Mir and Marini head straight to Q2 in Hungary

A successful first day for Joan Mir and Luca Marini at Balaton Park, the pair taking full advantage of the new circuit to quickly adapt and take seventh and ninth respectively – primed for a double Q2 appearance.

Positive first sensations in Hungary for Honda HRC Castrol as Joan Mir and Luca Marini adjusted themselves to the compact circuit with two practice sessions of just under two hours in total. The MotoGP World Championship follows an intense rhythm of learning, adapting and improving – that routine especially critical this weekend at a brand-new track.

Starting the day off with a 1’39.670 provided Joan Mir with a decent base of information, his Honda HRC Castrol team expertly adjusting his Honda RC213V for the afternoon session. These changes would propel Mir forward to a 1’37.446 in the afternoon, securing seventh in the session and earning him his seventh direct ticket to Q2 of the year. Mir’s consistency throughout Friday was key to his success, steadily building his speed rather than focusing on a single fast lap at the end when yellow flags and slow riders can cause chaos.

Luca Marini was quick to learning the 4.08-kilometre-long track and ended the morning in fourth place. Improving his time by over a second between sessions, the #10 ended the day in ninth and accomplished his first goal of the weekend by landing in Q2. The Italian is adamant that Qualifying will be of the utmost importance at MotoGP’s newest circuit. Alongside gathering data on the circuit, Marini was also tasked with assessing a revised chassis for the Honda.

Both riders will again test themselves at 11:15 Local Time for Q2, their spots in the top 12 already guaranteed but with plenty more still on the cards. 15:00 Local Time will see the debut race for MotoGP at Balaton Park, the 13-lap Sprint which is guaranteed to be an exciting and dramatic affair.