's a good move. And I'm happy, because it looks like Honda keeps pushing. And it's good for the championship, that a brand like Honda wants to be here and continue pushing and continue developing. And sooner or later they will be on the top again.”
Espargaro takes pride in Albesiano's move
The signing of Albesiano by Honda follows a couple of months after it confirmed the arrival of another key cog from Aprilia: its long-time MotoGP spearhead Aleix Espargaro.
Espargaro will conclude his full-time career in Aprilia colours before switching over to Honda to ride within its expanded test team.
But he wanted to make it clear that he "did not, really" play any part in convincing Albesiano to make the same move he'd made.
"I knew it, that Honda was interested in Romano but for me it was a matter of respect to Massimo [Rivola, Aprilia racing boss] and to Jorge Martin."
Espargaro said, however, that he expected the passage of time to offer a "different perspective" on what he and Albesiano were part of, in turning Aprilia from MotoGP's least competitive manufacturer into a potent force with a bike envied by the likes of Honda and Yamaha.
"What Romano was able to do these last six-seven years in Aprilia has been amazing, remarkable," Espargaro said. "We've grown the last two-three seasons, but the first ones were very difficult.
"He never gave up, he had a lot of ideas, he made the bike year by year better.
"I think it's like a present [to him], to move to the biggest factory of this paddock, with a lot of history. It's unbelievable, like a dream, to be the technical director of HRC [Honda Racing Corporation].
"HRC doesn't have to change everything. They won a lot in the past with their way of work. But obviously today the Italian engineers are on top of the world. So to mix this, I think it will make Honda really, really strong for next year.
"And that Honda, HRC, put the target on Romano, myself as a test rider, my crew chief [Antonio Jimenez, also moving to Honda], one mechanic that is going to join me also - it means that we did a really good job in Aprilia in the past. Full credit to Aprilia, we have to be very proud."
