Opinion: Who will most likely be in Honda’s MotoGP lineup for 2023?

It has been very obvious throughout the first half of 2022 that Honda are in a crisis. The prestigious Japanese factory are last in the constructors standings and their highest rider in the championship is in 12th.

One major problem Honda have this year is their bike. Previously Honda had built a bike around Marc Marquez, but with his injury they have focused on other riders. However, this has not worked.

It appears that Honda are after three new riders for their 2023 efforts. Marc Marquez has a contract with Honda for next season so he is the only confirmed rider so far. With rumours and speculation going around here is what could be Honda’s lineup for 2023.

Repsol Honda:

It appears like Pol Espargaro will leave Honda at the end of 2022. This means that a new rider will come in to join Marquez in the factory Honda squad. However, it appears there has only ever been one man on the Japanese manufacturers radar.

Marc Marquez:

Marquez is the only current Honda rider under contract for the 2023 season so he is guaranteed to still be there next year. Marquez is Honda’s top rider in 2022 despite only taking part in six races this season.

This season has shown that even a recovering Marquez can still get decent results on his day. However, there could be long term issues for Marquez that could hamper his MotoGP future after 2023.

Joan Mir:

The 2020 MotoGP Champion appears to be set to replace current Repsol Honda rider, Pol Espargaro. With Suzuki leaving MotoGP it seems like the right time for Mir to join Repsol. Mir is currently ninth in the championship and has not had the best start to 2022 with four DNF’s and no podiums.

However, Mir is an extremely talented rider and would deserve a shot at Repsol Honda. There had been heavy rumours surrounding this move for a few months. But

the rumours have gone quiet. This could mean that Mir has finalised a deal with the Japanese manufacturer for 2023.

LCR Honda:

More riders have been linked to the satellite LCR Honda for 2023. It does seem that both current LCR riders have been shown the door. So there will be two new riders in this team for next year. These are the two it looks like LCR will go for:

Ai Ogura:

It would be ridiculous if Honda did not bring in Ai Ogura for 2023. The young Japanese rider has shown all the qualities of being a top class MotoGP rider in the near future. The current Idemitsu Honda Team Asia rider in Moto2 is second in the championship with one win and three podiums to his name.

Ogura is the same nationality as current LCR rider, Takaaki Nakagami. He also carries the same sponsors that Nakagami bought to the team. So moving the under performing Nakagami aside for Ogura seems like the perfect move for Honda.

Alex Rins:

The other Suzuki rider that would be without a job in 2023 is Alex Rins. It appears that Rins is looking to follow his current teammate over to Honda for next season. There has been confirmation in recent days that Rins’ manager and team boss Lucio Cecchinello have been in contact.

Rins deserves a spot on the grid for the 2023 season with two podiums to his name this year Rins is still displaying top quality form. If Honda can bring over both Suzuki riders to their ranks then they will be able to collect a lot of data about what made the Suzuki such a good bike.

Images from MotoGP.com