Welcome back to Argentina – Honda HRC Castrol arrives in Termas
Having missed out in 2024, the MotoGP World Championship will once again be racing in South America as the Honda HRC Castrol aim to continue their progress at the Termas de Rio Hondo circuit.
The MotoGP World Championship’s trip across the world continues as Honda HRC Castrol leave Thailand and traverse the globe to arrive in Argentina. With the 2024 edition of the race cancelled, it is a welcome return for the only race on the South American continent. A Grand Prix with both positive and negative memories for the factory Honda HRC team, 2025 offers a clean slate.
Fresh off equalling his best result on the Honda RC213V after a strong recovery ride in Thailand, Luca Marini is aiming to replicate his speed in Argentina and avoid the small issues he had in the opening round. Consistency has been key for the #10 so far this year, focusing on gathering data through laps and avoiding any costly falls or mistakes. Marini has shown the pace to fight for top Honda honours with both his teammate Mir and Zarco, a clear and achievable goal for the weekend. A small step in Qualifying could offer potentially huge gains for Marini in the ever-tightening MotoGP field.
Joan Mir showed his undeniable speed and talent throughout testing and the Thai GP, an unfortunate low-side in Sunday’s race meaning his work went unrewarded. The #36 has taken the positives from the start of the year and is eager to get back on his Honda HRC Castrol RC213V and deliver on his and the bike’s potential. Argentina has historically treated Mir well, seventh place in Moto2 his worst finish at the circuit.
Saturday’s Argentina Sprint will take place at 15:00 Local Time and run over 12 laps with Sunday’s Grand Prix consisting of 25 laps.
Luca Marini
“In Thailand we were able to accomplish a very good weekend overall, so now flying to Argentina I am optimistic we can continue in this way. I don’t think arriving there ‘for the first’ on the Honda will be a problem, the team and I did a lot of work over the off season to get the base of the bike into a good position so I know that we can start correctly. In 2023 I achieved my first Sprint podium in Argentina, and I hope that we can have a positive weekend with the Honda HRC Castrol team. After Argentina, I will go to Brazil for the first time to try the new track we will race at next year – an exciting trip!”
Joan Mir
“I am looking forward to this race after what we showed last time out in Thailand. We are capable of a lot and it’s important to get some points on the board and deliver. Argentina will be a different weekend to Thailand because we arrive without testing there but we normally have a very strong base, I think that we can be competitive from the start. In the past I have had some good results in Argentina, so I think the pieces are there to have a solid weekend and keep our season progressing.”
Rider standings
| Pos. | Rider | Num | Nation | Points | Team | Constructor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Marquez Marc | 93 | SPA | 37 | Ducati Lenovo Team | Ducati |
| 2 | Marquez Alex | 73 | SPA | 29 | Team Gresini Racing MotoGP | Ducati |
| 3 | Bagnaia Francesco | 63 | ITA | 23 | Ducati Lenovo Team | Ducati |
| 4 | Morbidelli Franco | 21 | ITA | 18 | Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team | Ducati |
| 5 | Ogura Ai | 79 | JPN | 17 | Trackhouse Racing | Aprilia |
| 6 | Bezzecchi Marco | 72 | ITA | 10 | Aprilia Racing | Aprilia |
| 7 | Binder Brad | 33 | RSA | 10 | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing | KTM |
| 8 | Zarco Johann | 5 | FRA | 9 | LCR Honda | Honda |
| 9 | Bastianini Enea | 23 | ITA | 7 | Red Bull KTM Tech 3 | KTM |
| 10 | Di Giannantonio Fabio | 49 | ITA | 6 | Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team | Ducati |
| 11 | Miller Jack | 43 | AUS | 5 | Prima Pramac Yamaha | Yamaha |
| 12 | Acosta Pedro | 37 | SPA | 4 | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing | KTM |
| 13 | Quartararo Fabio | 20 | FRA | 4 | Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP | Yamaha |
| 14 | Marini Luca | 10 | ITA | 4 | Honda HRC Castrol | Honda |
| 15 | Aldegeur Fermin | 54 | SPA | 3 | Team Gresini Racing MotoGP | Ducati |
| 16 | Oliveira Miguel | 88 | POR | 2 | Prima Pramac Yamaha | Yamaha |
| 17 | Mir Joan | 36 | SPA | 1 | Honda HRC Castrol | Honda |
| 18 | Fernandez Raul | 25 | SPA | 0 | Trackhouse Racing | Aprilia |
| 19 | Vinales Maverick | 25 | SPA | 0 | Red Bull KTM Tech 3 | KTM |
| 20 | Rins Alex | 42 | SPA | 0 | Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP | Yamaha |
| 21 | Chantra Somkiat | 35 | THA | 0 | LCR Honda | Honda |
| 22 | Savadori Lorenzo | 32 | ITA | 0 | Aprilia Racing | Aprilia |
Location Information
The Termas de Río Hondo Circuit is located 6km from the city which gives the venue its name, in the Province of Santiago del Estero. It was built in a 150 hectare area and officially inaugurated on May 11, 2008, during the visit of Argentina´s Touring Car Racing championship. In… read more.
| Length | 4.806 kilometres / 2.986 miles |
| Width | 16 metres |
| Left corners | 5 |
| Right corners | 9 |
| Longest straight | 1.076 kilometres / 0.669 miles |
| Constructed | 2008 |
| Modified | 2013 |
| Resurfacing | Partly resurfaced before 2018 GP |
Autódromo Provincial Termas de Río Hondo, Termas de Río Hondo, Santiago del Estero Province, Argentina - View in Google Maps
Records
| Pole Position | 1m 37.683s (177.1km/h) Marc Marquez (Honda, 2014) |
| Race Lap | 1m 39.019s (174.7 km/h) Valentino Rossi (Yamaha, 2015) |
| Race Time | 34m13.628s (168.4 km/h) Marc Marquez (Honda, 2016) *shortened race |
| 2022 Race Winner | Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia) |
