When Honda announced the signing of Somkiat Chantra for 2025, the first Thai rider in MotoGP history, excitement was mixed with concern. Despite a respectable Moto2 record (victories in Indonesia in 2022 and Japan in 2023), his inconsistent performances (12th in 2024 with 104 points) left doubts hanging. Many feared that this choice, motivated by the desire to promote an Asian talent, would turn into a fiasco. At the Italian Grand Prix, these fears took a dramatic turn: Chantra, lagging behind, seemed to be sinking race after race.
When Honda formalized the arrival of Somkiat Chantra In MotoGP, some thought it was a bad joke. Others called it a historic coup, hailing the entry of the first Thai rider into the elite. Today, even the optimists are gritting their teeth: Chantra is not only in trouble, it seems off-topic.
The Thai, a former Moto2 rider with little fanfare, was already an enigma on the grid. But what many feared is becoming clear: his place in MotoGP is more a matter of marketing than sporting merit.
At Mugello, Chantra turned the race into a purge. Last of the weekend, he wasn't even in the same championship as the others. One second per lap behind the second-to-last placed rider on Friday, eliminated without appeal in Q1, he confirmed his position on Saturday by finishing last in the Sprint. But it was on Sunday that he hit rock bottom: poorly placed on the grid, double Long Lap penalty, slow pace and 70 seconds behind the winner. An exploit... in reverse.
The most embarrassing? Taka Nakagami was on the same track. He too on a Honda, also without a fiery rhythm. But even in this context, Chantra shone... by its slowness. A second per lap is an abyss. A humiliation.
Somkiat Chantra: an embarrassing gap with the other drivers, zero points and a negative spiral
Statistically, Chantra is now part of the very exclusive club of drivers without any points in 2025. But unlike George Martin ou Aleix Espargaró, Chantra was there. That's the problem. We saw his races. And we'd like not to see them again.
The worst part? His condition seems to be worsening since his arm surgery. Not only is he not progressing, he's regressing. And Honda has to make do while others try to save the day.
At this rate, it's no longer safe Chantra What we need to focus on is the very idea that a passport is enough to justify a place in MotoGP. The exotic quota does not make a rider. And Honda would be better off running three motorcycles than ruining the image of the fourth.
The ambition of Honda to make a Thai driver shine, carried by Idemitsu and praised by Lucio Cecchinello, wobbles. Chantra, adored in Thailand where he attracted 220 spectators to the local GP, does not meet expectations. Assen, this weekend, the pressure will be enormous. Without rapid progress, Honda may have to revise its project, because aligning a fourth uncompetitive motorcycle is untenable in the face of the domination of DucatiChantra, with her legendary smile and fighting spirit, must urgently find her mojo, or her dream. MotoGP could stop abruptly.
