MARINI TO RACE SOLO FOR HONDA AT PHILLIP ISLAND

Luca Marini will be Honda HRC’s only factory rider at the Australian Grand Prix, with team-mate Joan Mir again ruled out as he deals with illness and a fitness problem. Mir has not raced since retiring from the San Marino Grand Prix on 13 September. The doctors are working to get him back on track, but Australia has come too soon; Honda has not publicly specified his condition. His absence adds to a difficult run of substitutions for Honda: Aleix Espargaró stepped in at the Indonesian round but could not finish the weekend, while Somkiat Chantra, who replaced Mir in Japan, is unavailable because he is testing Honda’s WorldSBK machinery at Jerez on Thursday and Friday. Takaaki Nakagami also filled in at an earlier round, in Austria, before suffering a broken collarbone during a wildcard appearance at Motegi.

Honda says Mir has chronic exertional compartment syndrome and is due to undergo surgery in Barcelona “in the coming days.” The 2020 MotoGP champion had already missed the Indonesian Grand Prix, where Espargaró took his place. Espargaró will also be unavailable in Australia after suffering arm pump, linked to chronic compartment syndrome. After leaving the Indonesian weekend, he tested Honda’s 850cc bike privately in Sepang last week.

Marini, by contrast, has rarely missed a race since joining MotoGP in 2021, sitting out only five. Phillip Island begins the final five rounds of his Honda campaign before he moves to Tech3 KTM for 2027. The Australian race is the first of three consecutive events, followed by Malaysia and Qatar.

“Back to work after a short break as we get ready for three races in a row,” Marini said. He described Phillip Island as a circuit riders love, singling out the view of the sea at the end of the straight and a layout unlike any other on the calendar.

His aim is to enjoy the weekend and score as many points as possible. Marini added that Honda’s team had continued working between races in an effort to improve the bike’s performance. With five rounds remaining, he said, “Five races left, five chances to show all that we have achieved together these past years.”