Pertamina Mandalika International Circuit
Honda HRC Castrol work through trying Mandalika Friday
Luca Marini was left searching for answers in Mandalika on Friday, struggling to crack the top ten while his teammate for the weekend, Aleix Espargaro took a steady approach to his first GP since 2025.
Conditions typical of the Indonesian Grand Prix tested riders from early in the morning as the thermostat raced into the 30s from barely 09:00 as the grid wrestled their machines around the demanding Mandalika International Circuit. Both Luca Marini and Aleix Espargaro embraced the ambient temperature and set about their weekend’s work but it proved a much more complicated day than expected for Honda's riders.
Luca Marini was left disappointed with his Friday performance, the Italian aiming for a repeat of his 2025 performance at the Indonesian GP where he challenged the top five consistently. Able to set a best time of 1’30.037 in the afternoon, he ended the day in 14th place and some three tenths shy of the all-important top ten. Now a busy night of work awaits for Marini’s side of the Honda HRC Castrol garage as they look to unlock the reason behind his lack of confidence compared to past seasons and search for a way out of Q1 on Saturday morning.
For Aleix Espargaro, Friday was all about getting back up to racing speed and checking his fitness as the #41 returned to a Grand Prix weekend for the first time since Valencia last season. Content with his physical condition after so long away due to injury, Espargaro was able to steadily improve his setup on the Honda RC213V and reduce the gap to the other riders. Completing a problem-free weekend remains his primary objective.
Luca Marini 10 Honda HRC Castrol
“I am disappointed with how we were today; our level compared to last year is much lower. Regardless of the yellow flags on our last lap, we did not have the pace to be fighting for the top ten which was our clear target arriving to this weekend. We need to try and find something overnight to improve the feeling with both the front and the rear. We can see from the lap times at the top that the circuit is in a good condition.”
Aleix Espargaro 41 Honda HRC Castrol
“Today went well, my back and shoulders did not have any pain in them which was my main concern arriving here. My physical condition is still not perfect because I have hardly ridden a motorcycle for seven months and after a big injury, it’s something normal and we will do what we can this weekend. I am enjoying riding the bike at this beautiful track and just taking the weekend step by step and remaining realistic. I will do what I can to help the other Honda riders to improve.”
