Will Luca Marini leave VR46? The HRC rider’s answer

Luca Marini finished his second MotoGP season with Honda in 13th place in the final standings. A pity about the injury sustained during the Suzuka test, which forced him to miss three Grands Prix. Without that incident, he would have had the chance to establish himself as the best Honda rider in the 2025 season, having ended the Championship six points behind Johann Zarco.

The rider from Tavullia deserves credit for recording the fewest crashes among all MotoGP riders. The credit goes not only to his riding style but also to the evolution of the RC213V, especially at the front. He ended the season with just three incidents; only wildcard and replacement riders did better. "I have a great feeling with the bike," explained Luca Marini. "Every time I push to the limit, when I lose the front, I manage to save it, because the Honda gives me a great feeling in that sense. It has improved a lot compared to the past."

His best result in the last MotoGP season was 5th place, collected in Hungary and Indonesia. The road to the podium still seems a long one, but Valentino Rossi’s brother doesn’t stop believing. "You don’t see me on TV because I’m still too far back, but I risk crashing many times. But as I said, it’s a friendly bike in this area, especially at the front, and I can save it many times... If you make a big mistake, you can still crash. However, we’ve made a big step forward in this area and now the bike is much easier and more intuitive to ride, even at the rear."

Marini crashed nine times in his rookie MotoGP season in 2021 with VR46 Ducati, then seven times in 2022, sixteen in 2023. He crashed only four times during his debut season with Honda in 2024. Ahead of him he has another year on his contract to continue growing with Honda and try to win races. He considers it a realistic goal after the significant progress of the RC213V, which reached the podium several times this season and even tasted victory at Le Mans with Zarco. A win that seems more like a stroke of luck than a true success. But now things are changing.

What hasn’t changed is Luca Marini’s desire to stay with Honda in the future. But would that also mean a break with the VR46 Academy? The HRC rider answers with a firm no. "That’s not the case. Whenever I can, I spend time with them," he said in an interview with Motorsport. "It’s true that in a factory team we have more events and meetings than in a private team, so it’s harder to find time to be with the Academy guys. Now ‘Bez’ is also in a factory team, as is Pecco. Being together isn’t so easy, but among us it’s all as always."