Starting in 15th and 16th, Luca Marini and Joan Mir enjoyed their best Qualifying performances of the year as the hard work inside HRC continues unabated.
Positive sensations were waiting for the Repsol Honda Team as they arrived for the second day of the Gran Premio dell’Emilia-Romagna and immediately took benefit from their overnight work. Both Luca Marini and Joan Mir were able to improve their lap times in Free Practice 2 as they prepared for another crucial Q1 session.
Marini was able to maximise his performance in Q1, taking top-Honda honours and achieving his best grid position of the year with 15th. Just 0.3s shy of a transfer spot, the #10 continues to improve his form and all areas of his performance on the evolving Honda RC213V. From the fifth row, Marini made a solid start to stay with Alex Marquez during the opening laps and gained more valuable information on the Honda and the other manufacturers’ machines. Crossing the line in 16th, Marini would be promoted to 15th in the Sprint after a tyre pressure penalty for Fabio Di Giannantonio.
Arriving in Q1 after an FP2 session of progress, Joan Mir wasted no time in attacking and immediately put himself in contention for one of the transfer positions. A best lap of 1’31.450 would cement his best grid position of the year in 16th, just 0.022s behind his Repsol Honda Team teammate Marini. It would be a more complicated Sprint for Mir who again suffered from vibration issues, making for a complicated race.
With a number of positives found, the Repsol Honda Team head into Sunday with renewed vigour, eager to deliver on the potential shown on Saturday morning. The Gran Premio dell’Emilia-Romagna will take place at 13:00 Local Time on Sunday and run across 27 laps.