It was one of the main storylines for seasoned fans at the finale, and it went down to the very final laps of the year – Honda’s concessions. The factory have made a marked improvement in 2025 after one of their toughest runs ever to conclude 2024 and they’ve moved concession rank to prove it.
That said, after 22 Grands Prix with a maximum score of 37 points on the table at each, it could not have been closer. From the final race they needed to score nine points to move up – and that’s exactly what they did.
That means they lose a whole load of benefits available to Rank D, although it does also, clearly, mean they’ve made the most of those already to make that step forward.
From 260 test tyres they go down to 220, and instead of free testing with any rider it’s now test riders only. Instead of any circuit to test at it’s now limited to three tracks, and they now have seven or eight – eight given the current calendar – engines per season. Engine spec is now frozen and they’ll get one aero update. The only thing that’s maintained the same is six wildcards per season.
Can they continue to build on this form in 2026, even from Rank C? Join us on Tuesday for the Valencia Test as we start to find out!