Commendable performances from both Joan Mir and Luca Marini on Saturday saw the pair on the cusp of Q2 before challenging for the top ten in the Sprint.
The Repsol Honda Team continued to work through the final items on their 2024 list as the penultimate day of the season came and went, with a few highlights to round out the season. Both Joan Mir and Luca Marini were able to impress in Qualifying and challenge their rivals in the Sprint race in front of a passionate Barcelona crowd.
Joan Mir was able to make significant progress in his one-lap pace as he put together one of his most competitive Qualifying sessions of the season. Setting a best time of 1’39.432 in Q1, the #36 missed out on a transfer spot by less than 0.030s and took third in the session. Lining up for both races in 13th primes Mir to challenge for points and battle for top Honda honours in both races. This is exactly what he did in the 12-lap Sprint, charging forward to end the first lap in ninth position. Vibrations during the race would cause him to halt his advance, ending in 13th and just behind Johann Zarco and Maverick Viñales.
Like his teammate, Luca Marini was on the cusp of a transfer spot in Saturday morning’s Q1 until the very last lap. From 16th on the grid, he followed Mir through at the start to immediately gain ground on his competitors before settling into his rhythm after the opening laps. Once again focusing on collecting as much data as possible, the Italian completed the Sprint in 15th place and is already working with his team to improve his performance on Sunday.
14:00 Local Time will see the lights go out for one final time in 2024 as the MotoGP World Championship takes the title down to the line. The Repsol Honda Team will again be aiming for final improvements in order to head into the off season fully prepared.
Joan Mir (13th)
“We have had a positive day today and that’s what we need to focus on more than anything, we made a step forward and in Qualifying we were really competitive. I made some small mistakes on the lap which cost us Q2, but honestly it was a big boost to be that competitive after some tough races in Asia. In the race I was able to make a great start, moving into the top ten on the first lap. Unfortunately, in the race we had the same vibrations that have been there throughout the year so we dropped back. But honestly, I am happy because this weekend I have been able to see where we have improved the bike over the course of the year. One more day, one more chance to end well!”
Luca Marini (15th)
“I was expecting a little more from the race today, especially at the start – I wasn’t able to make use of the extra grip of the tyre to attack at the start. After the first two laps my pace was ok, we need to find more rear traction to turn more. There is work to do, but we can see that there is space to do it and we will keep on trying until the final race of tomorrow. Coming back to Barcelona allows us to check the difference that we have made throughout the year which is very positive.”
