Diogo Moreira produced a determined recovery ride to finish 14th in Saturday’s Sprint at the Spanish Grand Prix, overcoming both a difficult start and changing race conditions.
The LCR Honda rider was forced to line up 23rd on the grid after a disrupted qualifying session that included a crash, though he escaped unscathed. Despite the setback, Moreira made a strong launch off the line and quickly climbed into the top 14.
The race took on an added layer of complexity when it was declared wet, triggering a late bike swap. With four laps remaining, riders entered the pits for a flag-to-flag change, a situation Moreira experienced for the first time.
“It was nice to ride like this, to do my first flag-to-flag race and understand the situation,” he said.
Handling the transition smoothly, the Brazilian continued to push and held his position through to the chequered flag, collecting valuable data along the way.
“It was important to finish the race and learn a lot,” he added.
Looking ahead to Sunday, Moreira remains encouraged by his pace in dry conditions, where he had been able to stay close to the factory Honda riders earlier in the weekend.
“Looking ahead to tomorrow, in the dry I was there, I felt fast and was following the factory Hondas. I’m excited for tomorrow, let’s see how the race goes,” he said.
