Earlier in the day, both riders showed promising pace during the last practice session, with Aji taking P17 and Kunii in P25, confirming a step forward before qualifying began.
However, the afternoon proved more challenging. In a category where the field is compressed within incredibly small margins, both riders struggled to repeat their practice performance in Q1. Despite this, the pace remains close, and Sunday’s race becomes a true final showdown where focus, consistency, and race management will be crucial. Both riders remain motivated to close the 2025 season giving their maximum.
Hiroshi Aoyama
⠀ ⠀ ⠀
IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia
Today we continued to make progress with both riders. The lap times are getting closer and we took another small step forward compared to yesterday. Mario will start from P23 and Yuki from P26, and although the grid positions are not ideal, the gap to the front remains very small. This weekend the differences between riders are extremely tiny, so even if the position doesn’t show big improvement, the performance itself is moving in the right direction.
For tomorrow, the target is to take another step and finish the season in the best possible way. The race will be long and the group will stay compact, so opportunities will come if we stay calm and consistent. We hope the riders can put everything together and deliver one of their strongest races of the year to close the season positively.
Today we continued to make progress with both riders. The lap times are getting closer and we took another small step forward compared to yesterday. Mario will start from P23 and Yuki from P26, and although the grid positions are not ideal, the gap to the front remains very small. This weekend the differences between riders are extremely tiny, so even if the position doesn’t show big improvement, the performance itself is moving in the right direction.
For tomorrow, the target is to take another step and finish the season in the best possible way. The race will be long and the group will stay compact, so opportunities will come if we stay calm and consistent. We hope the riders can put everything together and deliver one of their strongest races of the year to close the season positively.
Mario Aji
64
IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia
Everything is extremely close again today. I used a slightly different riding approach, and in some areas it worked well. What I need to understand now is exactly what happened during my flying laps—what I did right and what I did wrong—so I can keep learning and improving my understanding of the bike. We cannot be ashamed because we are making steps forward every session, and even if we didn’t reach Q2, we showed improvement in many aspects.
Tomorrow the target is to catch the group fighting for the points, which is realistic considering our pace. I need to force myself to stay fully concentrated, fix the small things I’m still missing—especially in corner entry—and keep riding with confidence. I’m a bit disappointed not to make Q2, but we take all the positives from today and carry them into the race. Thanks to the team for the effort; I’ll give everything to finish the season strongly.
Everything is extremely close again today. I used a slightly different riding approach, and in some areas it worked well. What I need to understand now is exactly what happened during my flying laps—what I did right and what I did wrong—so I can keep learning and improving my understanding of the bike. We cannot be ashamed because we are making steps forward every session, and even if we didn’t reach Q2, we showed improvement in many aspects.
Tomorrow the target is to catch the group fighting for the points, which is realistic considering our pace. I need to force myself to stay fully concentrated, fix the small things I’m still missing—especially in corner entry—and keep riding with confidence. I’m a bit disappointed not to make Q2, but we take all the positives from today and carry them into the race. Thanks to the team for the effort; I’ll give everything to finish the season strongly.
Yuki Kunii
92
IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia
The day started in a positive way during the last practice session, where I felt more comfortable and could improve my pace. Unfortunately, in Q1 I couldn’t put all the sectors together and the position does not reflect the steps we made. The category is incredibly tight, and even small mistakes cost many places on the grid. Still, the overall feeling with the bike is improving, and the team is giving me good support to continue building confidence.
For tomorrow, the goal is clear: stay calm, make a strong start, and try to recover as many positions as possible. It’s the last race of the season, so I want to give everything and finish on a positive note. If I can stay with the group from the beginning, I believe we can fight for a better result. I will keep working with the team today to understand where I can gain those last tenths and come prepared for the race.
The day started in a positive way during the last practice session, where I felt more comfortable and could improve my pace. Unfortunately, in Q1 I couldn’t put all the sectors together and the position does not reflect the steps we made. The category is incredibly tight, and even small mistakes cost many places on the grid. Still, the overall feeling with the bike is improving, and the team is giving me good support to continue building confidence.
For tomorrow, the goal is clear: stay calm, make a strong start, and try to recover as many positions as possible. It’s the last race of the season, so I want to give everything and finish on a positive note. If I can stay with the group from the beginning, I believe we can fight for a better result. I will keep working with the team today to understand where I can gain those last tenths and come prepared for the race.
