All other options are either sick, injured, or otherwise occupied
Honda HRC Castrol will put only one factory bike on the Phillip Island grid this weekend, with Luca Marini the team's sole representative as injury and illness troubles deepen.
Read More:
Joan Mir, the 2020 world champion, remains sidelined by illness. His medical team has deemed the Australian Grand Prix too early for a return, and the #36 will continue to be assessed as he works toward a comeback. Mir will not be replaced, leaving Marini to carry the colors alone.
The decision not to field a second rider stems from a run of bad luck across Honda's stand-in options. Aleix Espargaró stepped in for Mir in Indonesia, but withdrew from the weekend when a bout of arm pump flared up during private testing at Sepang. The development rider heads for surgery in Barcelona "in the coming days," according to Honda. Before Indonesia, Somkiat Chantra deputized at Motegi, but he is committed to WorldSBK testing duties for Honda at Jerez on Thursday and Friday. Takaaki Nakagami, who wildcarded at Motegi, broke his collarbone there and is out as well.
Marini has built his premier-class reputation on availability, missing just five races since graduating to MotoGP in 2021. The Australian round opens the final five outings of his Honda tenure before he switches to Tech3 KTM for 2027, and it carries extra weight as the last MotoGP race at Phillip Island before the Australian round moves to Adelaide from 2027.
Sitting 12th in the championship with five rounds remaining, Marini has a genuine shot at closing on Fermin Aldeguer and Enea Bastianini to get into the top ten. Last year, Marini finished 6th in the Australian Grand Prix, adding an 8th place result in the Sprint.
"Phillip Island is a circuit that every rider loves, coming down the straight with just the sea in front of you is something very unique," Marini said. "Five races left, five chances to show all that we have achieved together these past years."
Become a Motorcycle.com insider. Get the latest motorcycle news first by subscribing to our newsletter.