Qatar GP: Marini Battles On, Mir Sits Out Sprint Due to Illness

MotoGP: The Honda HRC Castrol team endured a mixed outing at the Lusail International Circuit during the Qatar GP weekend, with Luca Marini finishing 15th in the Sprint and Joan Mir sidelined due to illness.

Qualifying and the Sprint unfolded under contrasting conditions-intense desert heat during the day and a lit-up night track under the floodlights. The team remained focused throughout both sessions of the fourth round of the 2025 MotoGP season.

Luca Marini Shows Determination

Despite starting 15th on the grid after clocking a best Q1 lap of 1'51.728, Marini attacked from the outset in the 11-lap Sprint. He maintained steady lap times in the mid-1'53s range and fought hard, particularly in a final-lap duel with Brad Binder, to bring his Honda RC213V home in 15th position. While not the result the team had hoped for, Marini gathered crucial race data with Sunday's full-length Grand Prix in mind.

Reflecting on the performance, Marini said, "Tomorrow morning we need to try some things to improve for Sunday, usually it's where we are stronger at each of Grands Prix. There's work to do to improve our situation. We knew here would be a weekend with more things to overcome, so it's not completely surprising. The good thing about weekends like this is that you can really focus and work on these areas because I think our overall package is quite good and we can be up there fighting."

Joan Mir Forced to Sit Out

Joan Mir's weekend took a difficult turn as he was diagnosed with gastroenteritis. Having qualified 21st, medical staff advised him to skip the Sprint to prioritize recovery. His condition will be reassessed ahead of Sunday's race during the morning Warm-Up session.

Qatar GP Sprint Race Results

Pos.	Rider	Num	Nation	Points	Team	Constructor	Time/Gap
1	Marc Marquez	93	SPA	12	Ducati Lenovo Team	Ducati	20'38.304
2	Alex Marquez	73	SPA	9	Team Gresini Racing MotoGP	Ducati	+1.577
3	Franco Morbidelli	21	ITA	7	Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team	Ducati	+3.988
4	Fermin Aldegeur	54	SPA	6	Team Gresini Racing MotoGP	Ducati	+4.369
5	Fabio Quartararo	20	FRA	5	Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP	Yamaha	+4.593
6	Fabio Di Giannantonio	49	ITA	4	Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team	Ducati	+5.099
7	Ai Ogura	79	JPN	3	Trackhouse Racing	Aprilia	+10.199
8	Francesco Bagnaia	63	ITA	2	Ducati Lenovo Team	Ducati	+10.334
9	Marco Bezzecchi	72	ITA	1	Aprilia Racing	Aprilia	+11.300
10	Maverick Vinales	25	SPA	0	Red Bull KTM Tech 3	KTM	+12.554
11	Pedro Acosta	37	SPA	0	Red Bull KTM Factory Racing	KTM	+13.676
12	Alex Rins	42	SPA	0	Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP	Yamaha	+14.273
13	Enea Bastianini	23	ITA	0	Red Bull KTM Tech 3	KTM	+14.408
14	Brad Binder	33	RSA	0	Red Bull KTM Factory Racing	KTM	+15.459
15	Luca Marini	10	ITA	0	Honda HRC Castrol	Honda	+15.587
16	Jorge Martin	89	SPA	0	Aprilia Racing	Aprilia	+15.775
17	Raul Fernandez	25	SPA	0	Trackhouse Racing	Aprilia	+16.317
18	Augusto Fernandez	7	SPA	0	Prima Pramac Yamaha	Yamaha	+17.922
19	Jack Miller	43	AUS	0	Prima Pramac Yamaha	Yamaha	+20.274
20	Somkiat Chantra	35	THA	0	LCR Honda	Honda	+31.106
21	Johann Zarco	5	FRA	DNF	LCR Honda	Honda	DNF

The Honda HRC Castrol team now looks ahead to Sunday's 22-lap Qatar GP, scheduled to begin at 20:00 local time, with hopes of a stronger showing and a full rider lineup.