Lusail International Circuit
Doha nights – Honda HRC Castrol gear up for MotoGP’s most unique weekend
The MotoGP World Championship’s only night race welcomes Luca Marini and Jake Dixon for Round 20 of the 2026 season, a race offering a lot of opportunity after positives found in Sepang.
First hosting a Grand Prix back in 2004, the Lusail International Circuit became a standout on the MotoGP calendar in 2008 when it debuted MotoGP’s first, and so far, only, night race under the dazzling floodlights. Originally scheduled for earlier in the year, the championship now arrives to Qatar on the way back to Europe after four races across Asia.
Luca Marini was able to briefly return home since the Malaysian GP, a welcome chance to continue recharging his batteries after illness and a series of physically demanding races. Determined to see out his time at Honda HRC in the best way possible, the #10 arrives in Doha with extra motivation and focus for this final stint. Tenth last year at the Qatar GP and the scene of his last pole position and double podium back in 2023, Marini is fond of the floodlights and has another top ten challenge as his target. Finding a strong base on Friday will be critical in making the Q2 cut early.
Lining up alongside Marini will be Honda HRC WorldSBK rider Jake Dixon as Joan Mir continues his recovery after withdrawing from the race in Malaysia on Sunday. The 30-year-old spent seven years in the Grand Prix paddock from 2019 to 2025, collecting seven wins and 22 podiums in the intermediate class. In 2021 he also made two MotoGP starts with a best finish of 19th at his home round in Silverstone. The 2026 WorldSBK season has been one complicated by injury for the Briton, but a return to fitness in the latter half of the season saw him take five top ten finishes aboard the CBR1000RR-R SP.
Just three races remain and the Honda HRC Castrol team have no intention of relenting as they charge towards the end of the year before a new era begins in Valencia on Tuesday after the final race.
Luca Marini 10 Honda HRC Castrol
"Our objective this weekend is to carry on the performance we did on Sunday in Sepang. I've been able to go home for a few days and keep recovering even more, so my physical condition has made a step. It's a circuit which hasn't always helped us to exploit our strengths, but with only three races left in the season and with Honda it is the time to go for it and put our best foot forward in all three of these races. I want to wish Joan all the best, having him in the garage is always a boost for myself and the team."
Jake Dixon 96 Honda HRC Castrol
"First of all I have to say thank you to Honda HRC for this opportunity. Getting the call to come ride one of these bikes is always mega and I am looking forward to it, I think every rider dreams of racing for the Honda factory team in MotoGP when they're a kid. It's been a little bit since I last raced a MotoGP bike, so we need to take the weekend steady and go step by step. I want to wish Joan all the best and I hope to see him back on the bike soon. It hasn't been a straightforward year for me either, so I sympathize a lot with him. Let's make the most of this weekend."