Honda delivered a bombshell on the Friday of its home GP by announcing it has poached Aprilia’s Romano Albesiano to be its Technical Director starting next year.
The move represents a significant departure for HRC, where a Japanese engineer had always held the position. Just how much power he will have in the company remains to be seen.
Albesiano has significant experience in the aerodynamics field and has overseen Aprilia’s rise from backmarkers to race winners since it officially reentered the MotoGP class in 2015.
“What Romano was able to do these last six or seven years in Aprilia has been amazing,” said Aleix Espargaro. “We’ve grown these last two or three seasons, but the first ones were very difficult. He never gave up, he had a lot of ideas, he made the bike year by year better.
“I think HRC doesn’t have to change everything. They won a lot in the past with their way of work, but obviously, today, the Italian engineers are on top of the world, so to mix this will make Honda really, really strong for next year.”
Marc Marquez may be removed from Honda, but he saw the move as positive for his former employer. “The philosophy, sometimes in the competition you need to change, and you need to adapt to what the situation requests,” he said. “And now the situation of Honda requires being in the top as fast as possible.
“To do that, take engineers, makes it faster and cheaper, that movement. Because in the end, you go in the way that the other manufacturers go, and he will give you the information for sure from another manufacturer. And for me, it’s a good move. And I’m happy, because it looks like Honda keeps pushing.”CN
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