Mir returns to the points as Marini makes the most of Sunday

The Repsol Honda Team walk away from the Aragon GP with small rewards for a long weekend of intense work, Joan Mir crossing the line in 15th while Luca Marini salvages 17th.

Track conditions were the talk of the paddock once again on Sunday in Aragon. A wet morning Warm Up due to overnight rains introduced an extra element of unpredictability into the MotoGP race-day mix. Luca Marini shone in the conditions, ending seventh with teammate Joan Mir in 16th. As the sun roared in the sky, it was clear the race would be dry.

Starting the race just behind his Repsol Honda Team teammate, Joan Mir was immediately on the move as the lights went out on the 23-lap race. Working hard to stay with the group, the race would be one largely of self-focus for Mir as he worked to extract the maximum possible information from the weekend. Incidents further ahead would see the 2020 MotoGP World Champion moved up into the points and cross the line in 15th.

From 20th on the grid, Luca Marini was eager to make the most of the ever-improving conditions. Compromised with an issue on the line, Marini would start the race already out of contention for points. Despite this, the Italian diligently kept his head down and went to work lap after lap – running his own race where more data was the focus. Lapping steadily in the 1’50s, his pace showed he had the speed to battle with his teammate in the group fighting for points. The Italian is hoping for a home boost from local fans at the next race to break his run of bad luck.

A highlight of Sunday for the entire MotoGP paddock was seeing 1999 500cc World Champion Alex Criville reunited with his title-winning Honda NSR500 for a lap of honour to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Spain’s first Premier Class World Champion.

There isn’t long to wait for the next round of the MotoGP World Championship as the Repsol Honda Team pack up and immediately head to Misano for Round 13 – the Gran Premio di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini. A key one-day test will follow the race, Honda HRC primed to take full advantage of the extra day of running before the championship begins its end of year sprint.