The ninth round of the MotoGP, the Italian Grand Prix, was held at the Mugello Circuit in Italy from June 20th to 22nd. Honda test rider Takaaki Nakagami competed as a substitute for Luca Marini, finishing 15th in the sprint race and 16th in the final race.
Honda struggles overall at Mugello
The Italian Grand Prix was the second time for Takaaki Nakagami (HONDA), who will serve as a Honda test rider from 2025. However, unlike his wildcard appearance at the previous French Grand Prix, this time he will be competing in the Italian Grand Prix as a substitute for Luca Marini.
Honda factory rider Marini took part in the Suzuka 8 Hours test after the British Grand Prix, but fell on the second day, May 28th, suffering a dislocated left hip, damaged ligaments in his left knee, fractures to his sternum and left collarbone, and a pneumothorax in his right lung. Marini had already been released from hospital in Japan and appeared at the Mugello Circuit, but he was not yet recovered enough to ride the bike, so Nakagami took his place.
This time, he was not entering as a wildcard test rider, but as a substitute, so no major items or parts were introduced. Rather than participating for development purposes, he was participating in the race to get results.
However, Nakagami had a tough time at the Italian Grand Prix. And not just Nakagami. The Italian Grand Prix was a tough weekend for all Honda riders. After a tough 2024 season, Honda has improved its results in the 2025 season. However, for the first time this season, all four riders failed to qualify in Q1 at the Italian Grand Prix.
Nakagami also struggled from the first day, with his rear tires sliding when exiting corners and a lack of traction. This year’s Italian GP also saw high temperatures, with afternoon temperatures exceeding 30°C and track temperatures approaching 50°C every day, and the situation worsened as the temperature rose. During the race, Nakagami experienced vibrations from the rear that he described as “a level I’d never really felt before, including last year and during testing in Japan.”
In this situation, regular rider Marini, who was absent due to injury, was on the sidelines checking Nakagami’s riding and giving him detailed advice.
Nakagami qualified in 19th place and started from the back of the pack at the Italian Grand Prix, finishing 15th in the sprint race and 16th in the final. The results were tough, but Nakagami’s job was to finish the race and bring back data, so it can be said that he fulfilled his role well.
Although it was a tough substitute appearance, this was Nakagami’s first time competing with a factory team. From 2018 until his retirement in 2024, Nakagami competed with Honda’s satellite team, IDEMITSU Honda LCR.
Nakagami, who has competed in the MotoGP class for seven seasons, says that there is a “sense of tension” when working with a factory team.
“The members are different, the view in the pit is different, and there are a lot of people. Before the race, information is shared with us from various people. It really made me realise how amazing factory teams are, because I only knew about LCR.”
“I could see the difference in the number of people compared to LCR, but when I actually came to the factory team, I really felt the difference between a factory team and a satellite team. It’s huge.”
Nakagami said about racing with a factory Honda team, “It’s been my dream since I was a child to race for the Honda factory team. I wanted to race there but I retired before I could. But this time, my chance has come, although it wasn’t what I wanted.”
It was a difficult weekend for Honda, but that wasn’t all there was to Nakagami at the Italian Grand Prix.
This was Nakagami’s second race of the season. ©Honda Racing Corporation
ADVERTISEMENT
Marini, who was absent due to injury, also made an appearance. ©Honda Racing Corporation
This is Nakagami’s first time competing with a factory team. ©Honda Racing Corporation
