Circuito de Jerez - Angel Nieto
0.056s the difference as Mir and Marini start Spanish GP challenge
Less than a tenth of a second stood between Joan Mir, Luca Marini and Q2 as both Honda HRC Castrol riders showed strong race pace in Jerez.
The much-anticipated return of the MotoGP World Championship after an extended three week break finally arrived at the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto as the grid rolled out of pitlane on Friday morning. Consistent overhead cloud kept conditions cooler than expected, the Honda HRC Castrol team adapting to the situation easily. Both Joan Mir and Luca Marini were eager to get back up to speed and reignite their 2026 campaigns.
Impressive as always, Joan Mir had the rear of the Honda RC213V floating in the air as he pushed to the very limits in the braking zones from his first run of the weekend. Finding something extra in his final time attack of the day, the #36 missed out on the top ten by only 0.027s on his quickest lap. Advancing to Q2 tomorrow is certainly possible when looking at Mir’s individual sectors, he and his team targeting overnight improvements to gain consistency.
Classically consistent across both sessions, Luca Marini was able to show promising pace with his longer runs as he happily sat inside the top five. Quickly able to reach a strong level, Marini felt he was missing the last crucial tenths during the time attack to finish inside the top ten. With just 0.056s the difference, the margins are as narrow as ever in the premier class.
Joan Mir 36 Honda HRC Castrol
“I gave my 100% today to achieve the best result possible, when you put together all of my sectors, I am fourth on the times. We spent today adjusting the electronics a bit and we are very close in the longer runs. If we can find more grip, we can put everything together in a more dynamic way to end the session in a stronger position. We will keep working to be more comfortable on Saturday and Sunday.”
Luca Marini 10 Honda HRC Castrol
“Our overall pace is strong, and we showed that during most the session we can be towards the front, where we are lacking is in that last step for the time attack. We’re confident, we can reach 90% of our best quickly but that last 10% is taking more time and that’s where we miss on Friday afternoon. I am happy with the lap time we did, but we will need to work hard to find something more and advance out of Q1 – we have the ability to. It’s important here to maximise our Qualifying because you can help your race a lot.”
