As it gradually became one of the best bikes on the grid in the hands of the officials, Honda stops at Phillip IslandLuca Marini, a regular top-five contender for some time now, has been struggling to get the RC213V to work in Australia, just like Joan Mir, Johann Zarco, and Somkiat Chantra. The Italian was still the best-placed of this contingent, but that doesn't matter to him. Marini feels he's struggling, more than anywhere else.
The teams at the gold-winged firm never imagined they would encounter such difficulties. « This weekend we have more problems than expectedI could have had a better start, which cost me places, and we compromised the final result. We hope to do better tomorrow. The mechanics did an incredible job preparing the bike for the race » he confided for Sky Sports.
Ninth on the grid for @ Luca_Marini_97 after a fairly dramatic morning. pic.twitter.com/J5BeOk51RJ
— Honda HRC Castrol – MotoGP (@HRC_MotoGP) October 18, 2025
There are a few things missing for the RC213V to compete with the Aprilias and other KTMs at Phillip Island. « We are still missing something in qualifying; it would be important to start from the front row to achieve better resultsSince last year, the race pace has not been bad; the consistency is uneven; when you fit a new tire for a time trial, nothing changes. We still have trouble getting out of corners » he continued.
Photo: HRC
He spoke more about the problems encountered so far. « The bike doesn't turn, it doesn't develop traction and it's very nervous at the rearWe seek a compromise to find the best package, but we cannot solve all the problems. If we had only one critical point, we would focus on it, and it would be easier to improve performance. But working on different points at the same time complicates the task." he concluded.
Do you think Luca Marini and his team can find a solution for tomorrow? Tell us in the comments!
2025 MotoGP Australian Grand Prix Sprint Result:
Classification credit: MotoGP.com
Cover photo: HRC
