News Summary
- Honda HRC Castrol has confirmed Jake Dixon will replace Joan Mir at the Qatar Grand Prix on November 6–8.
- Mir withdrew from the Malaysian Grand Prix after experiencing dizziness and will continue his recovery at home.
- Dixon is set for his third MotoGP start and his first with the factory Honda team.
Jake Dixon will replace Joan Mir at the Qatar Grand Prix, Honda HRC Castrol confirmed on Thursday, November 5. The British rider will partner Luca Marini at Lusail, returning to MotoGP for the first time in five years.
The announcement confirms a move first reported by The Race on Tuesday. Mir, the 2020 MotoGP world champion, returned at Sepang after missing four consecutive rounds but stopped during Sunday’s race after experiencing dizziness. Honda said he would continue his recovery at home.
Dixon returns to MotoGP with factory Honda
Dixon made both of his previous premier-class starts in 2021 with Petronas SRT, filling in for the injured Franco Morbidelli. He finished 19th at Silverstone on his debut and retired at Aragón. Qatar will be his first Grand Prix weekend on Honda’s RC213V.
“It’s been a little bit since I last raced a MotoGP bike, so we need to take the weekend steady and go step by step,” Dixon said in Honda’s preview.
The 30-year-old won seven Moto2 races and took 22 podiums before moving to Honda’s World Superbike programme for 2026. A pre-season wrist injury kept him out of the opening five rounds, but he recorded five top-10 finishes after returning to action.
Honda fills both factory seats at Lusail
Dixon’s confirmation settles Honda’s line-up for a weekend in which several places on the Qatar MotoGP grid remain subject to medical checks. Yamaha has withdrawn its factory and Pramac entries, while Gresini has named Iker Lecuona as the replacement for Álex Márquez.
Dixon’s first session is scheduled for 11:45am GMT on Friday, with the afternoon Practice session starting at 4pm GMT. The full Qatar MotoGP timetable includes Saturday’s sprint and Sunday’s Grand Prix, when Marc Márquez has his first opportunity to clinch the 2026 title.
GRANDE PRÊMIO is following every session of the Qatar Grand Prix this weekend in its MotoGP section.
