Double top-ten on Saturday for Honda HRC, Moreira impresses on debut
Chang International CircuitHonda HRC Castrol made yet more progress during an electric Saturday at the Chang International Circuit, with top-ten results for Joan Mir and Luca Marini, while Johann Zarco and Diogo Moreira also achieved good results
Back to the typical conditions expected of the Thai GP, hot conditions saw lap times tumble in the build-up to the very first Sprint of the year. Excitement was palpable and built throughout the day as the return of racing steadily grew closer and closer.
Joan Mir took full advantage of his strong Friday to start tenth on the grid for the Sprint, immediately making progress forward with a trademark aggressive start. The first race of the year saw several ambitious moves into the opening corners, leaving the #36 with ample space to advance further. Settling into the rhythm of the race, he’d battle with Brad Binder until the closing laps and taking seventh place. This is an improvement of two places over his 2025 Thai Sprint result.
Lining up in 14th on the grid after late yellow flags in Q1, Luca Marini took a wide line into the first corner and quickly progressed into the top ten. Fighting hard with Bagnaia on the factory Ducati, the #10 was able to maintain his early gains and cross the line in tenth with a comfortable margin over Alex Marquez. This marks an improvement of five places over his 2025 Thai Sprint result.
Johann Zarco (Castrol Honda LCR) had a strong start to his Sprint race, gaining positions off the line, but an early incident in the race where he ran wide prevented him from challenging for a position in the points. At the chequered flag the Frenchman was in 12th position and is confident of being able to use the data gathered today to have a strong GP race tomorrow.
Team-mate Diogo Moreira (Pro Honda LCR), who is making his MotoGP debut this weekend, demonstrated good pace and put in an impressive performance to finish the day just behind Zarco in 13th place.
Honda HRC’s engineers have one more evening to assess the data and make final adjustments before the 26-lap Thai Grand Prix arrives and another MotoGP World Championship season continues on at pace.
I am satisfied with the job we’ve done today, it is what we were missing last year – getting a solid result in races where we can’t be fighting deep in the top five. It’s what will make the difference at the end of the year. At the start of the weekend, I said that it would be tough and we have been working a lot to improve our situation. In the long race on Sunday, I think we will be stronger. It’s important to have a race like this at the start of the year so we can map our progress well and not lose our way.
I am satisfied with the job we’ve done today, it is what we were missing last year – getting a solid result in races where we can’t be fighting deep in the top five. It’s what will make the difference at the end of the year. At the start of the weekend, I said that it would be tough and we have been working a lot to improve our situation. In the long race on Sunday, I think we will be stronger. It’s important to have a race like this at the start of the year so we can map our progress well and not lose our way.
We had to work hard to stay inside the top ten today after gaining some positions at the start. There are still some things to improve on the bike, certainly we have made some steps forward but in the race, you can see that still there is some margin between us and the others. Today’s heat made the front tyre very critical, even with the big improvements we made to the braking area it meant we had to be very careful, and we lost one of our strengths. There are still new things we are trying, still finding new improvements and still planning for more in the future. It’s the first race and we are pleased with this first Saturday.
We had to work hard to stay inside the top ten today after gaining some positions at the start. There are still some things to improve on the bike, certainly we have made some steps forward but in the race, you can see that still there is some margin between us and the others. Today’s heat made the front tyre very critical, even with the big improvements we made to the braking area it meant we had to be very careful, and we lost one of our strengths. There are still new things we are trying, still finding new improvements and still planning for more in the future. It’s the first race and we are pleased with this first Saturday.
It’s hard to fight and not score points. The start was good; we did a solid job, but then I went wide, lost positions, and from that point, I struggled a bit in different areas. I was able to maintain consistency and had a good pace, but I lost time when fighting with riders and trying to overtake. I tried to handle the situation. We are working hard in some areas to improve things for tomorrow’s race. Even though we didn’t score points today, the bigger picture looks better, and we’re getting closer. We just need to keep working.
It’s hard to fight and not score points. The start was good; we did a solid job, but then I went wide, lost positions, and from that point, I struggled a bit in different areas. I was able to maintain consistency and had a good pace, but I lost time when fighting with riders and trying to overtake. I tried to handle the situation. We are working hard in some areas to improve things for tomorrow’s race. Even though we didn’t score points today, the bigger picture looks better, and we’re getting closer. We just need to keep working.
I’m satisfied; I enjoyed the Sprint and learned throughout all the laps. I’d say overall, it was a positive experience. Everyone is so fast, and it’s difficult to grasp the speed. Everyone was pushing, and at the beginning, I was tense until I gained confidence. We managed well overall, and we’ll see tomorrow!
I’m satisfied; I enjoyed the Sprint and learned throughout all the laps. I’d say overall, it was a positive experience. Everyone is so fast, and it’s difficult to grasp the speed. Everyone was pushing, and at the beginning, I was tense until I gained confidence. We managed well overall, and we’ll see tomorrow!
