Mir straight to final Q2 of 2025 in Valencia
An intense final Friday of 2025 action for the Honda HRC Castrol team, Joan Mir leading the Honda charge in ninth as Luca Marini was edged out of the top ten by barely two tenths – a single second splitting 20 riders.
Returning to Valencia for the first time since 2023, both Joan Mir and Luca Marini were keen to quickly get back up to speed and understand the condition of the circuit. With stable weather conditions throughout the day, both Honda HRC Castrol riders were able to make improvements over the course of running as their preparations for the final round of year continued at pace.
Working to understand the different condition of the circuit on his return to Valencia, Mir put together an overall positive Friday. Encountering very different conditions to 2023 the #36 had to work hard for his lap times today but it will no doubt pay off with a position on the front four rows of the grid already guaranteed. Ninth when the day came to a close, Joan Mir would once again lead the Honda charge and secure his spot in Q2.
Marini had a somewhat more challenging day, managing a best time of 1’29.896 for 16th overall – but only 0.2s shy of the top ten. Also struggling to get the most out of the Honda RC213V in the low-grip conditions, the Italian is hoping for improvements on Saturday. Securing a good position on the grid will be vital, overtaking in Valencia often a tricky affair.
Joan Mir
“A happy day but one that was more difficult than I was expecting. The conditions didn’t help, here in Valencia the grip has reduced a lot compared to what I remember. Even without things going their best we are in Q2 which is a really positive sign. I was using the hard front which shows the confidence I have in the bike, it’s very good for braking but we need to find something more in the longer corners. This is where we need to find those three tenths we are missing and make another step!”
Luca Marini
“The grip has changed a lot compared to two years ago, so how our bike is behaving here is really different. In the past it was a circuit where Honda was really strong and now we are struggling a little more. I was really expecting more, and we need to work to improve it overnight, there’s still the possibility to do something but it’s not like we thought it would be. It was warmer than we were expecting which is always nice because sometimes here in Valencia it can get really, really cold.”
Valencia GP - Friday Combined Times
| Pos. | Rider | Num | Nation | Team | Constructor | Time/Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Acosta Pedro | 37 | SPA | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing | KTM | 1'29.240 |
| 2 | Bezzecchi Marco | 72 | ITA | Aprilia Racing | Aprilia | 0.053 |
| 3 | Morbidelli Franco | 21 | ITA | Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team | Ducati | 0.185 |
| 4 | Marquez Alex | 73 | SPA | Team Gresini Racing MotoGP | Ducati | 0.233 |
| 5 | Ogura Ai | 79 | JPN | Trackhouse Racing | Aprilia | 0.315 |
| 6 | Miller Jack | 43 | AUS | Prima Pramac Yamaha | Yamaha | 0.316 |
| 7 | Di Giannantonio Fabio | 49 | ITA | Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team | Ducati | 0.353 |
| 8 | Aldegeur Fermin | 54 | SPA | Team Gresini Racing MotoGP | Ducati | 0.357 |
| 9 | Mir Joan | 36 | SPA | Honda HRC Castrol | Honda | 0.394 |
| 10 | Quartararo Fabio | 20 | FRA | Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP | Yamaha | 0.433 |
| 11 | Binder Brad | 33 | RSA | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing | KTM | 0.489 |
| 12 | Fernandez Raul | 25 | SPA | Trackhouse Racing | Aprilia | 0.566 |
| 13 | Espargaro Aleix | 41 | SPA | HRC Test Team | Honda | 0.592 |
| 14 | Bagnaia Francesco | 63 | ITA | Ducati Lenovo Team | Ducati | 0.593 |
| 15 | Zarco Johann | 5 | FRA | LCR Honda | Honda | 0.651 |
| 16 | Marini Luca | 10 | ITA | Honda HRC Castrol | Honda | 0.656 |
| 17 | Rins Alex | 42 | SPA | Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP | Yamaha | 0.759 |
| 18 | Vinales Maverick | 25 | SPA | Red Bull KTM Tech 3 | KTM | 0.907 |
| 19 | Bastianini Enea | 23 | ITA | Red Bull KTM Tech 3 | KTM | 0.997 |
| 20 | Fernandez Augusto | 7 | SPA | Yamaha Test Team | Yamaha | 1.027 |
| 21 | Oliveira Miguel | 88 | POR | Prima Pramac Yamaha | Yamaha | 1.064 |
| 22 | Martin Jorge | 89 | SPA | Aprilia Racing | Aprilia | 1.164 |
| 23 | Chantra Somkiat | 35 | THA | LCR Honda | Honda | 1.289 |
| 24 | Bulega Nicolo | 11 | ITA | Ducati Lenovo Team | Ducati | 1.312 |
Location Information
The Circuito de la Comunitat Valenciana was completed in 1999 and held rounds of the MotoGP and Spanish Motorcycle Championships in the same year. The Cheste track has several layouts, running anti-clockwise with varying lengths. MotoGP events are held on a 4km track comprising of five right handed corners, eight… read more.
| Length | 4.005 kilometres / 2.489 miles |
| Width | 12 metres |
| Left corners | 9 |
| Right corners | 5 |
| Longest straight | 0.876 kilometres / 0.544 miles |
| Constructed | 1999 |
Circuito de la Comunidad Valenciana Ricardo Tormo, Cheste, Spain - View in Google Maps
Records
| Pole Position | 1m 28.931s (162.1km/h) Maverick Viñales (Aprilia, 2023) |
| Race Lap | 1m 30.145s (159.9km/h) Brad Binder (KTM, 2023) |
| 2023 Race Winner | Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) |
| 2023 Sprint Winner | Jorge Martin (Ducati) |
