Circuito de Jerez - Angel Nieto
Marini clinches ninth in volatile Jerez Sprint
A wet morning and a flag-to-flag Sprint race made for an unforgettable Saturday at the Spanish GP, Luca Marini keeping his cool to come through the field for ninth while Joan Mir fell.
Unpredictability was the order of the day at the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto as rain, sun and more rain punctuated sessions which riders and fans will remember as a classic Sprint Saturday. The weather, and a fall for each Honda HRC Castrol rider, complicated the morning performance of Luca Marini and Joan Mir and saw them unable to pass through Q1. With Mir starting in 14th and Marini a place behind in 15th, they were presented with an uphill battle in a Sprint which initially started dry.
Rocketing off the line, Marini quickly passed his teammate and set about chasing the points scoring positions as dark clouds loomed overhead. Swapping bikes in the second group, the #10 rejoined in the battle for the points and fought Zarco until the very last corner for top Honda honours. Ninth at the flag, Marini took the final point in the dramatic Spanish GP Sprint and collected valuable data and insight should Sunday’s Grand Prix follow a similarly chaotic rhythm.
Racing nose to tail with his teammate for most of the race, Mir remained in the mix as the field dove into the pits with the rain. A quick bike change saw him gain time and track position in the closing laps as the intensity of the race increased. Unfortunately, a fall at Turn 10 would end any chance of points, Mir walking away unharmed. The #36 will serve a double long lap penalty in Sunday’s race for an earlier infringement.
Both Marini and Mir will no doubt be stronger in Sunday’s 25-lap Spanish Grand Prix for the lessons learned today. The unpredictable 2026 MotoGP World Championship season continues to excite fans around the world.
Luca Marini 10 Honda HRC Castrol
“I think everyone enjoyed that race, you need some spice in your life sometimes! I did a great start and feeling comfortable in the dry, when I saw some rain on the screen of the bike, I waited to see a little bit the overall situation and what was happening. It’s hard to know when the best moment to pit is, I thought the first group had gone too early but finally that proved to be the correct moment. The rain arrived quite fast in the end and we battled hard until the end in these conditions. Nice to get a little reward, we will need another good start tomorrow.”
Joan Mir 36 Honda HRC Castrol
“We had one of those days! A difficult weekend, missing Q2 for nothing on Friday which compromised our day today, it was complicated in the wet to push for a fast lap in time. In the race I made a great start and could overtake a lot of riders, then the rain started and I made a good bike change. On the out lap I lost the front behind Quartararo, I went to pick up the bike because in races like this you always have a chance, but the damage was too much. Like always we head into Sunday to give our 100% even if the penalty makes it really difficult.”
