The 2023 season of the MotoGP™ World Championship could mark a turning point for Honda. After a few mixed campaigns, the Japanese manufacturer is aiming big in 2023 to help restore some former glories. Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) will arrive into the new season in good physical shape for the first time in a long time, and he will be accompanied by Joan Mir on the factory team. Meanwhile, Alex Rins, who was also previously at Suzuki, will join LCR Honda as Takaaki Nakagami's teammate.
Guidotti, the driving force behind Mir
As recently reported by motorsport.com, Honda HRC is still working hard to complete a competitive RC213V and has undergone a significant technical restructuring to define its panel of engineers and technicians for the new campaign. One of the key moves centers around Joan Mir. Giacomo Guidotti, who was previously the Crew Chief for Takaaki Nakagami, is poised to move onto the factory team to help guide the 2020 World Champion's first steps with his new machinery.
Nöhles, new ally for Nakagami
Guidotti's promotion to the Repsol Honda Team also brings change for Nakagami. In this case, the Italian's vacancy next to Taka will apparently be filled by former rider Klaus Nöhles. After working for the last three years with the Honda test team, the German now finds himself on the frontlines. This will not be the first time he works with Nakagami, having done so previously at the season finale last year in Valencia and at the post-GP test.
Aurin, takes charge of the test team
The experienced Ramon Aurin, a well-known figure in Honda and a familiar face in the paddock after working with riders such as Dani Pedrosa, Andrea Dovizioso, Jorge Lorenzo, and Pol Espargaro, will now purportedly take on the role of technical leader for the test team. According to motorsport.com, Aurin was originally set to be the Crew Chief for Joan Mir, but due to the reduction of test days and the importance of their role, Honda asked Aurin to lead the development team instead.
Stability around Marquez
The Repsol Honda Team will see a familiar face in the paddock in the form of Santi Hernandez, who will continue to serve as the inseparable Crew Chief to Marc Marquez. The team is looking to the future with optimism, as Alex Rins will be joined by David Garcia, who has previously worked with Alex Marquez. Motorsport.com also reports that the team's General Technical Director will be Frenchman, Christophe Bourguignon.
Changes in the HRC leadership
The article also alleges that there are set to be a number of other moves within HRC's racing leadership. After a few years away from the circuit, Shinichi Kokubu returns to the role of RC213V Project Leader. Tetsuhiro Kuwata remains as HRC's General Manager, while Shinya Wakabayashi, General Manager of the company's racing division, joins the top management team, which will not include the former Technical Director, Takeo Yokoyama, who is leaving the World Championship this year to take up a position at the Tokyo HQ. The various changes all fold into an overall goal - bringing Honda back to the very top in MotoGP™.