Mir grabs debut Honda front row with sensational lap of Motegi
A long-awaited return to the front row of the grid as Joan Mir equalled his best MotoGP qualifying result, putting his Honda in second before a spirited race to fourth. Honda HRC Castrol teammate Luca Marini locked in another top ten performance and increased his points total.
For the first time since the Italian Grand Prix in 2023, a factory Honda RC213V machine found its home on the front row of the grid. The result and subsequent performance in the Sprint race is the next step in Honda HRC’s continual journey back to the form which has amassed more than 800 wins across all classes. Boosted by recent upgrades, Joan Mir moved the Honda HRC Castrol garage to the edge of their seats as he went fastest with just a few minutes left in the Q2. His 1’43.003 – almost a second and a half faster than his 2024 qualifying time – would earn Mir second on the grid, his debut front row as a Honda HRC rider and his first since the 2022 Portuguese Grand Prix. A result which was met with great delight by Honda HRC staff and management.
Elation after a season of hard work and heavy knocks, Mir and the team quickly regained their steely focus for the Sprint. Starting well, the #36 held onto second for several laps before he became embroiled in an intense battle with champion elect Marc Marquez. Fourth at the chequered flag, Mir followed his qualifying performance with a career best finish in the Sprint race. A significant boost to morale and motivations, the targets for Sunday are clear.
The metronome that is Luca Marini continued to work away as he headed the third row of the grid in seventh, 1.4 seconds faster than his time set here in 2024 and only two tenths off the front row. With chaos erupting at the first corner, the Italian kept his composure and advanced forward as the 12-lap Sprint got underway. Tucking in behind Quartararo, Marini and the Frenchman tried to close the distance to the group ahead with the #10 ultimately ending just four seconds off the top five. Seventh and with three more points in hands, Marini’s march towards tenth overall continues.
Expectations are high for Sunday’s 24 lap as Honda HRC aim to end their home weekend on a high.
Joan Mir
“I don’t think that there is any doubts that today has been a really positive day. We fought really hard for the podium in the Sprint and of course it would have been really nice to get it, but second in Qualifying and then fighting like we did – this is already a big reward. I’m happy for myself, my team, everyone in Honda – we have been working for these results for many years. Today we showed what we can do when everything lines up and we don’t have anything from the outside. For my confidence it’s super important and I am really focused on repeating everything again on Sunday.”
Luca Marini
“We are in the middle of a really good weekend, not just for myself but for Honda. Three bikes in Q2 directly is a really important milestone, but still, we can improve. I missed some time in Turn 10 during quali today, Joan showed today what you can do when you put everything together. Like always, the Sprint was a bit complicated managing the tyre temperature when I was behind Fabio but I think it has given us good information for Sunday. I know that we can do better and this is a really good feeling to bring not just into tomorrow, but into the races we have the rest of this year.”
Japanese GP - Sprint Race
| Pos. | Rider | Num | Nation | Points | Team | Constructor | Time/Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bagnaia Francesco | 63 | ITA | 12 | Ducati Lenovo Team | Ducati | 20'59.113 |
| 2 | Marquez Marc | 93 | SPA | 9 | Ducati Lenovo Team | Ducati | 1.842 |
| 3 | Acosta Pedro | 37 | SPA | 7 | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing | KTM | 3.674 |
| 4 | Mir Joan | 36 | SPA | 6 | Honda HRC Castrol | Honda | 4.300 |
| 5 | Morbidelli Franco | 21 | ITA | 5 | Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team | Ducati | 5.130 |
| 6 | Quartararo Fabio | 20 | FRA | 4 | Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP | Yamaha | 8.913 |
| 7 | Marini Luca | 10 | ITA | 3 | Honda HRC Castrol | Honda | 9.102 |
| 8 | Fernandez Raul | 25 | SPA | 2 | Trackhouse Racing | Aprilia | 10.334 |
| 9 | Ogura Ai | 79 | JPN | 1 | Trackhouse Racing | Aprilia | 10.480 |
