Marc Marquez won the 2025 Aragon Grand Prix from pole position, but Neil Hodgson was also ‘so pleased’ to watch another rider thrive at the circuit in Alcaniz on Sunday.
Ducati saw Marquez build out his championship lead once again, as the 32-year-old scored his seventh premier class Aragon GP win to date. The Spaniard now boasts five more wins at MotorLand than any MotoGP rider in history and also converted his seventh pole there, too.
The 1.107-second margin he held over his Gresini racer brother Alex Marquez did not reflect the true level of Marquez’s dominant Aragon GP win. He also held a 2.029s lead over Ducati teammate Francesco Bagnaia in third and a 7.657s margin to Pedro Acosta of KTM in fourth.
Joan Mir scores his best MotoGP result since the 2023 Indian Grand Prix with P7 at Aragon
Marquez also led VR46 rider Franco Morbidelli in fifth by 10.363s and Trackhouse racer Raul Fernandez in P10 by 19.190s. But while Joan Mir ended the Aragon GP 14.938s behind in P7, it still marked the Honda star’s best finish since he secured P5 in the 2023 Indian Grand Prix.
His P7 in the Aragon GP also marks only the second time that Mir has finished in the top 10 in a Grand Prix since MotoGP made its only visit to the Buddh International Circuit. The 27-year-old curtailed that unwanted streak at Silverstone with his P10 in the British Grand Prix.
READ MORE: Everything to know about Joan Mir from net worth to career stats
Sunday’s Aragon GP also marks just the third time this term that Mir has taken a chequered flag in a Grand Prix, as he has retired from five of the first eight rounds of the 2025 MotoGP season. So, Hodgson was thrilled that Mir got his best finish in his last 33 Grand Prix starts.
Hodgson said on TNT Sports 2 (08/07, 13:50): “I can’t even remember going [to India]. That seems like a lifetime ago. [I am] so pleased for him.”
Joan Mir must use the Aragon GP as a watershed result to save his Honda future
Mir needed an improved result like his P7 in the Aragon GP, as questions are emerging over his future in the factory Honda team despite having a contract for next season. Honda have asked Mir if he would join LCR in 2026, as they now strive to sign Aprilia exile Jorge Martin.
READ MORE: Everything to know about Honda from the MotoGP team’s riders to leadership
His run of retirements so far this season has not helped the Palma native or the Japanese brand. The factory Honda squad sit just 10th in the teams’ championship with 65 points to even trail LCR in fifth by 32, having seen Johann Zarco win at Le Mans and score 97 points.
Mir insists he feels ‘great’ on Honda’s bike despite his crashes this year following incidents in Thailand, America, Qatar, Jerez and France. But, even with P7 in the Aragon GP, he still has just 27 points through eight rounds. So, Mir must hope the Aragon GP is a watershed result.
