MotorLand Aragón
Honda HRC Castrol anticipating close-fought Aragon GP
Into the final ten rounds of the year, Luca Marini and Joan Mir head for the Grand Prix of Aragon prepared to fight and show their best to end the 2026 World Championship on a high.
With the finish line to 2026 looming ever closer on the horizon, the Honda HRC Castrol squad are preparing to go on the attack and cement their place in the standings before a new era of MotoGP begins. A classically happy hunting ground for the Honda RC213V, the Motorland Aragon circuit brims with potential for both Luca Marini and Joan Mir at Round 13 of the 2026 MotoGP World Championship.
Luca Marini will return to the 5.08-kilometre circuit for the first time since 2024, having missed the 2025 edition due to injury. The Italian has shown unrivaled consistency so far in the 2026 MotoGP World Championship, the only rider to pick up points each and every Sunday - a tenth place in the World Championship standings his reward. But he remains confident that another step in qualifying will promote him even further into the points-paying positions. In 2022, Marini set the fastest lap of the race in Aragon on his way to seventh – his best premier class finish at the track to date.
Author to a solid seventh place finish on Sunday in 2025, Joan Mir ranks Motorland Aragon amongst his favourite tracks on the calendar. Achieving a trio of premier class podiums there across the 2020 and 2021 seasons, his results certainly support his positives feelings. With mixed results so far in 2026, the #36 is taking each weekend as it comes and Aragon presents a great opportunity to repeat his Czechia heroics on home soil.
From this Grand Prix onwards, there will never be more than a week between races as the 2026 MotoGP World Championship season shifts up a gear and sprints to the end in Valencia.
Luca Marini 10 Honda HRC Castrol
“I am pleased with the consistency we have been able to show each weekend, with the work the team has done to keep improving until we go to the starting grid on Sunday. Our consistency has been very good and we need to work to find a bit more pace earlier in the weekend to make our life on Saturday and Sunday afternoon a bit easier. When you look at our speed, we have the potential to be up closer to the front guys, but we are having to fight too much at the start. I missed Aragon last year with injury, so I am expecting a lot of improvement since 2024.”
Joan Mir 36 Honda HRC Castrol
“It was almost like we had another summer break after Silverstone, so I am looking forward to riding again. Aragon is a circuit that I really enjoy and one that I have been able to be quite strong at in the past. Last year we had one of our better results there and I think we can be closer than in the last race. As is the plan, we are taking it race by race and looking to achieve our maximum from each weekend to finish the season in the best way possible and give some more reward to the team for all their hard work.”