Setback for the Honda works team: Luca Marini ruled out of the Grand Prix

Honda factory rider Luca Marini will not be competing in Sunday’s MotoGP race in Qatar. After finishing 13th in Saturday’s sprint race, the Italian was forced to withdraw from the Grand Prix due to illness.

“Due to his ongoing exhaustion, Luca Marini and the Honda HRC Castrol team have decided to withdraw him from the Qatar GP so that he can focus on the final two races of the 2026 MotoGP World Championship,” said a brief statement from HRC.

Marini had already been forced to pull out of the Australian GP after FP1. Having complained of feeling unwell upon his arrival at Phillip Island on Thursday, MotoGP chief medical officer Dr Angel Charte diagnosed Valentino Rossi’s half-brother with a viral infection. Marini was back in action in Malaysia, where he finished a strong seventh in Sunday’s Grand Prix. Now he has fallen ill again.

Both Honda factory riders ill

As a result, the Honda works team’s hopes for the Grand Prix in Doha now rest on Superbike ace Jake Dixon. The Briton is stepping in for Joan Mir in Doha. Mir, for his part, had just made his comeback in Malaysia after seven weeks out. He was suffering from blurred vision and extreme fatigue. In Sunday’s race at Sepang, Mir was forced to head for the pits and retire due to dizziness. He was unable to make the trip to Qatar.

Following Pecco Bagnaia’s (Ducati) injury, Luca Marini is now another MotoGP rider ruled out for Sunday. Only 16 riders remain on the starting grid for the main race in Qatar.

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