Honda has confirmed that Joan Mir will be back on the MotoGP grid for the Malaysian Grand Prix. The Spaniard is returning at Sepang after missing the Austrian MotoGP and the following events in Japan, Indonesia and Australia because of an illness that led to a series of medical tests. Mir had already hinted at the comeback in a social-media post made the previous weekend.

Doctors have now cleared Mir to resume competition, and he used the previous week to ride several different types of motorcycles. Sepang is also the venue of his latest podium, giving the return a meaningful sporting backdrop. Mir’s own priorities are more immediate and practical than chasing a defined result: he wants to reconnect with the Honda team and find out how the MotoGP bike feels beneath him again.

Honda’s Malaysian line-up is not yet entirely settled. Luca Marini is hoping to return after a virus kept him out of action and restricted him to roughly two laps at Phillip Island. With Mir absent and no replacement brought in for him in Australia, Honda HRC had no motorcycle running after FP1 at the previous round.

Marini still has to pass a medical check

Marini says that his condition is improving and that he has been able to go back to the gym, but his participation depends on the medical test required before the weekend. He describes Sepang as a physically demanding circuit, where the conditions and the weather will shape Honda HRC’s approach. Energy management will be especially important as the team works towards having enough strength for Sunday’s race.