There is perhaps no more polarizing figure in MotoGP than Alberto Puig. A former 500cc rider, Puig has been deeply entrenched—or some might say, metastasized—within HRC (Honda Racing Corporation) for two decades, shaping its culture and decision-making processes while stirring significant controversy and division among both riders and staff.

Puig's influence within the team was closely tied to his star rider, Dani Pedrosa, as Puig once served as both Pedrosa’s manager and the Repsol Honda MotoGP team manager—a rather striking conflict of interest, even by the (low) standards of motorcycle racing.

Now, it seems that Puig may finally be on the verge of being forced out of HRC's MotoGP organization. After several seasons of poor performance and questionable decisions, rumors suggest that HRC is ready to sever ties with Puig. However, considering how deeply embedded Puig is within the Honda corporate machine, a clean break will likely be anything but simple.

For Americans it's hard to forget Puig's baseless and shallow criticisms of the late Nicky Hayden, while Puig was a manager of the factory Honda MotoGP team and Pedrosa's manager. Puig, who at the time had an office at DORNA HQ, criticized Hayden's development of the RC212v and his skills as a rider. Hayden later won the MotoGP championship while Puig masterminded the 800cc "Pedrosa special" RC213 in 2007 which fell flat on its face.

The current state of Honda's MotoGP effort, under Puig's leadership, is a glaring example of how not to run a racing team. At present, Honda's MotoGP bikes are far from being race-winning threats, regardless of conditions. The entire project seems built on a shaky foundation: for the past five years, Honda has needed a proven, capable development rider who understands what’s required to turn their bike back into a race-winner. Yet HRC relies on Stefan Bradl—a former MotoGP rider who never won a single race in the premier class—as their lead test and development rider. Compounding the issue, HRC employs Luca Marini and Joan Mir. While Mir is a former MotoGP champion, his critics argue that he is the least effective ex-champion currently racing, with only one MotoGP win to his name. Marini, on the other hand, is arguably best known as Valentino Rossi's half-brother and has yet to claim a victory in the top class.

Logically, HRC should have hired someone like Cal Crutchlow as their test rider, given his experience and success. However, Crutchlow parted ways with Honda on bad terms after Puig cherry-picked his crew for the factory team. Crutchlow later signed with Yamaha as their MotoGP test rider. See?

It’s curious that Puig may be forced out now, considering his history of questionable decisions that would have led to dismissal at almost any other team. For instance, Puig was responsible for pushing Nicky Hayden out of Honda just after he won the MotoGP title. He also directed the team’s focus almost exclusively on Pedrosa. More recently, Puig allowed Marc Marquez to break his long-term contract with Honda to join Ducati, and he orchestrated the disastrous hiring of Jorge Lorenzo, which ended with Lorenzo retiring in an embarrassing lack of form. Even Puig’s behind the scenes role to semi-oversee the Honda WSBK team, though widely praised, only underscored how unprepared the Honda WSBK team was—and still is—to win. Both Honda's MotoGP and WSBK teams are currently a disaster.


Despite these blunders, Puig has retained several high-level supporters within Honda, including Casey Stoner. In his autobiography, Stoner noted that Puig supported him during his days as a struggling privateer and later advised him to take out riders he couldn’t otherwise pass. This revelation was a frank admission by a world champion rider on how Puig views racing.

In retrospect, Stoner's published comments framed the events of Estoril 2006, when Pedrosa took out championship-leading Hayden, in disturbing terms.

It seems that the final straw was Repsol’s decision to withdraw its long-standing sponsorship, though in the grand scheme of Puig’s history of poor decisions, this loss seems almost trivial.

Puig hails from an affluent family in Spain, so even if Honda finally shows him the door, it’s safe to say he won’t be starting a GoFundMe for his day-to-day living expenses.

Again, Puig is deeply metastasized within Honda, his influence ingrained in the company’s racing culture. Despite being pushed out of the factory team before, he has always managed to return, a testament to his unshakable ties to the organization. This determination is no surprise, considering that as a 500cc rider, Puig once famously said he’d rather be dead than not be involved in racing—words that still seem to drive his relentless grip on the sport.