Marini’s momentum continues as British GP begins
Luca Marini finished Friday in Silverstone as the top Repsol Honda Team rider, leading Joan Mir by 0.6s as the Italian continues to build of his pre-summer form.
Having revealed the incredible 1983 NS500 inspired livery on Thursday ahead of the race, the Repsol Honda Team returned to the job at hand as on-track action commenced at a sunny Silverstone. Back in their 2024 colours, Luca Marini and Joan Mir quickly regained their feeling from before the three-week break and picked up where they had left on in Germany.
Luca Marini’s improving form from the previous round continued as he led the Repsol Honda Team pair as the first day back came to a close. A best lap of 1’59.644 put the #10 just 0.2s behind Johann Zarco and 0.6s ahead of Joan Mir. The day marks another step in Marini’s adaption to the Honda RC213V, now feeling much more comfortable and confident as he and the team continue to make improvements from both sides. Improving the turning remains one of the areas of focus for Marini and the team.
Finishing 21st on the combined times, Mir was left wanting more for his return to the track but remains focused on the future. Having spent recent rounds assessing several different options, the 2020 MotoGP World Champion is adamant that progress will come in the next races. For the moment, his objective is to make improvements each day and take the maximum amount of information from the British GP weekend.
Luca Marini
“We’ve been able to continue what we were doing before the summer; I have made a big step with my riding style to suit the needs of the Honda and also the team are continuing to work to meet my needs. Like this we have been able to continue improving and now we are able to challenge the other RC213Vs more and more. I’m enjoying riding more and more and it’s easier to be fast. There is more to do, but the direction is continuing in the right way.”
Joan Mir
“The time sheets are similar to the last races, and we are focusing on making the most of our current package before we get some more upgrades. In the recent rounds we have been trying some different things with the aim of taking two steps forward in the future. Each day we aim to make some steps forward and I think we are not as far as it seems in many of the areas. We keep on working and see what happens on Saturday.”
British Grand Prix - Friday Practice
| Pos. | Rider | Num | Nation | Team | Constructor | Time/Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Martin Jorge | 89 | SPA | Pramac Racing | Ducati | 1'57.911 |
| 2 | Espargaro Aleix | 41 | SPA | Aprilia Racing | Aprilia | 0.045 |
| 3 | Bagnaia Francesco | 1 | ITA | Ducati Lenovo Team | Ducati | 0.119 |
| 4 | Bastianini Enea | 23 | ITA | Ducati Lenovo Team | Ducati | 0.279 |
| 5 | Miller Jack | 43 | AUS | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing | KTM | 0.349 |
| 6 | Di Giannantonio Fabio | 49 | ITA | Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team | Ducati | 0.407 |
| 7 | Binder Brad | 33 | RSA | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing | KTM | 0.475 |
| 8 | Vinales Maverick | 12 | SPA | Aprilia Racing | Aprilia | 0.478 |
| 9 | Bezzecchi Marco | 72 | ITA | Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team | Ducati | 0.595 |
| 10 | Marquez Marc | 93 | SPA | Team Gresini Racing MotoGP | Ducati | 0.674 |
| 11 | Morbidelli Franco | 21 | ITA | Pramac Racing | Ducati | 0.731 |
| 12 | Fernandez Raul | 25 | SPA | Trackhouse Racing | Aprilia | 0.865 |
| 13 | Acosta Pedro | 31 | SPA | Red Bull GASGAS Tech 3 | KTM | 0.922 |
| 14 | Marquez Alex | 73 | SPA | Team Gresini Racing MotoGP | Ducati | 1.043 |
| 15 | Oliveira Miguel | 88 | POR | Trackhouse Racing | Aprilia | 1.249 |
| 16 | Quartararo Fabio | 20 | FRA | Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP | Yamaha | 1.362 |
| 17 | Zarco Johann | 5 | FRA | LCR Honda | Honda | 1.498 |
| 18 | Rins Alex | 42 | SPA | Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP | Yamaha | 1.544 |
| 19 | Marini Luca | 10 | ITA | Repsol Honda Team | Honda | 1.733 |
| 20 | Fernandez Augusto | 37 | SPA | Red Bull GASGAS Tech 3 | KTM | 1.924 |
| 21 | Mir Joan | 36 | SPA | Repsol Honda Team | Honda | 2.366 |
| 22 | Nakagami Takaaki | 30 | JPN | LCR Honda | Honda | 2.664 |
| 23 | Gardner Remy | 87 | AUS | Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP | Yamaha | 3.401 |
Location Information
The Silverstone Circuit is long, fast and flowing, with a lot of fast changes of direction and a mixture of corners: the stadium section from Abbey through the Loop to Aintree is tight and technical, Woodcote and Copse are long and fast, the Maggotts/Becketts complex a bit of both. It… read more.
| Length | 5.900 kilometres / 3.666 miles |
| Width | 17 metres |
| Left corners | 8 |
| Right corners | 10 |
| Longest straight | 0.770 kilometres / 0.478 miles |
| Constructed | 1948 |
| Modified | 2011 |
Silverstone Circuit, Towcester, United Kingdom - View in Google Maps
Records
| Pole Position | 1m 57.309s (181.0 km/h) Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia, 2024) |
| Race Lap | 1m 58.895s (178.6 km/h) Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia, 2024) |
| Race Time | 39m 51.879s (177.6 km/h) Enea Bastianini (Ducati, 2024) |
| 2024 Race Winner | Enea Bastianini (Ducati) |
| 2024 Sprint Winner | Enea Bastianini (Ducati) |
