Honda topped the second day of the 2026 Sepang MotoGP test, but its technical boss thinks its true performance is yet to be shown.

Joan Mir’s 1:56.874 on day two of the 2026 MotoGP Sepang test was over half-a-second faster than the time he set in Q2 at last October’s Malaysian Grand Prix and he was one of only two riders to set a 1:56 lap time (the other was Franco Morbidelli) on day two of the test, which was affected by rain in the afternoon.

However, HRC MotoGP Technical Director Romano Albesiano thinks there is still more to come from the RC213V on the third and final day of the test.

“We are moderately satisfied,” Albesiano said, speaking at the end of day two in Malaysia to MotoGP.com.

“It’s a test, probably the real performance of the bike we will see tomorrow. 

“But anyway we are happy, the bike is performing well, we are competitive, and this is what matters in this stage of the season.”

Albesiano added that the improvements found over the winter in terms of overall performance were achieved by making marginal gains in several areas.

“It’s always a composition of small improvements,” he said.

“Some engine; some electronics, and the electronics you don’t see but it’s very important the strategy and the engine control.

“Of course, the chassis has improved, the bike is lighter, the bike is more narrow, everything is more refined. 

“It’s a sum of many small but consistent improvements.”

Finishing fastest on the second day of the official test leads to questions about Honda’s potential for the 2026 season.

Asked if HRC can win races this year, Albesiano responded: “I hope so. We have fantastic riders, we start to have a competitive bike, also the team – the people who work around the riders to create the performance and the organisation around the riders is improving very much in these two years. 

“So, why not?”