LCR rookie Somkiat Chantra is missing the French Grand Prix following his arm pump surgery, yet Honda still have four riders at Le Mans with test pilot Takaaki Nakagami.
Dr Xavier Mir recommended that Chantra sat out the French GP after a post-surgery check-up to regain full strength in his right arm, having had to retire from the Spanish Grand Prix at Jerez due to arm pump. His absence leaves Johann Zarco as the only LCR rider at Le Mans.
Zarco was also the top Honda rider in qualifying for the French GP, but the home hero could only take 11th place. Factory duo Joan Mir and Luca Marini failed to advance from Q1, while test rider Nakagami had the slowest lap time of any rider in qualifying on Saturday morning.
Takaaki Nakagami saw ‘significant’ differences to Joan Mir’s data after testing Honda’s new swingarm at Le Mans
Honda saw Zarco hold the torch for the RC213V in Q2 but lap Le Mans 1.120 seconds off the pace, as Yamaha rider Fabio Quartararo scored pole for the French GP. He also actually set a slower lap time in Q2 than the Cannes native recorded to advance from Q1, albeit by 0.045s.
Mir and Marini were 0.080 and 0.106 seconds off Zarco’s pace in Q1, while Nakagami ended the session 2.145s off the pace. He is not at Le Mans to score big points, however, as Honda are using Nakagami’s data to decide if the squad should homologate their upgraded engine.
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Nakagami is using the new V4 Honda engine that Aleix Espargaro used at Jerez, but he also has a new carbon fibre swingarm. The swingarm even produced ‘very significant’ differences compared to the data Mir and Marini collected in Friday’s practice sessions at the French GP.
“It’s about gaining more experience with the engine,” Nakagami noted, via Speedweek. “It’s the power unit from Jerez. We haven’t made any further changes directly to the engine. But it has to prove itself on the track.
“[The engine] working with the new carbon swingarm is particularly important. This is a priority. Honda want to make a decision soon on whether to continue with this development. It’s also possible that it will be decided here.
“To draw conclusions, we compared both versions directly on Friday, and the difference is very significant. There are advantages and disadvantages on both sides.
“The carbon swingarm doesn’t directly offer significantly more traction, but the feel and stability in all situations are completely different.”
Honda will decide if Joan Mir and Luca Marini get their new carbon swingarm at Le Mans
Honda test rider Nakagami has registered his first wildcard appearance of the 2025 MotoGP season at Le Mans, with the Japanese outfit eager to use the data he offers at the French GP to decide on the future development of their V4 engine and the carbon swingarm he tested.
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The new swingarm being made from carbon fibre should lower its centre of gravity and also help limit the rear vibrations that Mir and Marini have lamented this year. Yet Honda cannot rely on Zarco to help improve the bike as the LCR star does not want to test unproven parts.
Frenchman Zarco does not want Honda telling him their upgrade plans, either, as it does not help him deliver on the track knowing what is coming further down the line. But he may see some cause for optimism in the differences that Nakagami saw in Honda’s data at Le Mans.
