Austin awaits Honda HRC Castrol
Circuit Of The AmericasFrom one of the shortest circuits on the calendar to one of the longest, Luca Marini and Joan Mir arrive at Round Three prepared for an intense weekend on and off the track.
From South America to North America, the global tour of the MotoGP World Championship continues at pace. A standout as one of the most demanding tracks of the year, the run from Turn 3 to Turn 9 can make or break a lap early on and finding your speed through this section is crucial for Qualifying. On the calendar since 2013, the Circuit of the Americas has seen Honda win eight times in the premier class.
Qualifying remains a major focus for Luca Marini, the Italian charging from 19th on the grid in both the Sprint and the Grand Prix in Brazil to challenge for the top ten. Earning a spot in Q2 will no doubt allow Marini to improve on his eighth-place finish from the 2025 Americas GP. He currently sits just a single point behind Johann Zarco in the battle for top Honda honours in the World Championship standings, plenty of road left to run in the 22-round season.
Joan Mir arrives in America with undeniable speed, the 2020 MotoGP World Champion again looking to back that up with consistent race finishes. COTA has been a complicated circuit for Mir during his time with the Honda HRC Factory Team, but the ever improving Honda RC213V has all of the potential to deliver the #36 a strong result.
The Americas GP will be the final race before a three-week break due to the delay of the Qatar GP.
“Back to work right away at a track which I enjoy a lot. To go from one of the shortest circuits on the calendar to one of the longest is certainly a big change! COTA is a track where the rider can really make the difference, in the past I have gone well there and so has the Honda RC213V. I’m looking forward to seeing what we can do together and seeing how the bike has progressed since we last visited. It will be important to get a good result before we have this three-week break, I want to give the team something to enjoy after these intense opening races.”
“Back to work right away at a track which I enjoy a lot. To go from one of the shortest circuits on the calendar to one of the longest is certainly a big change! COTA is a track where the rider can really make the difference, in the past I have gone well there and so has the Honda RC213V. I’m looking forward to seeing what we can do together and seeing how the bike has progressed since we last visited. It will be important to get a good result before we have this three-week break, I want to give the team something to enjoy after these intense opening races.”
“It’s always nice to go to America, especially to Austin – it’s a good place to be and I enjoy the whole weekend a lot. In Brazil we showed our speed, we showed our ability to be the top Honda rider and repeating that is the objective this weekend. It will be about staying focused and working well with the team to create the best situation possible to deliver on what we know we can do.”
“It’s always nice to go to America, especially to Austin – it’s a good place to be and I enjoy the whole weekend a lot. In Brazil we showed our speed, we showed our ability to be the top Honda rider and repeating that is the objective this weekend. It will be about staying focused and working well with the team to create the best situation possible to deliver on what we know we can do.”