Honda again without MotoGP team manager: Alberto Puig is recovering from further surgery on his left leg and will also miss the race weekend in Austin
Honda’s MotoGP team manager, Alberto Puig, is recovering from another operation on his left leg. Puig already missed the first two Grand Prix events of the season in Thailand and Argentina. Now he will also not be able to attend the race weekend in Austin.
The Spanish manager has battled pain in his left leg for more than three decades, which eventually forced him to retire from motorcycle racing in 1997. His career was ended by an accident at the 1995 French Grand Prix at Le Mans.
Since then, probably only those closest to him know the total number of operations he has had on that leg. The last one took place the week before the Thai Grand Prix, which opened this year’s MotoGP season and which Puig did not attend. He was also unable to travel to Argentina two weeks ago and will not be in Austin this weekend, where the third race of the year takes place.
The ordeal of Alberto Puig: Honda documentary provides insights
Puig does not like to be the center of attention. He prefers the spotlight to be on the riders and Honda, the company he has worked for most of his life. First as a rider – he won a 500cc race at Jerez (1995) and secured five podiums – then as a mentor for young talent, and now as team manager for Honda’s factory team.
For the Tokyo-based company, Puig was the central figure in an episode of “Behind the Dreams” – a series that Honda produced two years ago and that is still available on the company’s social media profiles. In this episode, the former driver himself recounts his ordeal, which has lasted for the last 30 years, and how he has had to live with almost permanent pain.
“The leg is there, but I have little feeling or movement. The memories of what happened are terrible – so much pain and so many surgeries over the years. It’s been difficult since then,” Puig recalls. He has not met with his team since the last pre-season test in Buriram, 15 days before the start of the season.
Honda is currently second to Ducati thanks to Johann Zarco
Nevertheless, the Catalan is in constant contact with his team members, who keep him informed of Honda’s progress. Given what we’ve seen so far in this 2025 season, there are signs that things are finally looking up.
A glance at the World Championship standings confirms that Honda is doing better than last year. After the first two Grand Prix weekends of the 2025 season, LCR Honda rider Johann Zarco is holding his own in the top 5 of the riders’ standings. The Frenchman stormed into the front row of the grid at the recent MotoGP weekend in Argentina and was the best non-Ducati rider. Honda is currently in second place in the manufacturers’ championship, ahead of Aprilia, KTM and Yamaha.
