Honda HRC Castrol head for home off the back of a strong seventh place performance from Luca Marini, roudning out another competitive weekend. Joan Mir avoiding further injury after his comeback is ended early.
Luca Marini’s consistency shone through once again as the Italian put on a metronomic display around the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli. From sixth on the grid, the #10 lost ground early but kept his cool as those around him encountered a number of difficulties. One of just two riders inside the top ten without a track limit warning, Marini’s efforts saw him overtake the fast-starting Quartararo in the second half of the race and cross the finish line in a comfortable seventh place after dropping down to tenth early on.
12th on his last visit to Misano and finishing some 35 seconds behind the winner, Marini and Honda HRC have managed to halve the gap to the front in less that 12 months. Ending in the top ten for the eighth time on Sunday, Marini is 12th in the World Championship standings and now only 23 points behind top Honda Johann Zarco, who completes the top ten in the Rider World Championship.
Having spent Saturday resting and undergoing a number of physiotherapy sessions, Joan Mir assessed his condition in Warm Up and together with Honda HRC agreed he would attempt the San Marino GP. His return would last only four corners as he fell on the first lap.
Now the call of home beckons Honda HRC Castrol to Mobility Resort Motegi for the Japanese GP, round 17 and the first of four races in Asia. With just a single race in front of Japanese fans, the race in Motegi is always a busy but enjoyable weekend for the team and the riders. But first, a day of testing in Misano for Honda HRC Castrol and the rest of the MotoGP field – the last in-season test of the 2025 season.