Luca Marini wasn’t signed to match what the rider he’s replaced, Marc Marquez, meant to Honda. Nor to drag instant results out of the bike – certainly not this version of it. But he’s not having the start to the MotoGP season that either he or Honda will have hoped for
Under the current MotoGP weekend format, the premier class of grand prix motorcycle racing has four separate sessions that are considered ‘competitive’, offering tangible benefits for higher finishes. These sessions include practice, qualifying, the sprint race, and the main race, totaling eight sessions across Qatar and Portimao. Honda newcomer Luca Marini, who replaced Marc Marquez, has struggled and finished either last or second-to-last in these sessions. Marini was brought in as part of Honda’s rebuild and his success will likely depend on the improvement of the RC213V bike by the end of the season, which currently seems to be underperforming. Despite the challenging start, Marini acknowledges the difficulties in handling the bike and striving for improvement in each corner. The overall performance of Honda in MotoGP seems to be struggling, and Marini, along with his team, is working hard to overcome these obstacles and improve their competitiveness on the track.
