Honda Racing Corporation is thrilled to the launch of the Honda HRC Castrol team, set to compete in the 2025 MotoGP World Championship season.
This exciting new partnership builds on the rich history of Honda and Castrol delivering success together, over decades of motorcycle racing with numerous Championships and race wins. Castrol brings a strong commitment to performance and innovation to the team along with a passion for motorcycle racing.
With a track record of 25 premier class Constructors’ World Championships, 21 premier class Riders’ World Championships and 313 premier class wins, Honda’s history and success in Grand Prix motorcycle racing are unmatched. Heading into the 2025 season, Honda remains committed to reclaiming its position at the forefront of the sport and this year is set to show Honda’s unwavering dedication to overcoming challenges and to rewarding the loyalty of their fans.
2025 marks the beginning of a new era for Honda in the MotoGP World Championship as Castrol joins to form a unique partnership. Under the new collaboration, Castrol, part of the bp group, becomes Honda HRC’s main sponsor and will provide lubricants, fuels and technical support – testing and developing motorbike lubricants in the most extreme race environment.
The Honda HRC Castrol team will feature the established pairing of double World Champion Joan Mir and six-time Grand Prix winner Luca Marini. Both riders have been cornerstones to recent developments of the Honda RC213V and will continue to work to return Honda to the top of the MotoGP World Championship.
Joan Mir starts his third season with Honda in MotoGP, a period exemplifying the determination that led the Spaniard to two World Championships before the age of 25. Now the rider with the most Honda experience on the grid, Mir has the opportunity to take yet another step in his personal development. With a two-year contract extension in hand, future prospects are bright for the #36 as both he and Honda affirm their commitment to the project.
Entering his second year as a Honda rider, Luca Marini showed tremendous capacity for growth and demonstrated advanced technical knowledge and feedback throughout his debut with the team in 2024. The 27-year-old enters 2025 with pieces in place to continue this trend and be a key player in Honda’s ongoing development after a steady upturn in results throughout the course of 2024.
Alongside a brand-new look livery, the latest evolution of the Honda RC213V continues to undergo a number of harder to spot changes. Developing the 2025 Honda RC213V has been the main focus of everyone involved over the winter, Honda HRC’s engineers continuing to work to take full advantage of the open engine development, test days and wildcards afforded to them.
The team will be supported by Stefan Bradl, Aleix Espargaro and Takaaki Nakagami as the role and scope of the Honda HRC Test Team continues to expand.
The Honda HRC Castrol team will make its on-track debut at the Sepang International Circuit, Malaysia for the first MotoGP pre-season test on February 5. March 2 will see the season start in earnest at the Chang International Circuit in Buriram as the Thai GP kicks off the 2025 MotoGP World Championship.
Koji Watanabe, President of Honda Racing Corporation: “On behalf of Honda HRC, I would like to welcome Castrol to the MotoGP project. HRC and Castrol both share the same vision, drive and focus on technology and the future. We have enjoyed great success with them in the past and also in other categories, so it was a natural fit. Everyone is working hard to bring success to the MotoGP World Championship in 2025, we must continue to remain focused and diligently walk the path ahead of us. With Joan Mir and Luca Marini, we have two strong and talented riders to help us push forward on this journey. Racing is at the very core of Honda, and I am sure that we will achieve more success this season.”
Sandeep Sangwan, Chief Marketing Officer, Castrol: “Castrol has a strong legacy in motorsport, and we are thrilled to partner with Honda for the new Honda HRC Castrol motorcycle racing team. As a brand that values superior performance and technical innovation, we see a natural alignment with Honda. This partnership is a great opportunity for Castrol to connect even more closely with motorcycle racing fans and bike enthusiasts and Castrol wishes the team lots of success for the upcoming 2025 MotoGP World Championship season.”
Alberto Puig, Team Manager: “Another season is upon us, and we must approach it the same way as every season before; with clear targets and a plan on how to arrive at them. We know what Joan Mir is capable of as a double World Champion and he knows what his targets are for the year. Last year we saw the steady growth of Luca Marini during the season, and he must continue this trend. From our side, as Honda HRC, we must also keep working to deliver the equipment to the riders so that they can perform. We are pleased to welcome Castrol to this project as we target future successes together.”
Joan Mir, #36 : “First of all, I have to say that the bike looks incredible – the new colors are different to what we have seen in the past, but they are strong and it will be a pleasure to wear them. We enter this new season with clear goals as we continue to work on improving the bike, the team and ourselves. It will be an intense start to the year, straight to two tests after the winter, but this will allow us to get back up to speed quickly. I am looking forward to seeing what our engineers, and our new partners at Castrol, have been working on over the winter.”
Luca Marini, #10 : “It is fantastic to come to Jakarta, Indonesia to reveal these new colors – the people here have such a passion for motorbikes, MotoGP and Honda. From the 2024 season, we have learned a lot, we were able to end it in a better way and continuing to improve is once again the objective for this 2025 season. I know how hard everyone in this project is working and I am determined to keep giving my maximum on track to help. Already last year we saw progress being made and I am sure we will do the same again this year in these beautiful colors.”
