Honda Racing Corporation has announced the colors that Luca Marini and Joan Mir will compete in for the 2026 MotoGP World Championship.
Honda Racing Corporation has announced the colors that Luca Marini and Joan Mir will compete in the 2026 MotoGP World Championship for further success.
A year after the launch of the Honda HRC Castrol Group, Honda’s factory efforts have gone from strength to strength with a rapid turnaround in fortunes. Honda HRC engineers, partners and drivers Consistency is again key as Luca Marini and Joan Mir enter their third year in the factory team, a combination that now provides a proven combination and comprehensive approach to competition.
Now in its second year of collaboration, the partnership between Honda HRC and Castrol has delivered impressive technical and performance gains in its first 12 months. Continuing this impressive pace of growth, it remains at the forefront of both sides by targeting further technical excellence and performance breakthroughs from fuels and lubricants.
Now in his third year with Honda, Luca Marini’s pace and metronomic consistency will only go further in 2025 and will be crucial to the 2026 campaign. On the seed-by-seed Honda RC213V, the 28-year-old’s steady hand saw him miss the top ten just twice in the second half of the year, fighting for top Honda billing until the end. The aim of this season is to take another step and fight for victories and victories.
With an exciting first podium as an HRC rider at Motegi, Japan, the home of Honda, and a second time at the Malaysian Grand Prix, Joan Mir enters 2026 with renewed motivation. The 2020 MotoGP World Champion has shown his undeniable speed on numerous occasions and is determined to make standout performances a regular event in 2026. Like his partner, he aims to challenge himself week in and week out.
The Honda RC213V enters its final season proudly wearing the Honda HRC tri-colour. Red represents a passion for racing, blue for the pursuit of technical excellence and white for motorsport enthusiasts. These colors further unify and reinforce the Honda HRC’s presence at the top level of two-wheeled motorsport and differentiate the factory teams. The design is strengthened once again by the impressive appearance of title partner Castrol, a collaboration that continues to go from strength to strength.
In the year 2026 will also mark the 60th anniversary of Honda’s entry into the premier class – the 500cc RC181 started the lineage which led to the 1,000cc RC213V. The historic year will be celebrated with a series of celebrations to mark 314 premier class wins and more than 2,300 podiums across all divisions.
Honda HRC Castrol will now prepare for the first pre-season test at the Sepang International Circuit on February 03 – 05, the first Grand Prix of the year. The countdown is on for the first lights of the year at the Thai Grand Prix on 27 February – 01 March.
Koji Watanabe – President of Honda Racing Corporation;
We are delighted to unveil the 2026 Honda HRC Castrol Team to highlight our all-out effort to return to the top of the MotoGP World Championship. It’s a special year for Honda HRC as we celebrate the 60th anniversary of our first participation in the premier class, and we look forward to celebrating this historic moment in 2026. Thank you as everyone in this group plays their part, everyone plays their part, thank you. In the year
Sandeep Sangwan – Chief Marketing Officer, Castrol:
“It’s great to see Castrol’s strong heritage competing with Honda motorcycles, and we wish racing fans and bike enthusiasts and Castrol the best of luck for the team in the upcoming 2026 MotoGP World Championship season.
Alberto Puig – Team Manager, Honda HRC Castrol:
“The DNA of this company is racing. What wins, what ultimately sets the direction is the will to win and the love of racing that this company has shown throughout history. The Honda base for 2026 is what we did in 2025, there were strong developments on the technical side, and both riders were able to make progress. Marini had a new ability to show his consistent ability. He became champion on two big stages.
Luca Marini (10):
It is exciting to start another season with Honda HRC Castrol. Our progress in 2025 has been incredibly rewarding and I have been working throughout the winter to improve myself and start this new season in 2026. Our objective is clear: to fight from the front and take full advantage of any and all opportunities presented to us. Everyone on this project has done their homework on my part. And in the last year of the 1,000cc we should finish well and enjoy some beautiful moments along the way.
Joan Mir (36)
“Another beautiful bike that I’m proud to ride. It’s very special to be part of Honda HRC Castrol. In 2026 we need to find the consistency we fought for last year, both myself and the Honda RC213V have shown that they have the speed and ability to make Honda HRC proud. These two pre-season tests will be very important to prepare everything well, I’m the start of the HRCda. There’s no time to wait hard in the winter, to reach the top and get to where Honda HRC is.” We have to work from the first round to come back.
Post MotoGP: Honda HRC Castrol unveils 2026 colours It appeared at first Roadracing World Magazine | Motorcycle riding, racing and technology news.
