Marini starts as he means to go on with top ten pace in Misano
Misano World Circuit Marco SimoncelliPre-weekend weather worries were washed away with the sun roaring overhead as the Honda HRC Castrol team began their preparations for the San Marino GP, Luca Marini finishing the day in a positive seventh place while Joan Mir’s 14th hid his speed.
MotoGP returned to the Adriatic coast for round 14 of the 2026 season, the Gran Premio San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli, a circuit which a number of Italian riders, including Luca Marini, call home. The high grip levels at the circuit helped the Honda HRC Castrol squad to take the best from the Honda RC213V from the very first laps on track.
For Luca Marini, Friday was exactly the boost his home weekend needed. Having spent the buildup talking about a "better qualifying direction" found at Aragón and his ambition to get straight into Q2, the #10 delivered on that promise. He rounded out Free Practice 1 in seventh, ahead of the likes of Jorge Martín and Fabio Quartararo, and carried that form into the afternoon to secure automatic passage into Saturday's Q2. A best time of 1’30.640 sees him advance to the top 12 shootout directly for the first time since the US Grand Prix earlier in the season. Now Marini must grab this opportunity with both hands and deliver.
Joan Mir's Friday told a more complicated story. Struggling to find his speed in the first session, the #36 was able to make a step in the afternoon but the incredibly close times of MotoGP betrayed him – ending the day 14th despite being last than three tenths slower than his Honda HRC Castrol teammate. It leaves Mir with work to do to salvage his San Marino weekend, but Q1 presents a world of possibilities and surprises on Saturday morning.
Of course, Qualifying is not the only challenge which Saturday holds as the 13-lap Sprint race is scheduled for 15:00 Local Time.
“A very good day, a really positive Friday. I like this track a lot and the bike has been working very well from the first lap because this circuit has so much grip. We are much closer here to the top guys than at other tracks and it really helps to enjoy this weekend. Of course we need to remain focused because Misano is quite a tight track so the Qualifying tomorrow will be a key point but already being in Q2 is a great help to us.”
“A very good day, a really positive Friday. I like this track a lot and the bike has been working very well from the first lap because this circuit has so much grip. We are much closer here to the top guys than at other tracks and it really helps to enjoy this weekend. Of course we need to remain focused because Misano is quite a tight track so the Qualifying tomorrow will be a key point but already being in Q2 is a great help to us.”
“Today the team have done a great job to understand what I need and start adapting the bike to it after a tough start. This morning was quite hard for us as we were struggling with a lot of areas on the bike, over the lunch break the team changed many things and in the afternoon the bike was handling much better for me. There are clearly still things to improve which we will work on tonight and then give our 100% tomorrow with what we are able to come up with.”
“Today the team have done a great job to understand what I need and start adapting the bike to it after a tough start. This morning was quite hard for us as we were struggling with a lot of areas on the bike, over the lunch break the team changed many things and in the afternoon the bike was handling much better for me. There are clearly still things to improve which we will work on tonight and then give our 100% tomorrow with what we are able to come up with.”
