Luca Marini, Joan Mir and Honda HRC Castrol arrive in Europe for the first time in 2025 ahead of Round Five as everyone targets another step forward in the never-ending march of progress.
Honda HRC Castrol have been able to take solid points from each of the four previous rounds and, perhaps most importantly, continue to deepen their understanding of the current form of the Honda RC213V with each and every lap. Luca Marini’s infallible consistency and Joan Mir’s undeniable speed have been crucial in returning to regularly contesting the top ten.
The Qatar weekend saw Luca Marini and his side of the garage turn around a difficult Saturday into a third straight top ten finish. Stronger in the longer races, there’s still some improvements to be found for the #10 during Saturday’s Sprints. Tighter and without a heavy demand for top-end power, the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto should allow the Italian to exploit the strengths of the Honda RC213V.
With a week of recovery and training, Joan Mir is back to physical best after being sapped of energy due to illness at the last round. In 2024, the Spanish GP was one of Mir’s best of the year as he scored in both the Sprint and the Grand Prix. Each round so far in 2025 has seen Mir demonstrate his undeniable speed and determination and with his past success in Andalucia, and a boost from the home fans, the #36 is ready to deliver.
Honda HRC’s efforts will be boosted during the Spanish GP as Aleix Espargaro and the Honda HRC Test Team join the grid as a wildcard.
Monday after the Grand Prix will see the MotoGP class remain in Jerez for the first in-season test of the year. While the Honda HRC Test Team has been busy working away behind the scenes, this will be the first chance for Marini and Mir to experiment with new developments.
