Lusail International Circuit
Marini and ever-improving Dixon complete trying Qatar Sprint
Fatigue again limited Luca Marini’s performance in Doha, the Italian digging deep to bring his Honda RC213V home as Jake Dixon was able to make impressive progress given the limited track time.
Saturday was another day compromised by fatigue for Luca Marini, the Italian saving his energy for an assault on Q1 early in the day. Fourth in the session and two tenths from a transfer spot, Marini was hopeful that a strong start could deliver him into the battle for points and spur him on in the 11-lap Sprint. A red flag would give the #10 a second opportunity in the Sprint, able to gain positions early on with an aggressive run into the first corner. From then it became a battle of survival as Marini’s energy faded throughout the race and Morbidelli loomed in the background. Able to hold his fellow Italian at bay, Marini walked away with 13th and a question mark over his condition.
Jake Dixon continued to raise eyebrows with his rapid adaption to MotoGP, improving his best time from Friday by another 0.6s in Q1. Ending the 15-minute session just 0.117s behind Diogo Moreira and out qualifying former Grand Prix winner Maverick Viñales, the 30-year-old continued to demonstrate his raw speed. Aware the Sprint would be a bigger challenge, Dixon worked to stay with the likes of Marini, Viñales and Morbidelli for as long as possible to better understand how to manage a MotoGP machine over race distance. 16th at the flag and under six seconds from the ultra-experienced Viñales, and with valuable lessons learned, the #96 will be aiming to put them to work in Sunday’s 22-lap Qatar GP.
A spirited ride to fifth saw Johann Zarco end Saturday with the accolades of being the top Honda rider. Sunday’s feature race is schedule to begin at 19:00 Local Time under the distinctive floodlights of the Lusail International Circuit.
Luca Marini 10 Honda HRC Castrol
“The problem today was me. I still have no power and even to finish the race was really not easy. I’m sorry to the team because we can see that there is a lot more potential this weekend. It’s like yesterday, in Sepang and in Phillip Island – I just don’t have any energy or power. All we can do for now is try to rest and assess our situation again.”
Jake Dixon 96 Honda HRC Castrol
“To be a tenth from Moreira and three tenths from Marini in Qualifying was honestly better than we were expecting. I am really happy with how the weekend has gone so far which might seem strange given the position we are in, but when you check the times and everything – the progress we are making is really good. The Sprint was always going to be difficult because there are a lot more unknowns and I just tried to follow the guys ahead for as long as possible before the tyre started to drop. We certainly understand a little bit more now so hopefully we can improve a few things on Sunday. Time is what it takes to gain this knowledge, and we don’t have much time this weekend, just focusing and taking the steps we can and enjoying everything.”
