A day of mixed weather and race restarts left the Repsol Honda Team hungry for a more fortunate Sunday at the Spanish GP.

Cooler morning conditions offered Joan Mir a different situation to assess the Repsol Honda Team RC213V, the #36 able to find some improvements. Mir started the Q1 session with immediate speed as he battled for a Q2 transfer spot but was left missing the last tenths of a second needed after his two falls on Friday. 20th on the grid with a best time of 1’37.346 had Mir with work to do in the 12-lap Sprint.

Red flagged on the first lap, Joan Mir’s excellent start which took him from 20th to 12th would unfortunately be for nothing as the grid was reset. Mir’s efforts to recover positions again in the restarted Sprint would be in vain as he suffered a second fall of the weekend at Turn 6 late in the race. Uninjured in the fall, Mir is hopeful of improvements on Sunday as he aims to find the speed he showed in the opening races and tests of the year.

With the primary objectives of learning and enjoying, Iker Lecuona eagerly started his second day with the Repsol Honda Team at the Spanish GP. Known for his wet-weather ability, the WorldSBK regular was excited by the dark clouds which gathered overhead at the end of Free Practice 3. It would amount to just a light sprinkling of rain, but Lecuona continued to push and give his maximum regardless of the conditions.

Qualifying 1.2 seconds behind his teammate for the weekend, Lecuona lined up on the grid determined to stay with the riders ahead and learn. Unphased by the added pressure of the red flag and the restart, Lecuona immediately moved ahead of both Tech 3 riders and spent the majority of the race battling Jonas Folger. Beating the German Test rider, Lecuona ended his first Saturday Sprint Race content and ready for tomorrow’s Grand Prix.

Both Repsol Honda Team riders will get a chance to improve their fortunes tomorrow, Sunday April 30, with the Spanish Grand Prix. Scheduled to start at 15:00 Local Time and run over 25 laps, the race looks set to once again be a battle between riders and the fierce Spanish sun.

Iker Lecuona

18th

“My first MotoGP Sprint race was overall very good, the red flag and doing two starts made things a little strange but I was able to learn a lot in the race. It was really physical, especially in this heat, but I managed it and racing with the other riders again taught me a lot. For tomorrow I think we can put what we learned into practice and close the distance to the other riders a bit more. I am satisfied with how the weekend is going, I am learning a lot and I am really enjoying riding the Honda and being back in MotoGP.”

Joan Mir

DNF

“Today’s crash was similar to yesterday, I was braking and lost the front in the last part of the corner. We are struggling this weekend, trying to find some advantage in braking. It’s really easy to make a mistake, especially with the high track temperatures, and it was my mistake today. I am uninjured and we get to try again tomorrow, this is the important point. We have to keep our focus and look to the test on Monday where we will have a lot of time to understand our situation deeply.”

MotoGP 2023
Sprint Race Round 4   Spain

Spanish GP - Sprint Race

Dry
Humidity
38%
Track Temp
50°C
Air Temp
30°C
Pos. Rider Num Nation Points Team Constructor Time/Gap
1 Binder Brad 33 RSA 12 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing KTM 18'07.055
2 Bagnaia Francesco 1 ITA 9 Ducati Lenovo Team Ducati 0.428
3 Miller Jack 43 AUS 7 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing KTM 0.680
4 Martin Jorge 89 SPA 6 Pramac Racing Ducati 0.853
5 Oliveira Miguel 88 POR 5 RNF MotoGP Team Aprilia 1.638
6 Pedrosa Dani 26 SPA 4 KTM Test Team KTM 1.738
7 Vinales Maverick 12 SPA 3 Aprilia Racing Aprilia 3.248
8 Zarco Johann 5 FRA 2 Pramac Racing Ducati 3.380
9 Bezzecchi Marco 72 ITA 1 Mooney VR46 Racing Team Ducati 5.711
10 Marini Luca 10 ITA 0 Mooney VR46 Racing Team Ducati 7.015
11 Di Giannantonio Fabio 49 ITA 0 Team Gresini Racing MotoGP Ducati 7.174
12 Quartararo Fabio 20 FRA 0 Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Yamaha 7.467
13 Rins Alex 42 SPA 0 LCR Honda Honda 9.867
14 Fernandez Raul 25 SPA 0 RNF MotoGP Team Aprilia 11.550
15 Bradl Stefan 6 GER 0 Team HRC Honda 15.455
16 Morbidelli Franco 21 ITA 0 Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Yamaha 15.849
17 Fernandez Augusto 37 SPA 0 Tech3 GASGAS Factory Racing KTM 15.969
18 Lecuona Iker 27 SPA 0 Repsol Honda Team Honda 25.356
19 Folger Jonas 94 GER 0 Tech3 GASGAS Factory Racing KTM 25.530
20 Mir Joan 36 SPA DNF Repsol Honda Team Honda DNF
21 Espargaro Aleix 41 SPA DNF Aprilia Racing Aprilia DNF
22 Marquez Alex 73 SPA DNF Team Gresini Racing MotoGP Ducati DNF
23 Nakagami Takaaki 30 JPN DNF LCR Honda Honda DNF
Location Information

Built in 1986 and hosting its first Grand Prix one year later, the circuit of Jerez is now one of the most popular MotoGP venues and the focal point for a city fanatical about sport. Set in a slight valley in the south of Spain, Jerez is blessed with consistently… read more.

Length 4.423 kilometres / 2.748 miles
Width 11 metres
Left corners 5
Right corners 8
Longest straight 0.607 kilometres / 0.377 miles
Constructed 1986
Modified 2002
Resurfacing Complete resurfacing before 2018 round

Circuito de Jerez, Jerez, Spain - View in Google Maps

www.circuitodejerez.com

Records

Pole Position 1m 36.170s (165.5km/h) Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati, 2022)
Race Lap 1m 37.216s (163.7km/h) Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati, 2023)
Race Time 41m 00.554s (161.7km/h) Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati, 2022)
2023 Race Winner Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati)
2023 Sprint Winner Brad Binder (KTM)