Honda HRC Castrol ready to shine under the lights in Lusail
It’s a quick trip to Qatar for round four of the 2025 MotoGP World Championship season. Luca Marini chasing more after his best Honda finish while Joan Mir lines up to get his season back on track.
Just outside Qatar’s capital city of Doha, the Lusail International Circuit has hosted MotoGP action since 2004 and from 2008 has been the World Championship’s only night race. After the weather added an extra element of drama on Sunday last time out in COTA, the floodlights should help to bring some welcome stability for the MotoGP field. Despite being run at night, conditions look set to be some of the hottest seen at the Qatar GP for several years.
Luca Marini leads the Honda HRC Castrol team to Qatar, the Italian sitting ninth in the World Championship standings and having already exceeded his total 2024 points haul after just three rounds. Coming off his best Sunday finish on the Honda RC213V, Marini’s calm and dedicated approach to his work continues to pay off. Hard work during the opening salvo of the season is crucial to enable HRC’s engineers to continue improving the ever-evolving Honda RC213V during 2025.
With the disappointments of America behind him, Joan Mir continues his travels to arrive in Qatar to once again mount his Honda HRC Castrol machine. Showing his undoubted speed and ability, Mir has consistently been able to challenge the front runners and secure a spot in Q2 at all races so far this season. Emulating these performances for a fourth straight weekend will be the first step needed before focusing on delivering come lights out on Saturday and Sunday.
A shift in schedule to adapt to the night race will see riders and teams rest in the mornings before heading to the track for evening activities while in Qatar. The Sprint is scheduled for 20:00 Local Time on Saturday, April 12 with the main event, the Qatar Grand Prix, starting at the same time the following day and running across the course of 22 laps.
Luca Marini
“We have had a really good start to the year, doing better than we were at the end of 2024. My team and I have been able to improve over the course of each weekend, showing that both we and the bike are working better. Qatar is next up for us, and it will be a good chance to try our bike at a track where sometimes things aren’t easy. It was our first race last year so I am certain that we can do a lot more! The conditions should be a lot more stable than in Austin, but even in Qatar we have some sessions more in the day than at night. After this we return to Europe and the intensity of the season really increases.”
Joan Mir
“Our objective for Qatar is quite simple: we have finish and deliver on what we have shown. I have been able to ride well and the bike is performing, but the crashes during the races have to stop. Qatar is a place where normally I go well so it is a good place to get back on track. Let’s see what is possible under the floodlights this weekend, my drive to perform is still right there.”
Rider standings
| Pos. | Rider | Num | Nation | Points | Team | Constructor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Marquez Alex | 73 | SPA | 87 | Team Gresini Racing MotoGP | Ducati |
| 2 | Marquez Marc | 93 | SPA | 86 | Ducati Lenovo Team | Ducati |
| 3 | Bagnaia Francesco | 63 | ITA | 75 | Ducati Lenovo Team | Ducati |
| 4 | Morbidelli Franco | 21 | ITA | 55 | Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team | Ducati |
| 5 | Di Giannantonio Fabio | 49 | ITA | 44 | Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team | Ducati |
| 6 | Zarco Johann | 5 | FRA | 25 | LCR Honda | Honda |
| 7 | Ogura Ai | 79 | JPN | 25 | Trackhouse Racing | Aprilia |
| 8 | Bezzecchi Marco | 72 | ITA | 24 | Aprilia Racing | Aprilia |
| 9 | Marini Luca | 10 | ITA | 20 | Honda HRC Castrol | Honda |
| 10 | Miller Jack | 43 | AUS | 19 | Prima Pramac Yamaha | Yamaha |
| 11 | Binder Brad | 33 | RSA | 19 | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing | KTM |
| 12 | Quartararo Fabio | 20 | FRA | 16 | Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP | Yamaha |
| 13 | Acosta Pedro | 37 | SPA | 16 | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing | KTM |
| 14 | Bastianini Enea | 23 | ITA | 16 | Red Bull KTM Tech 3 | KTM |
| 15 | Mir Joan | 36 | SPA | 10 | Honda HRC Castrol | Honda |
| 16 | Rins Alex | 42 | SPA | 10 | Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP | Yamaha |
| 17 | Vinales Maverick | 25 | SPA | 6 | Red Bull KTM Tech 3 | KTM |
| 18 | Fernandez Raul | 25 | SPA | 5 | Trackhouse Racing | Aprilia |
| 19 | Aldegeur Fermin | 54 | SPA | 3 | Team Gresini Racing MotoGP | Ducati |
| 20 | Fernandez Augusto | 7 | SPA | 3 | Prima Pramac Yamaha | Yamaha |
| 21 | Oliveira Miguel | 88 | POR | 2 | Prima Pramac Yamaha | Yamaha |
| 22 | Savadori Lorenzo | 32 | ITA | 1 | Aprilia Racing | Aprilia |
| 23 | Chantra Somkiat | 35 | THA | 0 | LCR Honda | Honda |
Location Information
The fabulous Lusail International Circuit lies on the outskirts of Doha, the capital city of Qatar. Built in little over a year, the track cost $58 million USD and required round-the-clock dedication from almost 1,000 workers in order to get it ready for the inaugural event – the Marlboro Grand… read more.
| Length | 5.380 kilometres / 3.343 miles |
| Width | 12 metres |
| Left corners | 6 |
| Right corners | 10 |
| Longest straight | 1.068 kilometres / 0.664 miles |
| Constructed | 2004 |
Losail International Circuit, Al Daayen, Qatar - View in Google Maps
Records
| Pole Position | 1m 50.499s (175.2km/h) Marc Marquez (Ducati, 2025) |
| Race Lap | 1m 52.657s (171.9 km/h) Pedro Acosta (KTM, 2024) |
| 2025 Sprint Winner | Marc Marquez (Ducati) |
| 2025 Race Winner | Marc Marquez (Ducati) |
