The Italian rider ended his ninth season in the world championship last Sunday, fourth in MotoGP. and first as an official rider of the Honda team. Luca Marini He made his world championship debut in 2013, competing in the San Marino Moto3 GP as a guest; In 2015 he was a wild card again, this time in Moto2, in the same setting, the Misano circuit, just ten minutes from his home near Tavullia, where his brother Valentino Rossi They have their house, their businesses and the VR46 Ranch, where the Riders Academy riders train, also owned by the multiple Italian champion.
It was only in 2016 that Marini entered the world championship as a permanent rider in Moto2, with the Forward team, making the jump in 2018 to the SKY Racing structure. VR46 Team property of Rossi, with which vice-champion of the intermediate class in 2020.
He stayed there when he was promoted to MotoGP in 2021 with a place in the BQR team, racing for three years with a Ducati, the last two already with the VR46 structure, with which he achieved two podiums and two poles in 2023.
In October 2023, when Marc Marquez announced he was leaving Honda despite a contract to ride a Ducati Gresini, Marini took advantage of the opportunity to step out of his brother's shadow and join the official team of the largest motorcycle factory on the planet, even if he is in his lowest sporting hours.
Luca Marini, Johann Zarco and Joan Mir, the three Honda riders in MotoGP, who will be joined by the rookie Chantra
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Actually, Marini was the lowest ranked driver on the 2024 grid, finishing the championship 22nd, last among the permanent drivers.with only 14 points. The Honda rider needed nine Grands Prix (18 races) to score his first point and it was not until the 14th Grand Prix that he crossed the finish line again on points (4) with his best result of year, 12th. Marini did not score a single point in the sprint throughout the course.
Despite these figures, Italian He remains convinced that he has taken the right step in his career and is confident that under his leadership, Honda will regain its competitiveness..
“For me the direction has been very clear since the middle of the season, it just takes time and for the right people to follow it, which in my opinion has already arrived,” he said on Tuesday at the end of testing . suggesting that he is the one HRC should follow in the development of the motorcycle in 2025.
Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati team, Marc Márquez, Gresini Racing
Photo by: Dorna
The 2025 World Cup “is already written”
An upcoming season during which Marini, however, believes that the cards are clear in terms of the fight for the MotoGP championship.
“I feel a great interest in seeing Marquez win again, so I think the result is already written”Marini said in statements to La Gazzetta dello Sport.
“However, Pecco Bagnaia He will have the opportunity of a lifetime to place among the top four in history. If he manages to beat Marc, everyone will finally recognize the champion that he is, because even though he has won two titles, he has not yet been given enough credit”, Marini subscribes to the same line of opinion that he recently expressed to his brother, irreconcilable enemy of Márquez since 2015.
Barcelona test. The Italian is not one of those who crash, only four times this year out of the 20 GPs contested” width=”1200″ height=”800″ loading=”lazy”/> Luca Marini, Honda, after suffering a crash during the Barcelona test. The Italian is not one of those who crash, only four times this year out of the 20 GPs contested
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Watch: BY EARS #117: 2024 MotoGP World Championship, two champions and a lord
