MotoGP, Honda takes advantage of concessions: more than 20 test days scheduled for 2024

Honda desperately needs to get back on track, and the new concessions system is a godsend for the Japanese constructor. Not only will they be able to develop the engine over the course of the season - with an extra evolution for the aerodynamic package - but they’ll also be able to do many more tests, even with the official riders. 

This is precisely one of the advantages the engineers in Tokyo have, and the test program during the year is intense to say the least. Our colleagues at Motorsport learned that the 2024 agenda is full, to say the least, with 22 days of private tests scheduled throughout the season. The concessions also allow title riders to participate (Luca Marini and Joan Mir will also be in Sepang for the three days of shakedown from February 1st to 3rd) but, logically, the bulk of the work will be carried out by the test rider, Stefan Bradl.

With 22 Grand Prixs scheduled, it won’t be easy to find the time to organize many tests. The German rider will have a challenging year ahead of him, and Honda is looking for another tester to join him, in order to split the workload.

Bradl is scheduled for the end of the month when, on January 22nd, he’ll be taking to the track in Jerez along with the SBK riders, before flying to Malaysia. He’ll also have 5 wild cards during the year, the first in the Spanish Grand Prix.

The program could undergo changes because, in the middle of the season, and in relation to the results obtained, Honda could lose some of their privileges.