Jake Dixon “frustrated”: How his MotoGP debut with Honda went in Qatar

Called up to Lusail to replace Mir, the Superbike rider did his best, five years after his only previous MotoGP appearances: here’s the final verdict.

Jake Dixon had never ridden the Honda RC213V, and his first outing on it in the opening practice session in Qatar was far from positive: he crashed less than five minutes in. He did exactly what team principal Alberto Puig had told him not to do—crash. He lost valuable time that could have been spent getting to know the bike, but with advice from the HRC team, he then tried to adapt and make steady progress. Cal Crutchlow was also in the garage to support him and offer some useful pointers.

He ended Friday’s practice in last place, but just two tenths behind Diogo Moreira, the LCR Honda rookie, who certainly knows the RC213V much better than he does. He was second-last in Q1, 117 thousandths behind the Brazilian. He finished last in the sprint race, almost six seconds behind Maverick Viñales, and came fourteenth out of the 14 riders to finish the main race, 7.6 seconds behind Viñales once again.

The British rider got off to a good start on Sunday, overtaking both Lecuona and Morbidelli to move up to thirteenth. On lap four, however, he ran off track at Turn 1 and lost touch with the group. It was a costly mistake, as he was unable to make up the ground and rode alone all the way to the chequered flag.

Dixon is grateful for the opportunity given to him by the Honda HRC MotoGP team, but is also left with some regrets over that mistake: "Everyone here has been incredible in helping me improve in every single session. It’s fantastic to have scored points on our debut—more than I could have hoped for when I was on the plane. I ran wide at Turn 1 in the early laps of the race and lost touch with the group. Honestly, I was frustrated because, looking at the lap times at the end of the race, I would have been able to stay with them".

He might have achieved a better result at Lusail, but the Superbike rider can still be pleased with how his MotoGP weekend in Qatar went. He had ridden a prototype only once before, in 2021, when he replaced Franco Morbidelli on the Petronas team’s Yamaha M1 at Silverstone and Aragon. As luck would have it, he was then paired with the legendary Valentino Rossi, while this time he was alongside his brother Luca Marini, who had to withdraw from the event early because he was not in ideal physical condition.

Marini is expected to race as usual at the Portuguese Grand Prix, scheduled for the weekend of November 20–22. The break after Lusail should give him time to arrive in Portimão in good enough shape to get through the entire weekend without too much discomfort.

Joan Mir’s situation, however, remains uncertain. After missing a few Grands Prix due to health issues, he returned at Sepang, but had evidently not recovered and had to sit out the Qatar round. If he is unable to race at Portimão, the Honda HRC MotoGP team may call Dixon back. Test rider Takaaki Nakagami has also returned to riding after an injury, but the team may choose to save him for the important tests ahead of 2027.

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