Mir back in the top ten in Spanish GP practice

All action for the Honda HRC Castrol squad as the Spanish GP began with an intense Friday, Joan Mir securing a spot in the top ten despite a fall as Luca Marini targets Saturday improvements.

There wasn’t a wasted moment as the Grand Prix of Spain began at the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto, the entire MotoGP field bustling for position on track and in the standings. Ideal weather conditions set the stage for a productive day and with less than a second splitting the top 15, it proved to be a hard fought one as well. Joan Mir and Luca Marini made their presence felt throughout, lining everything up for another weekend battling towards the front.

A best time of 1’36.686 in the afternoon saw Joan Mir return to the combined top ten on Friday, his Qatar difficulties now behind him. Yellow flags and a late fall prevented him from going faster, but his early work was enough. The #36 is feeling confident having achieved his Friday goal and earned a spot in Q2, returning to the form he showed at the start of the season. Now a strong performance in Qualifying on Saturday will be vital to put him and his Honda RC213V in the best possible position to battle in the Sprint and Sunday’s Grand Prix.

For Luca Marini, Friday proved to be a more challenging day as the Italian found himself in 18th just over three tenths from the top ten. Working to improve with every exit, Marini felt he just missed out on delivering on his and the bike’s potential in the dying moments of the afternoon session but he and the team already have a clear plan for Saturday.

Now the pair will work overnight with Honda HRC Castrol before what is set to be an incredible Spanish GP Saturday begins. After Free Practice 2, action kicks off with Q1 at 10:50 Local Time to set the grid for both the Sprint and Sunday’s Grand Prix.