Alberto Puig says HRC's incoming MotoGP tech🎃nical director Romano Albesiano “matches very much to the Honda philosophy” following news of the Aprilia man’s signing on Friday.

Albesiano has been a mainstay of the Aprilia MotoGP project since the Italian marque returned to the premier class in 2015, an🧔d was a major driving force in transforming the RS-GP into a race-winning package.

On Friday at the Japa෴nese Grand Prix, Honda announced it had signed Albesiano as technical director for 2025 just moments after Aprilia revealed the appointment of ex-KTM engineer Fabiano Sterlacchini.

Sterlacchini had been linked to Honda for several months upon leaving his role at KTM, with it thought Albesiano made t🌌he jump to HRC rather than being pushed.

This news also comes just days after Honda’s current technical director was🍬 reported as moving over to head the test team in 2025 to work with current Aprilia racer Aleix Espargaro.

“Well, it’s something that we 🌌were looking for,” Puig told the Dorna world feed on Friday about Albesiano.

“We’ve been trying to get this possibility and we believe Romano🅰 is matching very much to th🦄e Honda philosophy.

“He has a 🌊great experience in 🦋motorsport. We are very pleased and happy that he accepted. We will go from there.

“It will be a new time, a new programme, but we are all really happy inside t𒁏he ❀company.

“He will be a great, great suppoꦬrt for o꧅ur technicians and together I think they can make a really good plan. We are really excited for this.”

On the timeline of Albesiano signing for Honda, Puig added:  “Well, it’s not so easy to explain, but the important thing is that we could do aꩵnd it was agreed.

“There was a good understanding with Aprilia, which𓆏 was important, and it was something that we looked for.

“Fortunately it was ꦏpossible to do it, so from now on we will wait for him and when he will join us. I am very excited for it.

“It’s not about who moves firs🐓t or not. It’s about that𓆉 next year we will have Romano. It’s not about who is faster or not.

“Honda needs this type of personality and this ty🅠pe of cha🔴racter, with his approach.”

Honda signing a big European engineer is a significant shift in approach to bike development for the Japanese brand, mimicking what rival⭕ Yamaha has done for this year in signing Max Bartolini from Ducati.

Asked about the change in Japanese mentality 💖with the Albesiano 🎃signing, Puig noted: “Well, it’s interesting.

“It’s going to be really in🍒teresting to understand a different point of view.

“This is the 𓄧main reason we wanted to do this. We have a lot of guy﷽s coming with a lot of experience, each one in his area.

“We ▨are excited and we will welcome the🍸m in the best way possible.”