With Luca Marini still recovering from his injuries, Takaaki Nakagami has been called upon for the Italian Grand Prix.
It was reported earlier in the week that Takaaki Nakagami would step into the Honda HRC Castrol squad this weekend at the Italian Grand Prix to replace Luca Marini.
These reports have now been confirmed as the Japanese rider will partner Joan Mir in the factory Honda garage at Mugello.
The Italian Grand Prix will mark Nakagami's second appearance in the MotoGP World Championship since his retirement from racing at the end of the 2024 season.
Nakagami has been working as an HRC Test and Development rider and has been working behind the scenes in Japan. But he did make a wildcard appearance at the French Grand Prix, where in tricky conditions he managed a sixth-place finish.
The 33-year-old has had success around the Mugello Circuit as he finished in fifth place at the Italian Grand Prix in 2019 when he raced for the LCR Honda IDEMITSU squad.
"First, I want to wish Luca all the best with his recovery," Nakagami said.
"It’s a pleasure, an honour, to join the factory Honda HRC Castrol team – thank you to Honda HRC for opportunity.
"The Test Team and I have been working hard in Japan for the future but this weekend the focus will be a little bit different.
"I have enjoyed riding Mugello in the past and have gotten some strong results as well. Let’s see what we can do and how we can help the team during the Italian GP."
