2026 begins in Sepang for Honda HRC Castrol
Sepang International CircuitFresh from revealing their 2026 colours, Luca Marini and Joan Mir got straight to work as testing began at the Sepang International Circuit with both sitting comfortably in the top ten.
Amongst the first on track, there was no doubting Luca Marini and Joan Mir’s eagerness as the first of three days of testing in Malaysia began. Typical conditions awaited them in Sepang, high temperatures and oppressive humidity adding an extra level of challenge to the first laps of 2026. With 107 laps between the factory pair, it was a positive opening day of what will hopefully be an ambitious season.
Ending the day in sixth overall with a best lap of 1’57.569, Luca Marini was left content with his first steps of the new season. Assessing a number of new parts for his Honda RC213V, Marini managed to get through roughly half of the items on his list for this first test. Marginal gains will be key in finding the last tenths in the final year of the 1,000cc machines, these early runs providing important information for the rest of the season.
Just 0.124s behind his Honda HRC Castrol teammate, Joan Mir was able to set a fastest lap of 1’57.693 to wrap up the opening day in seventh place. Improving grip and trying several new parts will be the #36’s main objective for the second day of the test after finding a positive base.
Two more days remain and both Marini and Mir have busy testing schedules to still complete, every lap will be crucial for 2026.
“Great to be back on the Honda RC213V, today we had a good day and started where we left off last time out in Valencia. Already we have made progress, and this is a really nice feeling, to straight away be making improvements. The Japanese have done a great job during the winter; a lot of really good pieces have been brought here – more or less everything I asked for in Valencia has arrived. Steps in each direction have helped us, but always more room to improve. Some work to do overnight and see what’s possible tomorrow. Really pleased to be back working with everyone in the team.”
“Great to be back on the Honda RC213V, today we had a good day and started where we left off last time out in Valencia. Already we have made progress, and this is a really nice feeling, to straight away be making improvements. The Japanese have done a great job during the winter; a lot of really good pieces have been brought here – more or less everything I asked for in Valencia has arrived. Steps in each direction have helped us, but always more room to improve. Some work to do overnight and see what’s possible tomorrow. Really pleased to be back working with everyone in the team.”
“At the end, I think we continued our progress that we had at the end of 2025 – it’s what I was expecting when I arrived here a few days ago. The whole team has been working really hard to provide us with a better package, improving every area a little bit. We are not trying a radically different bike which helps, the base is what we know, and it helps us to be more comfortable straight away. Today we tried a few different pieces and found something quite positive at the end of the day, following the correct path for the start of the year.”
“At the end, I think we continued our progress that we had at the end of 2025 – it’s what I was expecting when I arrived here a few days ago. The whole team has been working really hard to provide us with a better package, improving every area a little bit. We are not trying a radically different bike which helps, the base is what we know, and it helps us to be more comfortable straight away. Today we tried a few different pieces and found something quite positive at the end of the day, following the correct path for the start of the year.”
