MotoGP Argentina J2 Luca Marini (Ducati/3) on the podium but pessimistic: “I’m missing something”

Finally, we find Luca Marini at the forefront. Highly visible during the winter tests, the Italian stood out in Portugal, but not for the right reasons. In fact, his fall on Saturday precipitated that of Enea Bastianini, still sidelined from the circuits due to his injury. On Sunday, the Mooney VR46 Racing Team driver suffered the same fate. Two mistakes in one weekend for such a consistent man who, what's more, had never fallen into the premier category! In front of Marco Bezzecchi, Luca Marini knows it: he must raise his level of play. During the Sprint, he delivered a very good performance which, we hope, will finally launch his season.

The term “ascent” is obviously reserved for Brad Binder on the evening of this second Sprint. But let's not forget; Luca marini started from 7th place, which is also remarkable. In the columns of GP One, the Italian looks back on his performance. “ We had to bounce back after Portimão, and this was the best way to do it. I got a good start, and I had a bit of luck in the first corner… » he admitted.

 

We said it before the start of the season, the rare profile of Luca marini does not correspond exactly to that favored by the new format. However, he performed very well despite an insufficient pace according to his own words: “ If you start from the back, it's very difficult. I'm not so happy with the pace, I need to improve by a few tenths to be good tomorrow. We will look at my race and study what we can still improve ».

 

Reserved in nature, Luca marini was not exultant at the finish despite the intensity of these 20 minutes of racing. He was already planning on starting the Grand Prix, and even declared, in a post-race interview, that he thought “not being able to make the podium” in this way. “ There were only half the laps, and we didn't have to worry about the tires. However, I had difficulty braking, I wasn't as strong as usual » continued the student of Valentino Rossi. If when he is not comfortable, Luca marini finished 3rd, so we'll let you imagine the driver's potential on a good day.

Normally, his racing pace and consistency throughout the laps are two of his greatest qualities. Can he find a solution to this problem during the short warm-up? Reply in a few hours.

 

Here are the results of the Sprint run as part of the 2023 Argentine Grand Prix:

 

Classification credit: motogp.com

Cover photo: Michelin Motorsport