Honda HRC Castrol target fruitful MotoGP World Championship debut
Chang International CircuitThe long-awaited return of MotoGP World Championship action is finally here as Joan Mir and Luca Marini lead the Honda HRC Castrol team to Thailand for the first Grand Prix of the year.
Having revealed striking new colours to the world in Jakarta, Indonesia ahead of testing, the Honda HRC Castrol team has been eagerly awaiting their on-track debut. A positive pre-season saw confidence and speed build with each day, Joan Mir especially pleased with the work done at the Buriram Test. Now, he and Luca Marini return to the Thai circuit to usher in a new era for Honda HRC in MotoGP.
Thailand will host the inaugural MotoGP race of the year for the first time in the event’s history. Since debuting on the calendar in 2018, the Chang International Circuit has produced a number of historic moments and incredible races. 2025 is shaping up to be another hard-fought affair with riders and teams arriving already honed after two days of testing just under two weeks ago.
2020 MotoGP World Champion Joan Mir ended the pre-season in sixth overall, citing the two tests as his best since joining the Honda factory team in 2023. Refinements and upgrades to the Honda RC213V during the winter saw Mir set a best time of 1’29.399 during the final day of testing, sixth tenths faster than his Q1 time from the 2024 Thai GP. Mir is aware that testing and racing are two different beasts, but the 27-year-old is ready to get back out on track and convert his momentum into a strong start to this latest campaign. The Thai GP is set to be Mir’s 100th start in the premier class.
Luca Marini begins his second season aboard the factory Honda RC213V, now proudly wearing the brand-new colours of Honda HRC Castrol. The Italian put in a commendable effort during test to run through everything HRC’s engineers requested and with this data in hand, Marini will be able to hit the ground running at Round One. Marini scored his equal best result in Buriram last year, 12th on Sunday to equal his home performance in Misano from earlier in the year.
The Honda RC213V will be back for the first time in its full racing guise on Friday, February 28 to begin preparations for the first MotoGP Sprint of the year at 15:00 Local Time on Saturday, March 01. Sunday’s main event, the 26-lap Thai Grand Prix will have the lights go out at 15:00 Local Time and another year of MotoGP action will once again be underway.
Location: Buriram Internation Circuit
Designed by German architect Herman Tilke, the Buriram International Circuit opened in 2014 and will see MotoGP™ making its debut this season. Located around 410km northeast from the country’s capital of Bangkok, the town of Buriram in the Buriram province literally translates into “city of happiness”, and its typically hot and humid weather is a key feature of its Southeast Asian location. The 4.554km layout incorporates 12 turns and has seen the Superbike World Championship racing at the venue since 2015. Its state-of-the-art facilities, include a total capacity for 100,000 people with various grandstands around the circuit providing incredible viewing opportunities for spectators.
No matter what, you always look forward to the start of a new season – anything can happen, there’s a lot of potential, a lot of hope, a lot of expectations. But this year it’s different for me. Becoming Honda HRC Castrol has been like a small reset and the work that we have accomplished during the pre-season has been really positive. The last two years have been tough but entering the Thai GP this weekend I am optimistic of continuing to improve and close the gap to the front. Testing and racing are always different things, and we still have a lot to do, but really I am excited to get on track, to race in these incredible new colours and show the determination of myself, my team and Honda.
No matter what, you always look forward to the start of a new season – anything can happen, there’s a lot of potential, a lot of hope, a lot of expectations. But this year it’s different for me. Becoming Honda HRC Castrol has been like a small reset and the work that we have accomplished during the pre-season has been really positive. The last two years have been tough but entering the Thai GP this weekend I am optimistic of continuing to improve and close the gap to the front. Testing and racing are always different things, and we still have a lot to do, but really I am excited to get on track, to race in these incredible new colours and show the determination of myself, my team and Honda.
Starting in Thailand will be great, the crowd there is always big and passionate, and you can really hear them as you go around the circuit – especially in the last part. Arriving to the first weekend, you’re always really motivated and wearing these new colours as Honda HRC Castrol adds even more to it. When you have had a test at a track before the weekend, you arrive already with an idea about the setting, but a race weekend is honestly very different. With the other bikes on track the conditions can change a lot and also the temperature is looking quite hot. Let’s see what happens, we have clear objectives for the weekend, and I am really looking forward to bringing MotoGP action back to the fans around the world.
Starting in Thailand will be great, the crowd there is always big and passionate, and you can really hear them as you go around the circuit – especially in the last part. Arriving to the first weekend, you’re always really motivated and wearing these new colours as Honda HRC Castrol adds even more to it. When you have had a test at a track before the weekend, you arrive already with an idea about the setting, but a race weekend is honestly very different. With the other bikes on track the conditions can change a lot and also the temperature is looking quite hot. Let’s see what happens, we have clear objectives for the weekend, and I am really looking forward to bringing MotoGP action back to the fans around the world.