Marini on cusp of top ten as Nakagami finds the rhythm
Red Bull Ring - Spielberg0.004s is all that ultimately stood between Luca Marini and back-to-back direct Q2 appearances, the Honda HRC Castrol man ending Friday in Austria in 11th as his temporary teammate Takaaki Nakagami proves he still has plenty of fight left.
Still fresh from Round 14 in Misano, the MotoGP World Championship was back out on track in Spielberg, Austria as the 2026 season continues at pace. Although ambient temperatures were significantly lower than they had been on the Adriatic Coast just days ago, two dry sessions gave the Honda HRC Castrol squad a chance to work. A red flag with 11 minutes left required a last-minute change of plans for the Honda HRC Castrol team in the crucial afternoon session, triggering an intense final shootout for the top ten.
Starting Friday at the Austrian GP in tenth place, Luca Marini remained competitive throughout the day as conditions improved and times dropped. Opting to put in an early run with soft tyres, the Italian found himself comfortably inside the top ten in the crucial afternoon session. But fate would play a cruel twist right at the end, Fabio Quartararo taking the final spot in the top ten by just 0.004s from Marini and forcing the 11th placed Italian back to Q1. A change of plan and strategy is now needed for the #10 and his half of the Honda HRC Castrol garage as their first target for Saturday will once again be advancing from the first 15-minute Qualifying session.
Takaaki Nakagami’s Friday was all about adaptation, Honda HRC’s Development Rider focusing his attentions on adjusting back to the 1,000cc Honda RC213V. Calling on his extensive premier class experience, the #30 was able to post competitive times from the off and thrust himself into the midst of the Grand Prix regulars. Continuing to work with his engineers and team, Nakagami is confident he can make more progress within his own riding during the weekend in Spielberg. A best time of 1’29.596 put him 20th overall.
“We carried our good feeling from Misano here and I was confident after the morning session. But this is MotoGP and small margins can make a big difference. Tonight, I think I will have a nightmare about this 0.004s to Quartararo because such a small margin changes our whole weekend. I’ve had a good feeling with the tyres from the first outing which is positive, but Q1 will be tough as we have had some surprises here with the time sheets. I am not at 100% as I have quite a heavy cold, but nothing too serious – a little more ambient temperature will help!”
“We carried our good feeling from Misano here and I was confident after the morning session. But this is MotoGP and small margins can make a big difference. Tonight, I think I will have a nightmare about this 0.004s to Quartararo because such a small margin changes our whole weekend. I’ve had a good feeling with the tyres from the first outing which is positive, but Q1 will be tough as we have had some surprises here with the time sheets. I am not at 100% as I have quite a heavy cold, but nothing too serious – a little more ambient temperature will help!”
“Jumping back on a MotoGP bike is never easy, just a couple of day ago I was on a different bike with different tyres and it’s not simple to switch the brain. Also, in Austria there is a really stiff carcass of the tyre due to the demands of the circuit, so it took me almost the entire morning to get used to it. That’s what we knew today would be about and I am listening to the team a lot to understand how I can ride better. It’s all good preparation for the home race next round and I think we can enjoy this weekend with some more confidence tomorrow. Let’s keep working!”
“Jumping back on a MotoGP bike is never easy, just a couple of day ago I was on a different bike with different tyres and it’s not simple to switch the brain. Also, in Austria there is a really stiff carcass of the tyre due to the demands of the circuit, so it took me almost the entire morning to get used to it. That’s what we knew today would be about and I am listening to the team a lot to understand how I can ride better. It’s all good preparation for the home race next round and I think we can enjoy this weekend with some more confidence tomorrow. Let’s keep working!”
