Upward trend continues for Honda HRC Castrol as Sepang

Date posted on February 8, 2025

Three successful days came to an end in Malaysia for Joan Mir and Luca Marini, the pair wrapping up a very positive first run out on the 2025 Honda RC213V – ending in eighth and 15th respectively.

The pace of work did not relent for the Honda HRC riders on the final day of the Sepang Test, everyone riding right until the end. In the Honda HRC Castrol garage, the plan saw Mir and Marini work through their final items and prepare for a crucial last test in Buriram. Both riders spent a section of the day running nose-to-tail to assess the performance of the 2025 Honda RC213V in a number of scenarios.

Joan Mir’s fine form continued as he concluded the last day of the Sepang Test with another step forward and an ever-improving feeling. Having worked hard on engine specification yesterday, Mir was able to progress through the rest of his testing program with the Honda HRC Castrol team. Able to consistently stay inside the top ten, a late attack on the final day pinned Mir in eighth overall – 0.786 seconds off the top spot. These three days have built huge confidence for Mir and his side of the garage, all parties able to achieve their targets and continually progress. His 1’57.341 was one and a half seconds faster than his Q1 time.

Making the most of the final day’s track time, Luca Marini and his team put in another impressive performance to bring his total laps to 175 for the three days. A small crash at Turn 9 during the middle of the day did little to upset his work, changing his leathers before quickly returning to the circuit. Almost a full second faster than his Q1 time from the 2024 Malaysian Grand Prix, Marini ended the test in 15th. The Italian heads to Thailand satisfied with what has been achieved but aware there is still more work to do to continue to close the gap to the front.

The Honda HRC Castrol team will now head to Bangkok for the 2025 MotoGP Launch, a unique event to kickstart the new World Championship season. Joan Mir and Luca Marini will then travel to Buriram for the final pre-season Test at the Chang International Circuit – two days on the circuit which will open the new year in just a few weeks’ time.

Joan Mir (8th 1’57.279): “We have to be happy with this test and the step we have made. The engineers and the team have worked incredibly hard over the wintertime and it’s clear on the track, we have a better bike. Today the conditions were better than during a GP weekend, but I was close to two seconds faster than my Qualifying lap. The bike allows me to push and ride in a better way. I am not satisfied because you always want more as a rider, but we have to be happy with where we are. There are still some points to improve on and we have to put some focus there. I am looking forward to the next test, it has been an enjoyable and positive three days.”

Luca Marini (15th 1’57.789)
“Three super busy days but I think overall we can be satisfied with what we have done. We were able to try many things, some worked and some did not, but this is why we go testing and we have found the line to follow. There’s more to do, there always is, but we have already found some improvements to be more competitive in other circuits. Now we need to use these few days to prepare well for the Buriram Test and maximise what profit we can take from it. There is still time until the first race, that is when we will really know where everyone is.”