Mir straight to final Q2 of 2025 in Valencia
Circuit Ricardo TormoAn intense final Friday of 2025 action for the Honda HRC Castrol team, Joan Mir leading the Honda charge in ninth as Luca Marini was edged out of the top ten by barely two tenths – a single second splitting 20 riders.
Returning to Valencia for the first time since 2023, both Joan Mir and Luca Marini were keen to quickly get back up to speed and understand the condition of the circuit. With stable weather conditions throughout the day, both Honda HRC Castrol riders were able to make improvements over the course of running as their preparations for the final round of year continued at pace.
Working to understand the different condition of the circuit on his return to Valencia, Mir put together an overall positive Friday. Encountering very different conditions to 2023 the #36 had to work hard for his lap times today but it will no doubt pay off with a position on the front four rows of the grid already guaranteed. Ninth when the day came to a close, Joan Mir would once again lead the Honda charge and secure his spot in Q2.
Marini had a somewhat more challenging day, managing a best time of 1’29.896 for 16th overall – but only 0.2s shy of the top ten. Also struggling to get the most out of the Honda RC213V in the low-grip conditions, the Italian is hoping for improvements on Saturday. Securing a good position on the grid will be vital, overtaking in Valencia often a tricky affair.
A happy day but one that was more difficult than I was expecting. The conditions didn’t help, here in Valencia the grip has reduced a lot compared to what I remember. Even without things going their best we are in Q2 which is a really positive sign. I was using the hard front which shows the confidence I have in the bike, it’s very good for braking but we need to find something more in the longer corners. This is where we need to find those three tenths we are missing and make another step!
A happy day but one that was more difficult than I was expecting. The conditions didn’t help, here in Valencia the grip has reduced a lot compared to what I remember. Even without things going their best we are in Q2 which is a really positive sign. I was using the hard front which shows the confidence I have in the bike, it’s very good for braking but we need to find something more in the longer corners. This is where we need to find those three tenths we are missing and make another step!
We’ve had a really good start today, the bike I am riding has improved a lot since the start of the year and I have also been riding a lot more, so everything is coming together. There is more potential there from the bike, I was pushing but that final bit – I have margin, and we can go faster. There’s more stability, speed, everything has improved over the course of the year. We need to make the most of Qualifying because overtaking here is very hard.
We’ve had a really good start today, the bike I am riding has improved a lot since the start of the year and I have also been riding a lot more, so everything is coming together. There is more potential there from the bike, I was pushing but that final bit – I have margin, and we can go faster. There’s more stability, speed, everything has improved over the course of the year. We need to make the most of Qualifying because overtaking here is very hard.
The grip has changed a lot compared to two years ago, so how our bike is behaving here is really different. In the past it was a circuit where Honda was really strong and now we are struggling a little more. I was really expecting more, and we need to work to improve it overnight, there’s still the possibility to do something but it’s not like we thought it would be. It was warmer than we were expecting which is always nice because sometimes here in Valencia it can get really, really cold.
The grip has changed a lot compared to two years ago, so how our bike is behaving here is really different. In the past it was a circuit where Honda was really strong and now we are struggling a little more. I was really expecting more, and we need to work to improve it overnight, there’s still the possibility to do something but it’s not like we thought it would be. It was warmer than we were expecting which is always nice because sometimes here in Valencia it can get really, really cold.
