The MotoGP paddock at Mandalika is set for a dramatic lineup change as Honda HRC officially calls up test rider Aleix Espargaro to step in alongside Luca Marini. The Japanese manufacturer was forced into a desperate shuffle ahead of Round 17 of the 2026 season following a severe scarcity of fit riders due to ongoing illnesses and injuries within their stable.
Joan Mir remains sidelined and is currently resting at home under strict medical advice from Dr. Angel Charte and his team at Dexeus University Hospital. The 2020 world champion is undergoing medical tests for an ongoing illness that has severely drained his energy levels, forcing him to miss both the Japanese and Indonesian rounds. Compounding Honda's woes, wildcard rider Takaaki Nakagami was also ruled out after sustaining a fractured left collarbone during a crash in front of his home fans at Motegi last weekend.
Honda’s alternative replacement strategies hit a brick wall due to scheduling conflicts and prior commitments. Somkiat Chantra, who stepped in admirably at Motegi to secure a career-best P15 in qualifying and score three Sunday points, is unavailable for Mandalika. The Thai rider is bound for Estoril to fulfill his full-time commitments in Round 11 of the WorldSBK Championship, where he competes for Honda.
For Espargaro, this weekend marks his first MotoGP race appearance of the 2026 campaign and his first competitive start since the 2025 season finale in Valencia. The veteran Spaniard's unexpected return follows an arduous recovery from a major accident during testing at Sepang back in April, which left him with four fractured vertebrae. Although his physical conditioning is still working its way back to full strength, Espargaro stood out as HRC’s only viable remaining option to pilot the RC213V.
The veteran rider will need to get up to speed in a hurry at the challenging Mandalika circuit, a venue where he last raced during his final full-time campaign with Aprilia in 2024, which ended in a DNF during the main race. Speaking about his sudden return to the grid, Espargaro acknowledged the immense physical challenge ahead while maintaining realistic expectations given his limited track time this season.
“Of course, it is always a great honour to join the factory Honda team in MotoGP, and I want to say thank you to them for trusting me to ride while Joan and Taka recover," Espargaro noted. He further added, “After the crash at the start of the year and my injury, I have not had as much time on the bike as I would like, and we travel to Mandalika with realistic expectations, as I’ve had only a small number of laps and it’s a really physical track before we even speak about the weather. Let’s understand how we can best help the team and Honda this weekend and focus on that.”
Baca Juga
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