TT Circuit Assen
Edge of the top ten for steady Marini in Assen
Luca Marini delivered another diligent ride in a high-pressure Dutch Grand Prix to take an 11th place finish after a weekend of struggles. Joan Mir fell on lap one. Update: Marini was promoted to tenth due to a post-race penalty for a rider ahead.
Race day in the Netherlands saw all four Honda HRC riders opt for the soft rear tyres as ambient conditions eased after a brutal start to the weekend. Management of the rear would be key across the 26 laps of the TT Circuit Assen, but both Luca Marini and Joan Mir were willing to take up that challenge to try and end their respective weekends on a high.
Able to make up a handful of places in the opening corners as the usual hustle and bustle of the mid-pack went on, Luca Marini kept himself out of any serious trouble and quickly arrived into the point scoring positions. By lap three, the Honda HRC Castrol rider was looking for a way to get past a trio of Yamaha riders, passing Miller on lap seven and Razgatlioglu by the middle of the race. Pushing until the very end to close the final few tenths to Rins and a top ten finish, Marini was able to take 11th place at the chequered flag and maintain his 11th place in the MotoGP World Championship standings.
Post-race, Luca Marini would be moved to tenth position as Brad Binder was awarded a 16-second tyre pressure penalty. This is Marini's seventh top ten on a Sunday in 2026.
Meanwhile it was another Sunday to forget for Joan Mir who fell at Turn 10 on the first lap. He avoided any serious injury.
Now a single round, the German GP, awaits before a small summer break in the MotoGP World Championship. The entire Honda HRC Castrol team will be looking to find their groove in a historically happy hunting ground of Sachsenring after the tough Dutch GP weekend.
Luca Marini 10 Honda HRC Castrol
“A tough one today, I felt like I had a little bit more pace than the guys ahead of me, but I was stuck there behind them. In Turn 5 on the first lap there were four or five of us who all touched and maybe I lost a little piece of something. Once I got past Miller, I was confident in my pace, but when I arrived with Rins at the end I had to manage the rear so couldn’t really attack. We got some more info on what we need to keep improving which is always a positive. I think the result we achieved was the best possible.”
Joan Mir 36 Honda HRC Castrol
“Yesterday I knew why I crashed, today I don’t really understand it. This happens quite a lot in reality. It’s hard when you don’t know why you crashed but we will do as we have done in the past and move on. We will try again in Germany because the reality is that we are fast and we can be there if these things don’t happen. Not the weekend we wanted but I want to thank the team for always pushing for me at 100%.”
