LCR Honda Team Owner, Lucio Cecchinello, has discussed what he believes started Honda's slump.

Lucio Cecchinello has become a staple name inside the MotoGP paddock as a former rider and a team owner. The LCR Team will have been collaborating with Honda for 20 years in the 2026 MotoGP World Championship.

During Honda's poor performances across the last five years, the Italian team owner has never left Honda's side. However, he has recently discussed how Honda got into this hole that they are in.

Cecchinello believes that Honda's decision to pause development during Marc Marquez's 2020 injury plagued Honda for the future.

"The bike with Marc was fine," Cecchinello told GPone. "He was able to cope with the special front of the Honda and used a harder tyre than the others. An example is the race at the beginning of the 2020 season; in Jerez he overtook everyone, then he lost the front and after getting back on the bike he showed a great comeback. Then Honda said to wait until Marc recovered, but as we know there were complications."

"During Marc's absence, we did nothing in terms of development while the others continued to develop their projects. The work started to move more towards aerodynamics and in 2021, when Marc did some races, he then reported on the progress the others had made."

Honda has been making a serious effort to try and get back to the sharp end in MotoGP. This offseason the Japanese manufacturer signed Aleix Espargaro as a Test Rider and Romano Albesiano as their Technical Director.

Despite all of Honda's efforts LCR Honda rider, Johann Zarco, is not confident in the 2025 Honda RC213V that he tested at the end of 2024. The veteran rider led Honda in 2024 in his first full year with LCR and the Japanese manufacturer.

In 2025 Somkiat Chantra will join Zarco and Cecchinello in the LCR Honda garage as a MotoGP rookie. Chantra will become the first Thai rider in MotoGP history and will make his debut at home in the Thai Grand Prix.