Austrian GP: Honda HRC Castrol Resumes Season with Marini and Mir Aiming for a Strong Comeback
At Round 13 of the 2025 MotoGP season—the Austrian Grand Prix—the Honda HRC Castrol Team returns to action following the summer break. Riders Luca Marini and Joan Mir head to the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg determined to turn the tide in the second half of the season.
This round also marks the start of an intense stretch, with five of the remaining ten races taking place as back-to-back events. The Red Bull Ring, measuring 4.35 km with 11 corners, may appear simple at first glance, but its stop-and-go character—demanding harsh braking and powerful acceleration—makes it a challenging circuit where many classic battles have unfolded in the past.
Luca Marini enters the second half as the only rider to have scored points in every race so far this season, showing remarkable consistency. He aims to continue pushing toward top-10 finishes. After using the three-week break for recovery and training, Marini is now in peak condition and focused on extracting even more performance from the Honda RC213V.
His teammate, Joan Mir, faces the challenge of climbing back up the standings after a difficult first half of the season. However, Mir has a strong track record at Spielberg, having taken second place in both 2020 and 2021. With the break behind him, he looks to leave misfortune in the past and lead a resurgence alongside the team.
Following the Austrian GP, the paddock will head straight to the all-new Hungarian GP at Balaton Park, a technically demanding layout. For Honda, this opening race of the double-header will be a crucial proving ground.
Luca Marini
"I’ve recovered well over the past three weeks and I feel great now. I believe I can go into the second half of the season without any limitations. Austria is a very unique circuit with heavy braking and acceleration zones. It’s the perfect place to evaluate where we stand after the latest upgrades. I’m looking forward to seeing the whole team again and working with the engineers to keep moving the RC213V forward."
Joan Mir
"I used the break to reset and focus on training. The first half of the season was tough, but I’m fully prepared for the intense battle ahead until the end of the year. I managed to pick up form in the latter part of 2024, and I want to do the same this time with the whole team’s support. There were moments where luck wasn’t on our side, but our potential was clear. Now it's time to turn that into results."