Le Mans
Merciless Mir pushes until the end after early fall for Marini
Another strong day for Joan Mir who led Honda HRC Castrol’s charge in both Qualifying and the Sprint at the French GP, capturing a well-earned sixth place in the 13-lap dash. Luca Marini victim of a peculiar fall.
The French fans continued to flood the grandstands of Le Mans, eager to witness what the fifth round of the MotoGP World Championship had waiting. Dramatic Q1 and Q2 sessions would be a welcome taster before the exciting Sprint entrée was served, Joan Mir featuring heavily in a race-long battle with his fellow World Champions.
Capitalising on his Friday speed to enter Q2 directly, Mir was able to put his Honda RC213V machine at the head of the third row in seventh position. Just 0.203s shy of pole position continued the closest MotoGP weekend of the year and this would be no different when the lights went on the Sprint. Gaining ground early, the 2020 MotoGP World Champion immediately locked horns with reigning World Champion Marc Marquez – a battle which would rage until the end of the race. Keeping Marquez behind, Mir spent much of the race looking for a way past Fabio Quartararo and eventually crossed the line in sixth place.
Saturday proved to be a complicated day for Luca Marini, qualifying in 15th on the grid as he battled it out in the most tightly contested Q1 of the season. His French GP Sprint would last just two laps as he lost the front, escaping unharmed in the fall. With rain on the horizon, the Italian remains confident that he can end his weekend on a positive and continue his point-scoring run.
The 27-lap French Grand Prix is scheduled to start at 14:00 Local Time on Sunday, May 10. Already expected to be a record-breaking crowd, the fans will be waiting eagerly for their main course, rain, hail or shine.
Joan Mir 36 Honda HRC Castrol
“We put together a solid Saturday, a hard race after a good lap in Qualifying. I enjoyed the race a lot and with Marc, Fabio and Pedro around you couldn’t make a mistake because they would attack. Of course, you always want more, but I earned that sixth place and we should be proud of it today with our package. What we need to do is replicate this performance, to be there and take advantage of a situation that could help us to be inside that top three. More things to improve, so no rest tonight to try and do the same tomorrow.”
Luca Marini 10 Honda HRC Castrol
“A really strange crash, I touched the gas and lost the front straight away. Not our best day today, we weren’t as strong as we wanted to be and couldn’t make the step to challenge for the transfer spots. Maybe if there’s rain tomorrow, we can have an opportunity to do something. Everyone is so close in this track, it’s less than tenths splitting us so when you miss something even mall it impacts you a lot. We keep working, looking to improve the grip and make more progress. Sunday is a new day.”
