Points and progress for Marini in Montmelo
Circuit de Barcelona-CatalunyaStrong foundations set Luca Marini up for a successful Sprint Saturday in Barcelona, taking points as Joan Mir battled forward.
Explosive MotoGP World Championship action punctuated the day at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya as the Honda HRC Castrol team topped sessions and put themselves into the heart of the action. Times were tight and if the Sprint is a preview of what to expect, Sunday’s full-length Grand Prix be a true test for the entire grid.
Luca Marini’s Friday efforts again paid dividends as the Italian passed directly into Q2, avoiding a Q1 with four MotoGP World Champions and securing tenth on the grid with a best time of 1’38.327. From the head of the fourth row, the #10 made another strong start aboard his Honda RC213V machine and immediately began a race-long battle with Johann Zarco for top Honda honours. They were joined during the mid-stages of the race by Fermin Aldeguer and Marco Bezzecchi before the pair suffered a collision. Crossing the line in eighth, Marini continues his steady comeback in the championship standings and now sits 12th overall.
The day started on the highest of highs for Joan Mir, the 2020 World Champion leading Free Practice 2 in the morning and showing very competitive pace. Setting a time of 1’38.214 in Q1 demonstrated just how difficult this session can be as Mir finished in seventh – despite being a tenth faster than his teammate’s qualifying time from Q2. The fighting was fierce for Mir and the riders behind as the Sprint began, the #36 clawing his way up to 13th place as he held back Francesco Bagnaia. A three-place penalty for disturbing another rider at Turn 5 earlier in the day means Mir will start Sunday’s race in 20th.
Now Warm Up and 24-laps of the Catalan GP are all that remain of the weekend, a final chance for Marini and Mir to show their speed and the improvements of the Honda RC213V before heading to Misano.
The second group that we are in all has a very similar pace, starting further up the grid is a big help so I am really happy with how we have worked to arrive here. It’s a satisfying result so far, it really shows our development with the bike compared to last year and finally, that’s what this project is about. There is still more to do, of course, but we have to understand how we are improving. I tried something on Zarco right at the end, but it was really on the limit and he got back past me – but an enjoyable race with the battle. Tomorrow’s race will be long and everyone will need to pay attention to the tyres, we know what we have to do between now and then.
The second group that we are in all has a very similar pace, starting further up the grid is a big help so I am really happy with how we have worked to arrive here. It’s a satisfying result so far, it really shows our development with the bike compared to last year and finally, that’s what this project is about. There is still more to do, of course, but we have to understand how we are improving. I tried something on Zarco right at the end, but it was really on the limit and he got back past me – but an enjoyable race with the battle. Tomorrow’s race will be long and everyone will need to pay attention to the tyres, we know what we have to do between now and then.
This morning, running alone without any help, we had some serious pace and it showed that in the race if we can go like this, we can fight for something serious. Something more than the top five. We saw some shining moments today, but honestly, I am not happy with our performance. Now, we need to improve how our front tyre is reacting during the race because the feeling changed a lot through the race and I wasn’t confident as I was in the morning. Today has been encouraging on one side, but on the other side it was tough because we, as Honda, need to improve our situation in Qualifying. I had the feeling today that I could do a lot more, that’s why today has been frustrating.
This morning, running alone without any help, we had some serious pace and it showed that in the race if we can go like this, we can fight for something serious. Something more than the top five. We saw some shining moments today, but honestly, I am not happy with our performance. Now, we need to improve how our front tyre is reacting during the race because the feeling changed a lot through the race and I wasn’t confident as I was in the morning. Today has been encouraging on one side, but on the other side it was tough because we, as Honda, need to improve our situation in Qualifying. I had the feeling today that I could do a lot more, that’s why today has been frustrating.
Our race started really well, when you’re at the back for a short race like this it’s very intense straight away. I was able to stay with Mir, Martin and Morbidelli and matching their pace. I was also satisfied with our speed in Q1 – these are two positives to take from today. The Sprint was more challenging than I was expecting, and I am a bit more sore and tired than I thought I would be. At the end of the race we found some things we need to work on, time to make some changes overnight and see what we can improve.
Our race started really well, when you’re at the back for a short race like this it’s very intense straight away. I was able to stay with Mir, Martin and Morbidelli and matching their pace. I was also satisfied with our speed in Q1 – these are two positives to take from today. The Sprint was more challenging than I was expecting, and I am a bit more sore and tired than I thought I would be. At the end of the race we found some things we need to work on, time to make some changes overnight and see what we can improve.
