Top Honda honours for Mir, Marini charges forward

A consistent day for Joan Mir who found his groove again as he took ninth in Qualifying and in the Sprint while Honda HRC Castrol teammate Luca Marini authored an aggressive Sprint to recover.

The Spanish fans in Jerez were on their best form from early Saturday morning as the grandstands and hills around the 4.42-kilometre-long circuit filled continually. Ambient conditions continued to be near-perfect, and a number of riders pushed to the limit, and over it, but both Honda HRC Castrol riders stayed clear of trouble to put together a productive day.

Back to being fighting fit, Joan Mir was able to capitalise on his Friday performance and focus his attentions on Q2 first and foremost. Snatching top Honda honours and a spot on the back of the third row, the 2020 World Champion proved Qatar was just a blip. His form would continue into the Sprint as he spent the race chasing down Bezzecchi and Viñales, crossing the line in ninth. There are still areas to improve, but the #36 is continuing to improve his riding to adapt and overcome these areas.

Luca Marini was able to turn a complicated morning into a more positive Sprint, the Italian battling through from 16th on the grid to 13th and end just off the back of Ogura and Binder. Each day has been Marini get stronger and stronger in Jerez and another point-scoring finish is Sunday’s objective with the top ten a possibility. The Italian is chasing his fourth straight top-ten finish of 2025.

Racing begins at 14:00 Local Time, the Spanish Grand Prix is primed to be an incredible start of the European leg of the MotoGP season. With the stands and hills already full on Saturday, Sunday could see another record-breaking weekend for MotoGP and the Honda HRC Castrol team is ready to feature.