| 10 | Marquez Alex | 73 | SPA | 0 | Team Gresini Racing MotoGP | Ducati | 11.487 |
| 11 | Aldegeur Fermin | 54 | SPA | 0 | Team Gresini Racing MotoGP | Ducati | 13.492 |
| 12 | Binder Brad | 33 | RSA | 0 | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing | KTM | 13.823 |
| 13 | Di Giannantonio Fabio | 49 | ITA | 0 | Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team | Ducati | 15.425 |
| 14 | Nakagami Takaaki | 30 | JPN | 0 | HRC Test Team | Honda | 16.352 |
| 15 | Oliveira Miguel | 88 | POR | 0 | Prima Pramac Yamaha | Yamaha | 18.211 |
| 16 | Vinales Maverick | 25 | SPA | 0 | Red Bull KTM Tech 3 | KTM | 20.706 |
| 17 | Chantra Somkiat | 35 | THA | 0 | LCR Honda | Honda | 21.883 |
| 18 | Rins Alex | 42 | SPA | 0 | Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP | Yamaha | 43.428 |
| 19 | Miller Jack | 43 | AUS | DNF | Prima Pramac Yamaha | Yamaha | DNF |
| 20 | Zarco Johann | 5 | FRA | DNF | LCR Honda | Honda | DNF |
| 21 | Bastianini Enea | 23 | ITA | DNF | Red Bull KTM Tech 3 | KTM | DNF |
| 22 | Bezzecchi Marco | 72 | ITA | DNF | Aprilia Racing | Aprilia | DNF |
| 23 | Martin Jorge | 89 | SPA | DNF | Aprilia Racing | Aprilia | DNF |
Rider standings
| Pos. | Rider | Num | Nation | Points | Team | Constructor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Marquez Marc | 93 | SPA | 521 | Ducati Lenovo Team | Ducati |
| 2 | Marquez Alex | 73 | SPA | 330 | Team Gresini Racing MotoGP | Ducati |
| 3 | Bagnaia Francesco | 63 | ITA | 249 | Ducati Lenovo Team | Ducati |
| 4 | Bezzecchi Marco | 72 | ITA | 229 | Aprilia Racing | Aprilia |
| 5 | Acosta Pedro | 37 | SPA | 195 | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing | KTM |
| 6 | Morbidelli Franco | 21 | ITA | 185 | Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team | Ducati |
| 7 | Di Giannantonio Fabio | 49 | ITA | 172 | Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team | Ducati |
| 8 | Quartararo Fabio | 20 | FRA | 141 | Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP | Yamaha |
| 9 | Aldegeur Fermin | 54 | SPA | 141 | Team Gresini Racing MotoGP | Ducati |
| 10 | Zarco Johann | 5 | FRA | 117 | LCR Honda | Honda |
| 11 | Binder Brad | 33 | RSA | 101 | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing | KTM |
| 12 | Marini Luca | 10 | ITA | 97 | Honda HRC Castrol | Honda |
| 13 | Fernandez Raul | 25 | SPA | 86 | Trackhouse Racing | Aprilia |
| 14 | Bastianini Enea | 23 | ITA | 84 | Red Bull KTM Tech 3 | KTM |
| 15 | Vinales Maverick | 25 | SPA | 72 | Red Bull KTM Tech 3 | KTM |
| 16 | Ogura Ai | 79 | JPN | 70 | Trackhouse Racing | Aprilia |
| 17 | Miller Jack | 43 | AUS | 58 | Prima Pramac Yamaha | Yamaha |
| 18 | Mir Joan | 36 | SPA | 56 | Honda HRC Castrol | Honda |
| 19 | Rins Alex | 42 | SPA | 45 | Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP | Yamaha |
| 20 | Martin Jorge | 89 | SPA | 34 | Aprilia Racing | Aprilia |
| 21 | Oliveira Miguel | 88 | POR | 24 | Prima Pramac Yamaha | Yamaha |
| 22 | Espargaro Pol | 44 | SPA | 16 | Red Bull KTM Tech 3 | KTM |
| 23 | Nakagami Takaaki | 30 | JPN | 10 | HRC Test Team | Honda |
| 24 | Savadori Lorenzo | 32 | ITA | 8 | Aprilia Test Team | Aprilia |
| 25 | Fernandez Augusto | 7 | SPA | 8 | Yamaha Test Team | Yamaha |
| 26 | Chantra Somkiat | 35 | THA | 2 | LCR Honda | Honda |
| 27 | Espargaro Aleix | 41 | SPA | 0 | HRC Test Team | Honda |
Location Information
Located amongst the vast natural beauty of the northern Kanto district, the twin ring circuit at Motegi in Japan consists of a 1.5 mile oval and a 2.9 mile road course constructed to international standards. Built by Honda as the ultimate test facility in August 1997, the road circuit became… read more.
| Length | 4.801 kilometres / 2.983 miles |
| Width | 15 metres |
| Left corners | 6 |
| Right corners | 8 |
| Longest straight | 0.762 kilometres / 0.473 miles |
| Constructed | 1997 |
Twin Ring Motegi, Haga District, Tochigi, Japan - View in Google Maps
Records
| Pole Position | 1m 42.911s (167.9km/h) Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati, 2025) |
| Race Lap | 1m 44.461s (165.4km/h) Jorge Martin (Ducati, 2024) |
| Race Time | 42m 09.790s (163.9km/h) Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati, 2024) |
| 2025 Sprint Winner | Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) |
| 2024 Race Winner | Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) |
