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Luca Marini Ruled Out of Australian GP Practice
Luca Marini will miss Friday afternoon practice at Phillip Island due to illness. This leaves the factory Honda team with no riders on track for the session.
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The factory Honda team faced a rare situation at Phillip Island on Friday. Neither of its full-time riders could take part in the crucial afternoon PracticeSessions before qualifying where riders set up the bike; the top ten in Friday afternoon's Practice go straight to Q2.Read the full guide → session for the Australian Grand Prix.
Luca Marini, 29, was ruled out of Friday afternoon’s track action due to a sudden illness. His team-mate Joan Mir was already sidelined for the race weekend. Because of this, the official Honda HRC Castrol garage sat completely silent as rival riders headed onto the circuit.
What happened to Luca Marini?
Marini arrived at the scenic Phillip Island circuit hoping to lead Honda’s charge in Australia. However, the Italian rider began feeling unwell before track running started. He suffered from a sudden fever and severe muscle pain, and managed only a handful of laps in the morning’s opening session (FP1).
Marini spoke with doctors at the circuit medical centre. They decided he should sit out Friday afternoon to rest. In MotoGP, Friday afternoon features an important timed session simply called Practice. To learn more about how the weekend is structured, see our guide on MotoGP practice sessions explained.
Missing this session is a big setback. Practice decides which ten riders go straight into Saturday’s final QualifyingThe timed sessions that set the starting order, split into Q1 and Q2 for the front rows.Read the full guide → stage, called Q2. That is where riders fight for the front rows of the starting grid. If Marini is fit enough to ride on Saturday, he must first take part in the opening knockout session, Q1.
Why is Honda’s garage completely empty?
Usually, when one rider in a two-person team is unwell, their team-mate carries on. They test new parts and gather data. On Friday afternoon, however, Honda had no factory bikes on the track at all.
Marini’s team-mate is Joan Mir, the 2017 Moto3 and 2020 MotoGP world champion. Mir had already withdrawn from the Australian Grand Prix earlier in the week due to illness. The 29-year-old Spaniard is recovering from health issues that began around the San Marino Grand Prix in mid-September.
Honda Test riderA rider employed by a manufacturer to develop the bike away from race weekends, who sometimes races as a wildcard or a replacement.Read the full guide → Aleix Espargaro stood in for Mir at the previous race in Indonesia. However, Espargaro is also sidelined right now. He has withdrawn due to chronic compartment syndrome. Honda could not find another reserve rider on short notice in Australia. This left the team with zero factory bikes in Friday practice.
Honda does have satellite customer bikes running at Phillip Island. These are run by Castrol Honda LCR and Pro Honda LCR, with riders Johann Zarco and Brazilian rookie Diogo Moreira. However, the main factory team builds and develops the official bike. That squad could not take part.
What does this mean for the race weekend?
Missing track time at a fast, demanding venue like Phillip Island is always tough. The seaside Australian circuit is famous for quick, flowing corners where bike balance and rider confidence are vital. For a beginner’s introduction to this unique track, check out our Phillip Island guide.
Marini sits 12th in the riders’ championship with 108 points. At the previous round in Indonesia, he finished 15th in Saturday’s short Sprint raceA short Saturday race over half the distance, awarding points to the top nine finishers.Read the full guide →. He then took 12th place in Sunday’s full Grand Prix, earning four championship points. Missing Friday afternoon’s practice means his engineers have only those few FP1 laps of tyre data and telemetry to study before Saturday morning’s track sessions.
Marini hopes to recover in time to ride on Saturday. Even so, the lost setup time leaves him facing an uphill climb. Meanwhile, the fight for the world title continues at the front of the standings. Title contenders Jorge Martin (355 points) and Marc Marquez (353 points) remain separated by just two points heading into Sunday’s Grand Prix. But for Honda HRC Castrol, this weekend has already proven to be an exercise in endurance and recovery away from the asphalt.
Quick Takeaways
- Luca Marini missed Friday afternoon practice at the Australian Grand Prix after developing a fever and severe muscle pain.
- Team-mate Joan Mir was already ruled out with an ongoing illness. This left the factory Honda team with no bikes on track.
- Missing the session means Marini cannot secure an automatic place in Saturday’s Q2 qualifying stage.
- Honda’s satellite riders Johann Zarco and rookie Diogo Moreira remain the manufacturer’s only active competitors on Friday at Phillip Island.
Quick questions
- Q.Why was Luca Marini unable to ride on Friday afternoon?
- Marini visited the circuit medical centre with a sudden fever and severe muscle pain. Doctors advised him to sit out Friday's practice session to recover.
- Q.Why were there no factory Honda bikes on track?
- Joan Mir was already ruled out of the Australian Grand Prix due to an ongoing illness. Test rider Aleix Espargaro was also sidelined with chronic compartment syndrome, leaving the team without any available riders.
- Q.Can Luca Marini still race this weekend?
- Yes. If circuit doctors clear Marini to ride on Saturday, he can rejoin the weekend's action, though he will have to start qualifying from the first knockout session (Q1).
- Q.Are any other Hondas racing at Phillip Island?
- Yes, the independent LCR Honda team is competing as normal with riders Johann Zarco and rookie Diogo Moreira.
