Luca Marini’s Promising Finish at Mugello Sparks Optimism for Repsol Honda’s Future

Luca Marini ‘feeling positive,’ final pace ‘nearly within the top ten’

Luca Marini remarked, 'During the last seven laps, I felt positive, and my speed was nearly on par with the top ten.'

Luca Marini is yet to score his first points with Repsol Honda, but the Italian rider feels optimistic about their progress after a promising conclusion at the Mugello MotoGP in his homeland.

In an uncommon turn of events, Marini clocked his fastest lap of the race on the 23rd and final lap, whereas all other riders hit their peak performance by lap 12. He believed that his pace towards the end of the race was 'nearly matching the top ten' during what he considered his best performance on the RCV so far.

Similar to his teammate Joan Mir, Marini was competing with Honda's newest aerodynamic setup for the first time in Italy.

The MotoGP engine list indicated that Marini continued to use the 'new configuration' engines, which were said to have reduced inertia to help with cornering, and had been introduced the previous week in Barcelona.

Marini commented that he believed this race surpassed his performance in Barcelona. He noted that in the final seven laps, he felt strong and his speed was nearly on par with the top ten racers. Marini finished just under a second behind the only other Honda rider to complete the race, Johann Zarco from LCR, who came in 19th.

"There's definitely more work ahead since the gap to first place is significant, but we're now heading in the right direction."

"It's unfortunate that I couldn't deliver a stronger performance for the supporters, but things will improve going forward. We've established a solid foundation, and now it's crucial to focus on perfecting the finer points."

"Tomorrow's test provides an opportunity for experimentation."

Mir decided that the improved turning capabilities in Barcelona weren't worth the reduced traction from the updated engine specification, so he reverted to using the standard engines for the Mugello race.

The Spanish driver had an accident on the seventh lap, causing him to drop out from his

He mentioned that the bike was performing well at the beginning of the race and that all the conditions were right to move ahead, so it was unfortunate to have an accident on the seventh lap.

"I managed to apply pressure at the front and engaged in a tussle with Pol Espargaro. I noticed the leading pack beginning to pull away while we were in the midst of our skirmish."

"Approaching Turn 1, I braked behind him and lost control of the front, resulting in a fall. It’s definitely disappointing, but we’ll regroup and prepare for tomorrow’s test to experiment with some new ideas."

It is believed that the Repsol riders will have another engine upgrade to test during Monday’s official session.

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