Luca Marini unfiltered: "Nothing was working

Luca Marini finished the Austrian GP far from the front positions after struggling with the special tires used at Spielberg. The rear tire reached high temperatures and put Valentino Rossi’s brother in difficulty. His brand-mates Zarco and Nakagami (Mir’s replacement) ended up ahead of him...

The weekend at the Red Bull Ring seemed to start under a lucky star for the Honda rider from Italy. Initially, grip was low for everyone, then the others improved, unlike Marini. "I tried everything on the bike, but nothing worked. We did everything possible. It had no effect," said the rider from Tavullia.

He started from the fifth row, outside the points in the MotoGP Sprint. Finally, the first lap of Sunday’s race turned catastrophic. "I had contact with the riders behind me, a bit of chaos. I tried to stay calm and say: ‘OK, now I’ll manage the rear tire and see if someone ahead has a worn rear tire’." But unfortunately, only Diogo Moreira and Fabio Quartararo wore out the rear tire.

Luca Marini finished 14th in Austria, 22 seconds behind winner Pedro Acosta. The focus was on the new Michelin tire. "I’m having a lot of problems with these tires, I have a lot of sliding. I can’t do more because I’m not opening the throttle, I’m not keeping the bike completely upright, I’m not using the device, I’m trying to keep the temperature as low as possible. But even so, it runs 20 degrees hotter than the other Honda riders. I don’t understand it. Maybe it’s because I’m taller and heavier than the others, but it was a very tough Saturday and Sunday."

As for Joan Mir’s replacement, Takaaki Nakagami, he did very well and is in great form. "Taka is a really fast rider. He’s one of the best testers on the grid and he had a fantastic weekend, no doubt. He did very well," concluded Luca Marini. The next race on the MotoGP calendar will head to Motegi, HRC’s home circuit. It will be a special Grand Prix for all Honda riders.

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