Mir and Marini target improvements after constructive Friday
Honda HRC Castrol got back up to speed in Argentina after a year away from South America, Joan Mir and Luca Marini just missing out on the top ten by three tenths despite big steps forward during the day.
Overnight rain was no obstacle for the Honda HRC Castrol team as the MotoGP World Championship returned to the Termas de Rio Hondo circuit, lap time quickly falling to record pace. A strong start to proceedings for both Joan Mir and Luca Marini primed them for another positive Friday as the steady improvements continue for all Honda riders in the premier class.
Like his Honda HRC Castrol teammate, Joan Mir began Friday with his usual focus and detirmination, ending FP1 in the top ten with a best time of 1’39.894. Improving by almost two seconds to set a quickest lap of 1’37.975 in the afternoon, Mir was still left wanting more as he missed out on a spot in the top ten. Ending in 13th overall there was just over 0.1s between him and a repeat trip to Q2. Emulating his performance from Thailand is Mir’s chief target for Saturday.
Starting the day in sixth and just a few tenths back from the leaders, Luca Marini’s off-season work started to bear fruit as the strong base setting of the Honda RC213V shone with the Italian. A best time of 1’38.136 in the afternoon had Marini on the cusp of a 1’37, a clear and achievable goal for Saturday. Good amounts of data from today will help to propel the #10 forward as he and his team look for more rear grip and another step forward.
The 12-lap Sprint is set to begin at 15:00 Local Time on Saturday, March 16.
Joan Mir
“Another day of good progress overall. I think there was the potential to be in the top ten but in MotoGP everything needs to be aligned. We missed something on our last exit in the afternoon, so I couldn’t get into the top ten like I was hoping. Coming here I was not sure how we would perform but today has shown that the work we have done over winter has made an improvement because I feel good. We are closer at a track that isn’t the best for me. Now we need to make a plan and take the correct steps to fight for tomorrow.”
Luca Marini
“We started the day really well with FP1 and the lap times were coming easily. In the afternoon we needed to work more to improve our lap time along with everyone else’s and we still need to look at our rear grip. We got some good information today to be able to make some improvements and there are some ideas tomorrow to try to improve it. Q1 will be tough with Mir and other riders but we approach it with our best foot forward. Anything can happen in MotoGP, and we are ready to make the most of any opportunity.”
Argentina GP - Friday Combined Times
| Pos. | Rider | Num | Nation | Team | Constructor | Time/Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Marquez Marc | 93 | SPA | Ducati Lenovo Team | Ducati | 1'37.295 |
| 2 | Di Giannantonio Fabio | 49 | ITA | Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team | Ducati | 0.135 |
| 3 | Marquez Alex | 73 | SPA | Team Gresini Racing MotoGP | Ducati | 0.201 |
| 4 | Bezzecchi Marco | 72 | ITA | Aprilia Racing | Aprilia | 0.215 |
| 5 | Binder Brad | 33 | RSA | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing | KTM | 0.251 |
| 6 | Rins Alex | 42 | SPA | Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP | Yamaha | 0.296 |
| 7 | Zarco Johann | 5 | FRA | LCR Honda | Honda | 0.390 |
| 8 | Quartararo Fabio | 20 | FRA | Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP | Yamaha | 0.523 |
| 9 | Acosta Pedro | 37 | SPA | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing | KTM | 0.532 |
| 10 | Bagnaia Francesco | 63 | ITA | Ducati Lenovo Team | Ducati | 0.539 |
| 11 | Ogura Ai | 79 | JPN | Trackhouse Racing | Aprilia | 0.560 |
| 12 | Morbidelli Franco | 21 | ITA | Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team | Ducati | 0.636 |
| 13 | Mir Joan | 36 | SPA | Honda HRC Castrol | Honda | 0.680 |
| 14 | Miller Jack | 43 | AUS | Prima Pramac Yamaha | Yamaha | 0.763 |
| 15 | Marini Luca | 10 | ITA | Honda HRC Castrol | Honda | 0.841 |
| 16 | Vinales Maverick | 25 | SPA | Red Bull KTM Tech 3 | KTM | 1.020 |
| 17 | Aldegeur Fermin | 54 | SPA | Team Gresini Racing MotoGP | Ducati | 1.052 |
| 18 | Oliveira Miguel | 88 | POR | Prima Pramac Yamaha | Yamaha | 1.354 |
| 19 | Chantra Somkiat | 35 | THA | LCR Honda | Honda | 1.356 |
| 20 | Fernandez Raul | 25 | SPA | Trackhouse Racing | Aprilia | 1.451 |
| 21 | Bastianini Enea | 23 | ITA | Red Bull KTM Tech 3 | KTM | 1.490 |
| 22 | Savadori Lorenzo | 32 | ITA | Aprilia Racing | Aprilia | 1.781 |
Location Information
The Termas de Río Hondo Circuit is located 6km from the city which gives the venue its name, in the Province of Santiago del Estero. It was built in a 150 hectare area and officially inaugurated on May 11, 2008, during the visit of Argentina´s Touring Car Racing championship. In… read more.
| Length | 4.806 kilometres / 2.986 miles |
| Width | 16 metres |
| Left corners | 5 |
| Right corners | 9 |
| Longest straight | 1.076 kilometres / 0.669 miles |
| Constructed | 2008 |
| Modified | 2013 |
| Resurfacing | Partly resurfaced before 2018 GP |
Autódromo Provincial Termas de Río Hondo, Termas de Río Hondo, Santiago del Estero Province, Argentina - View in Google Maps
Records
| Pole Position | 1m 37.683s (177.1km/h) Marc Marquez (Honda, 2014) |
| Race Lap | 1m 39.019s (174.7 km/h) Valentino Rossi (Yamaha, 2015) |
| Race Time | 34m13.628s (168.4 km/h) Marc Marquez (Honda, 2016) *shortened race |
| 2022 Race Winner | Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia) |
