HONDA WITHDRAWS ESPARGARO FROM THE INDONESIAN GP AFTER PHYSICAL DISCOMFORT

Aleix Espargaro’s return to MotoGP racing for Honda at the Indonesian Grand Prix ended before Sunday’s race, after the Spaniard struggled with arm weakness and the team opted to withdraw him and preserve his fitness for an upcoming test in Malaysia.

Espargaro was drafted into Honda’s factory line-up at Mandalika after Joan Mir was ruled medically unfit. Takaaki Nakagami had originally been due to step in, but fractured his collarbone in a crash during first practice at the Japanese Grand Prix the previous week. Somkiat Chantra was unavailable because he was racing in WorldSBK. Espargaro, who retired from racing at the end of 2024 and is now a Honda test and development rider, had not raced this season following a serious testing crash at Sepang in April. Multiple back fractures kept him out of testing for almost six months.

His first race weekend back proved difficult. He crashed in practice, qualified last and finished last in Saturday’s 13-lap sprint, 38.336 seconds behind the winner. He said arm weakness contributed to the crash and left him unsure whether he could manage the longer grand prix.

“I had just no power in the arm,” Espargaro said. “I changed direction, and I had no power in the arm, and I lost the front; I was not able to handle it.”

He had considered not taking part in the sprint, but chose to complete it as a gesture to Honda and to himself. “I tried my best during the session, but I crashed also in the practice,” he said. “In the sprint I just tried to finish to just pay respect to the team and myself. But it was very difficult.” He deliberately avoided pushing hard because he lacked strength.

“Today I suffered just to finish a very short race,” he said. “So, it’s going to be difficult, frankly speaking, to finish the race tomorrow. But we have to analyse later today and decide.”

Honda and Espargaro ultimately decided he would not start Sunday’s race. In a statement, Honda said the withdrawal followed “ongoing physical discomfort”, taking into account his period of inactivity after his injuries and the particular physical demands of the Mandalika circuit.

The decision also allows Espargaro to focus on Honda’s two-day test at Sepang next week, where he is scheduled to ride the 850cc prototype. He said he felt capable of testing, but stressed that the workload differs from a grand prix: “Testing normally you do two, three consecutive laps. So, racing here, you have to do many consecutive laps and also in a very, very high pace. So, it’s difficult.”

“I’m trying to help the team as much as possible,” he said. “I’m trying to use myself in the most intelligent way.” Espargaro will head directly to Sepang for the test. Honda now has a weekend off before deciding whether Mir can return at Phillip Island.