Best Honda Qualifying For Luca Marini As Joan Mir Aims For Recovery Ahead Of San Marino GP

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Luca Marini achieved his best qualifying result for Honda at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli. He secured sixth place on the grid, marking a significant improvement from his previous performances. Despite this achievement, Marini finished seventh in the Sprint race. His teammate, Joan Mir, did not participate due to a neck injury sustained on Friday.

During Saturday's events, Marini demonstrated impressive speed and consistency. He finished third in Free Practice 2 and secured a sixth-place start with a last-minute lap in Q2. His time of 1'30.390 was significantly faster than his 2024 qualifying time, showing clear progress for both Marini and the Honda RC213V.

In the Sprint race, Marini faced tough competition from riders like Acosta and Aldeguer. Despite his efforts to stay with the leaders, he experienced a change in feeling compared to earlier sessions. This affected his overall performance, resulting in a seventh-place finish.

Joan Mir opted out of Saturday's activities due to ongoing discomfort and limited mobility in his neck following Friday's crash. With additional rest and physiotherapy, Mir aims to participate in Sunday's race.

Luca Marini shared his thoughts after the race: "It’s a good result today when we look at our performance for the whole year, but after our feeling in the morning, honestly, I was hoping for more. We improved the bike compared to Friday but in the Sprint, everything felt worse and with the change in the wind, I wasn’t as strong as in the morning.

"When the conditions are perfect, we are able to be really close to the front, but if there is something missing, we still have some margin to close. The start will be crucial tomorrow, and I hope to improve that from today. Like I said, it’s important to look at the big picture of the season and the last 12 months and we need to be proud of the work we have done so far. I am confident we can do more tomorrow."

Marini's performance highlighted both progress and areas needing improvement. He acknowledged that while conditions were ideal earlier in the day, changes later affected his strength during the Sprint.

The San Marino GP continues with anticipation for Sunday's race where both riders aim for better outcomes. The focus remains on building upon their achievements throughout this season.