Mir and Marini competitive from the start in Spielberg

The Honda HRC Castrol squad picked up where they left off as the season resumed in Austria, Joan Mir in the mix for the top five while less than a tenth stopped Marini from joining him in the top ten.

As quickly as it had begun, the summer break came to a close as the MotoGP World Championship returned to action. There was little time to wait around as the cobwebs were quickly blown away and the field began to jostle for position, the Honda HRC Castrol pair of Joan Mir and Luca Marini consistently featuring at the front.

Seizing the first opportunity of the weekend, Joan Mir immediately thrust himself into contention with sixth place in both of Friday’s sessions. Ending the day with a best lap of 1’28.694, the #36 was already some two seconds faster than his Friday best from the previous year. Top Honda and with a spot in Q2 secured, it was mission accomplished on Friday as his attentions turn to getting closer to the limit in Austria.

Alongside his teammate, the top ten pace was consistent for Luca Marini who narrowly missed out on a direct spot in Q2 by less than a tenth. Content with his overall performance, Marini will face the always challenging Q1session on Saturday but remains confident of being in the mix.

Saturday’s action begins at 10:10 Local Time with Free Practice 2, a final chance for teams and riders to adjust their setup ahead of Q1 and Q2 from 10:50 Local Time. Running across 14 laps, the Austrian GP Sprint is set for lights out at 15:00 Local Time.