Marini and Mir target positive end in final a…

After 22 rounds, the longest MotoGP World Championship season to date will come to an end. For Honda HRC, it has been a year of positive progress – one victory and three further podiums heading into the penultimate round are a clear sign that the continued development efforts are heading in the correct direction. Valencia offers a chance to tie a final bow on the year, chase the last targets and prepare a base on which to compare 2026 to.

Arriving at Valencia with 133 points, Luca Marini has already managed to amass almost ten times the points he scored throughout 2024, despite missing three rounds through injury this year. A consistent threat for not only the top ten, but frequently the top five, Marini has been able to deliver steady results weekend after weekend and supply Honda HRC’s engineers with ample data and information. Now the Italian enters the last race with top Honda honours firmly in focus, 11 points the difference between himself and Zarco.

Although suffering a double DNF in Portugal, Mir has still taken more than four times the points of his previous season and stepped onto the podium twice. Undeniably fast in all of the recent races, Mir lands in Valencia determined to show his and the Honda RC213V’s full potential. Having missed the race in Valencia in 2023 and the 2024 edition cancelled, this will be Mir’s first time racing the 4.01-kilometre circuit.

Time waits for no one, especially in MotoGP, and the 2026 season will start just a few days after the conclusion of the 27 lap Valencia Grand Prix on Sunday.

Location: Comunitat Valenciana
The Circuito de la Comunitat Valenciana was completed in 1999 and held rounds of the MotoGP and Spanish Motorcycle Championships in the same year. The Cheste track has several layouts, running anti-clockwise with varying lengths. MotoGP events are held on a 4km track comprising of five right handed corners, eight left handers and a 650m straight. Although the track is regarded as quite small, the pit complex contains 48 garages whilst the stadium style grandstands can seat up to 150,000 spectators. The circuit layout which allows all parts of the circuit to be seen from any stand helps to create a unique atmosphere enjoyed by Spanish and international riders alike and as the last race of the season there is always a party feeling to the Grand Prix, which was voted best GP of 2005 by IRTA.

The last race of what has been a very long, but overall really positive year. When you compare what we have done this year to 2024, it is almost night and day. Now we arrive at every race expecting to fight for Q2 and with the possibility of challenging at the front. There is still work to do as a team, as a factory, to improve but I want to thank everyone for their work in 2025. Valencia is a circuit which should suit us more based on what we’ve seen the year, it’s tight and technical. We need to work well this weekend to deliver the best possible result and end the year in the correct way. Then 2026 starts on Tuesday, I’m looking forward to it all!

Our focus this weekend is to take the maximum possible, we clearly have improved our speed, and I know that we can be competitive in Valencia. There’s a lot of work to do because for sure every rider will be pushing to end their year in the best possible way, so I am expecting the competition to be tight. Of course, as one thing ends another begins – 2025 finishes on Sunday but already on Tuesday we begin 2026. It has been a year of progress and restored motivation, we need to carry this through the last weekend and into the future.