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Honda HRC Castrol will enter just one factory machine at this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix, with **Luca Marini** the team’s lone rider as illness and injuries remove other options. The decision reshapes Honda’s approach at Phillip Island and adds weight to Marini’s final five races with the team.
Marini left to fly solo
Joan Mir, the 2020 world champion, remains out of action while medical staff monitor his recovery from an ongoing illness. Honda’s doctors judged the Australian round too soon for a comeback, and the team elected not to name a replacement rider for the #36 entry.
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That leaves Marini as Honda HRC Castrol’s sole factory representative at Phillip Island this weekend.
Shortage of stand-ins
Honda’s pool of possible substitutes has been hit by a string of setbacks. **Aleix Espargaró** had stepped in for Mir at the Indonesian Grand Prix but pulled out after suffering a recurrence of arm pump during private testing at Sepang. Honda says Espargaró is scheduled for surgery in Barcelona “in the coming days.”
Meanwhile, **Somkiat Chantra**, who rode at Motegi, is committed to WorldSBK testing duties for Honda at Jerez on Thursday and Friday and therefore unavailable. **Takaaki Nakagami** — who appeared as a wildcard at Motegi — sustained a broken collarbone there and is also ruled out.
Why Phillip Island matters for Marini
Marini has been prized for his consistency. Since moving up to MotoGP in 2021 he has missed only a handful of races, a record that helps explain Honda’s reliance on him this weekend.
Sitting 12th in the standings with five rounds remaining, Marini has a realistic opportunity to close the gap on **Fermin Aldeguer** and **Enea Bastianini** and crack the top ten overall. He finished sixth in last year’s Australian Grand Prix and eighth in the Sprint.
Farewell chapter before a move
This Australian round also begins the final five races of Marini’s time with Honda; he is set to join **Tech3 KTM** in 2027. The event carries added significance as the last MotoGP meeting at Phillip Island before the Australian round transfers to Adelaide next year.
Luca Marini reflected on the venue’s appeal: “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. Five races left, five chances to show all that we have achieved together these past years.”
Photos by Honda.
