Forever fighting – Honda HRC Castrol battle to double points finish in Catalunya
Circuit de Barcelona-CatalunyaA demanding Sunday in Barcelona produced a solid result for the Honda factory team as Luca Marini and Joan Mir finished eighth and 12th respectively, both battling with great intensity throughout the 24-laps.
The hustle and bustle of Barcelona was felt from the early hours at the circuit as race day dawned, another perfect forecast setting the scene for a big day of battles on track as the grid formed up for the 15th round of the 2025 MotoGP World Championship.
As in recent rounds, Luca Marini had one of the best starts on the grid as he scythed his way from tenth to fifth at the first corner. In prime position, the #10 pushed his Honda RC213V hard in the opening laps to break away with the leading group. With Fabio Quartararo and Johann Zarco for company, the trio enjoyed an intense battle during the middle stage of the race with Marini gaining the upper hand. This early effort would send Marini into defence mode late in the race as his tyres dropped while attempting to hold back Quartararo and Bagnaia who put on late pressure. Taking eighth place at the flag, Marini closes the distance to the top ten in the World Championship standings – now 13th with 82 points.
Joan Mir started the Catalan Grand Prix from down in 20th due to a penalty, but this did not stop the Honda HRC Castrol rider from showing his speed throughout. Able to consistently match the times of Zarco and Marini, Mir made steady progress through the field and quickly found himself in the points paying positions. This progress would continue unabated until he arrived to battle with Jorge Martin for 11th, the pair enjoying an intense sparring session. Ultimately 12th, the #36 collects a handful of points and more crucial developmental data for the Honda RC213V.
Honda HRC Castrol will remain in Barcelona for a one-day test before heading for Marini's home race – the Grand Prix of San Marino and the Rimini Riviera.
Good weekend overall, we have to be happy to do like this at a track which is usually a difficult one for us. Throughout every session we have been in a good position. In the race I made another fantastic start, then I had a big battle with Zarco and Fabio. I tried to catch Acosta when I saw he was dropping with the soft but I think this used up my tyres too much and I arrived in the last four laps without as much as the other guys so I couldn't defend. Still, we were able to try and fight for something more and understand how everything reacts in a different situation. Like I said, the weekend here, not just for me but also for Zarco and Mir, shows the progress we are making as a manufacturer.
Good weekend overall, we have to be happy to do like this at a track which is usually a difficult one for us. Throughout every session we have been in a good position. In the race I made another fantastic start, then I had a big battle with Zarco and Fabio. I tried to catch Acosta when I saw he was dropping with the soft but I think this used up my tyres too much and I arrived in the last four laps without as much as the other guys so I couldn't defend. Still, we were able to try and fight for something more and understand how everything reacts in a different situation. Like I said, the weekend here, not just for me but also for Zarco and Mir, shows the progress we are making as a manufacturer.
My pace during the race was really good, always better than the riders in front of me so I was able to have an offensive race let's say. Everything further back in MotoGP is much more interesting! It was a really good battle throughout the whole race. Starting 20th was our big limit today, we also didn't make the best start, but we really needed to do something more on Friday and Saturday. We have been testing quite a few things this weekend, settings, parts, so we lost maybe a little bit from the race weekend to gain in the overall picture.
My pace during the race was really good, always better than the riders in front of me so I was able to have an offensive race let's say. Everything further back in MotoGP is much more interesting! It was a really good battle throughout the whole race. Starting 20th was our big limit today, we also didn't make the best start, but we really needed to do something more on Friday and Saturday. We have been testing quite a few things this weekend, settings, parts, so we lost maybe a little bit from the race weekend to gain in the overall picture.
Today was really tough, the long race was super demanding from my physical condition like I knew it would be. I did my best and at the start of the race we were able to stay with everyone, then I had to focus more and more. It has been a good weekend, and we've been able to get through a lot of the items we had, now I need to recover a bit more and get ready for our next events with the Test Team. It makes me really happy to see the other Honda riders getting stronger each weekend, this is a new kind of satisfaction you feel when you're a test rider.
Today was really tough, the long race was super demanding from my physical condition like I knew it would be. I did my best and at the start of the race we were able to stay with everyone, then I had to focus more and more. It has been a good weekend, and we've been able to get through a lot of the items we had, now I need to recover a bit more and get ready for our next events with the Test Team. It makes me really happy to see the other Honda riders getting stronger each weekend, this is a new kind of satisfaction you feel when you're a test rider.
