Honda test offers first look at Pirelli's 2027 MotoGP tyre
Honda has publicly shown what may be the first glimpse of Pirelli's new 2027 MotoGP tyres during a private test at the Sepang circuit.
Test rider Taka Nakagami took to the track on a development tyre from the Pirelli in a video posted to social media by the team.
Honda ran a front tyre on its new 850cc bike (presumably set to be called the RC214V) with grooves cut into one side of it to help the tyre reach its operating temperature more quickly, and The Race's sources in the paddock have confirmed that this marks the start of more extensive testing with Pirelli ahead of its replacement of Michelin as exclusive premier class tyre supplier next season.
It’s believed that Nakagami concentrated mainly on the Pirelli tyres during the test at the Malaysian Grand Prix circuit, as Pirelli increases its development pace ahead of the full MotoGP grid getting its first outing on the tyres at the post-race test at Brno in mid-June.
Honda already acknowledged the first proper test outing of the new 850cc machine earlier this month, also at Sepang, with former MotoGP racer Nakagami taking on the brunt of the bike's development work while fellow retired racer Aleix Espargaro has been concentrating on continuing the impressive progress of the current 1000cc machine.
However, that plan is likely to change considerably in the coming months following a major crash for Espargaro at the test, which is likely to rule him out of test rider action for some months.
The one-time MotoGP title contender crashed heavily on Tuesday, suffering four broken vertebrae.
Having escaped without spinal-cord damage, he has been medically repatriated back to Spain to understand whether he will need surgery to fully repair the fractures.
