In 2024, Luca marini will ride the factory Honda RC213V within the iconic Repsol Honda team. For the 26-year-old Italian, it is a risky change but full of opportunities in the medium term.
Italian Luca Marini will become the 20th driver in history to wear the colors of the Repsol Honda Team as a starter. Joining the World Championship permanently in 2016, Marini took six wins, 15 podiums and five pole positions in the Moto2 World Championship before moving up to the premier class in 2021. Progressing steadily during his first two years in the category , he reached the MotoGP podium for the first time in Austin, at the Circuit of the Americas, finishing second behind Alex Rins on the LCR Honda.
Engaged for the 2024 and 2025 seasons after finishing 8th in the 2023 championship, Luca marini joins Honda's MotoGP project at a difficult time but where concessions could allow the Japanese firm to return to the forefront. After his first test on the Repsol Honda Team RC213V, he looked back on how his career has taken him so far. Joining the most successful team in MotoGP history is a dream for any rider, as Luca Marini admits. The 26-year-old Italian arrives at the Repsol Honda Team with the firm intention of taking the manufacturer to the top of the podium once again.
When did you start to become passionate about motorcycles?
“I mean it's something that was built in me year after year when I was a kid. It was just scooters, trying new things, and then I jumped on a pocket bike when I was four and it was like a game at first. But then I started having a lot of fun, then even more, and the bikes got bigger and bigger, with bigger and bigger tracks and more and more speed. My passion has therefore developed over the years. Getting to the world championship was a dream come true. »
What is your first memory on a motorcycle?
“I don't have many memories from my past, but I do remember one time, one of the first times I rode a pocket bike, with three wheels on the back. The first day, in balance thanks to my father, we said to ourselves: “Okay, today we try to remove them” and it was a great day. »
Can you tell us more about the photos of you in Repsol Honda leather when you were a child?
“It’s something incredible, something like destiny, I don’t know. I don't really remember why I had these leathers. I remember that I was very happy to have these colors, because at that time, those years, it was incredible, like every year in the history of MotoGP with the colors of the Repsol Honda team . So it’s a great pleasure to wear them now in MotoGP. »
Did you know you always wanted to be a pilot?
“It was something that was growing in my head and, around the age of 14, I decided that this could be my life, my work. I really like what I do and I wish I had a job like this. When I was younger, I thought about other sports, even other professions, because I was curious to try a lot of different things, and then it was this one that gave me the more emotions. »
Can you tell us about your journey to joining the World Championship?
“I started with pocket bikes, then Mini GPs, like the Honda NSF trophy with the 100cc four-stroke. It was also a very good bike, very good times, good memories, then I jumped on a Moto3. The Italian championship, in CIV. Then in the European Championship I started to get really big, so I jumped on a Moto2 and after a year in the European Championship I came to the World Championship. I learned a lot and am a better driver and person today because of all the steps I have taken in the past. »
What was your best moment on the track?
“Maybe it's easy, but the first podium at COTA in America was just incredible, a great race and a wonderful place to get on your first podium. So I have very, very good memories, a moment full of emotions that I want to rediscover, here, with these colors. »
How did you join the Repsol Honda Team?
“It was a shock after Marc announced his departure. So me and my group, my manager, we tried to find a way to engage in this new project and improve together to try to build a better, more capable bike to come back and win races and world titles . That's our goal, our goal, so I'm sure there will be some very, very satisfying moments as well. »
What made you join HRC?
“First of all, this is the best team in history. The numbers and the statistics speak for themselves, and it's a very special moment today, but I think we have the power to come back very, very quickly. I will try to give all my feedback, all my energy to this project and I am sure that we will find the right direction and that we will have the power to stay at the top for many years. »
What is your goal for the 2024 season?
“We have to understand our speed, our potential after the first official test and we have to find our balance, find a way to beat our direct opponents who are my teammates, with the same manufacturer, with the same bike: this is the first objective on my side, of course. But I also want to look forward and try to find a way to get on the podium with this bike or get a victory. I know it may be difficult, but we must look to the future. »
How was this first day with the Honda team in Valencia?
“It was incredible, it happened very quickly and the day was already over! But for sure we will have a lot of time during the winter, during testing, during the season to talk with everyone on this team because it's full of people, it's just a dream to work with everyone these people and also with the Japanese. I have a very good feeling, I like this culture and we can have a very good synergy. »
Luca marini has already driven the Honda during the test in Valencia, which he concluded in 10th position on November 28. Before starting the season in Qatar, he will meet the RC213V again during the Sepang tests – from February 1 to 3 and February 6 to 8, and in Qatar on February 19 and 20.
