Alberto Puig has issued a rallying cr🌟y about Honda’s slow progression back to the top of MotoGP.

The struggling Japanese manuf🏅acturer ha༒ve been rooted to the back this season, despite benefiting from increased concessions.

Marc Marquez’s decision to quit and go to Ducati꧙ has been justified.

“This is a winning team, we are used to winning,” Honda boss Puig ꦚsaid.

“Sometimes you have to go through a painful process and ✅this is what we are doing.

“Honda’s spirit is to never give up. The DNA of Honda is racing for many year🔯s, and the spirit of racing is something we𒅌 will never give up.

“Our only target is to win again.

“The s🥀eason has not been easy, thi꧅s is obvious. We had a new rider, Luca Marini.

“We spent six or seven months trying many things, trying t🗹o unde♓rstand.

“It has been tough. The results show the reality.

“We finally found something in Misano, some sort of direction. Since then, we belie𓆏ve that we can start to go.

“Even though from the outside it looks like we are not progressing - because in terms of results we are not - internally we are changin🧔g.

“We wil💃l change it even more. Honda is a company who have been in racing for many years.

“Every🌜 company has its processes - they can🦹 adapt but you never change the philosophy.

“We can make cha𓂃nges but Honda will always be Honda.”

Aleix Espargaro will𒁃 join Honda as a test rider in 2025 when he retires f✅rom racing.

Their 🐷hope is that he can aid development, similarly to his role in Aprilia’s rise.

“We will go𝓰 from one test rider to t𝔍hree,” Puig said.

“We aren’t going after pe🤡ople but, in the case of Aleix, he decided to retire. We thought it was a good moment to get his services because he is experienced.

“He made the Aprilia, he knows🐻 what he did, it was important. “Exchanging info in racing is something that you need.

“You need to be at the [cutting edge] of technology so you need info from wherever [it comeཧs from].”

Romano Albesiano will also join Honda a🌠s💞 their new technical director after leading Aprilia’s project.

“It’s going𝐆 to be interesting to understand a different point of view.

We are excited,” Puig said.

'Never easy to lose a champion'

Marquez quit the 🐭final year of his big-money Honda deal to ride a year-old Ducati.

He has won three grands prix this year, vindicating the decision to leave the manufacturer with whom he won all of his champions♏hips.

“Marc is not just🐓 a rider, he’s a special type of rider,” said Puig꧂.

“When he joins a team, there is an impact.

“He made his decision and💃 we took it in an alr🌼ight way.

“What he did was, fo🥃r him, c🤪orrect. He is making a lot of good results.

“From our point of view, we h🍒ad to accept it. The team goes oܫn.

“Honda won’t stop if a rider leaves or comes.

“We weren’t happy but we respect the guy because heಌ won a lot for Honda, so it was fair.

“It’s never easy to lose a champion but life goesꦐ and we’ll keep going.

“We aren’t making these efforts just to be here, just to participate. To where we w🤪ant to go, we need to go through different steps. And this is where 💮we are now.”