Honda Racing Corporation is thrilled to launch the Honda HRC Castrol team, set to compete in the 2025 MotoGP World Championship season.
This exciting new partnership builds on the rich history of Honda and Castrol delivering success together, over decades of motorcycle racing with numerous Championships and race wins. Castrol brings a strong commitment to performance and innovation to the team along with a passion for motorcycle racing.
With a track record of 25 premier class Constructors’ World Championships, 21 premier class Riders’ World Championships and 313 premier class wins, Honda’s history and success in Grand Prix motorcycle racing is unmatched. Heading into the 2025 season, Honda remains committed to reclaiming its position at the forefront of the sport and this year is set to show Honda’s unwavering dedication to overcoming challenges and to rewarding the loyalty of their fans.
2025 marks the beginning of a new era for Honda in the MotoGP World Championship as Castrol joins to form a unique partnership. Under the new collaboration, Castrol, part of the bp group, becomes Honda HRC’s main sponsor and will provide lubricants, fuels and technical support – testing and developing motorbike lubricants in the most extreme race environment.
The Honda HRC Castrol team will feature the established pairing of double World Champion Joan Mir and six-time Grand Prix winner Luca Marini. Both riders have been cornerstones to recent developments of the Honda RC213V and will continue to work to return Honda to the top of the MotoGP World Championship.
Joan Mir starts his third season with Honda in MotoGP, a period exemplifying the determination that led the Spaniard to two World Championships before the age of 25. Now the rider with the most Honda experience on the grid, Mir has the opportunity to take yet another step in his personal development. With a two-year contract extension in hand, future prospects are bright for the #36 as both he and Honda affirm their commitment to the project.
Entering his second year as a Honda rider, Luca Marini showed tremendous capacity for growth and demonstrated advanced technical knowledge and feedback throughout his debut with the team in 2024. The 27-year-old enters 2025 with pieces in place to continue this trend and be a key player in Honda’s ongoing development after a steady upturn in results throughout the course of 2024.
Alongside a brand-new look livery, the latest evolution of the Honda RC213V continues to undergo a number of harder to spot changes. Developing the 2025 Honda RC213V has been the main focus of everyone involved over the winter, Honda HRC’s engineers continuing to work to take full advantage of the open engine development, test days and wildcards afforded to them.
The team will be supported by Stefan Bradl, Aleix Espargaro and Takaaki Nakagami as the role and scope of the Honda HRC Test Team continues to expand.
The Honda HRC Castrol team will make its on-track debut at the Sepang International Circuit, Malaysia for the first MotoGP pre-season test on February 5. March 2 will see the season start in earnest at the Chang International Circuit in Buriram as the Thai GP kicks off the 2025 MotoGP World Championship.
