Far from the spotlight, a match takes place which, although not glorious, turns out to be as friendly as it is symbolic...
On the one hand, Valentino Rossi, 42, who is in his last season in MotoGP, under the Petronas Yamaha SRT colors. The nine-time world champion will bow out at the end of the year, and until then, try to have fun on the track, which is not always easy these days...
On the other side, Luca marini, 24, is discovering this year the world in which his half-brother has been evolving for 22 years, that of the premier category of motorcycle Grands Prix, riding a Ducati GP19 from the Sky VR46 Avintia team.
The two brothers therefore have this 2021 season alone to carry out a sort of handover, failing a transfer of power. And they don’t hold back! Since the start of the year, they have been struggling in the world championship rankings, like “a shot to you, a shot to me” .
Valentino Rossi opened the hostilities in Qatar but was equalized in Portugal before a first perfect tie in France. The Doctor then took back command of this family competition at Mugello before seeing his brother return to a strict tie during the last Grand Prix at Silverstone, with 28 points each. Luca Marini is in fact more and more often in the group fighting for points, on the edge of the Top10 and direct access to Q2.
This race within the race will therefore have a new round this weekend in Aragón, a circuit on which the youngest of the family does not expect to have an easy time...
Luca marini : " Aragón is a very special circuit, but it's not one of my favorites on the calendar. Last year the Ducatis struggled here, so, at least on paper, I expect a complicated Grand Prix, although a lot has changed in 2021. It will all depend on what temperature we find and tires that they will bring us. We will have to adapt as best we can and quickly: the goal, as always, is to stay as close as possible to the other Ducati and collect as many points as possible. »
Reuben Xaus : " Aragón is almost a home race for part of the team, given the proximity to Andorra. This will be extra motivation for everyone to do well. The circuit features two long straights where the full power of the Ducati can be exploited. We need to work on the details to get the bike to perform at its best in certain sections of the circuit, but overall we can think about staying in the wake of the strongest guys. Luca is clearly progressing, the improvement is constant and he has more and more confidence in himself. He can be very fast, have fun and give his best to collect the most possible. »
