Luca Marini is not happy in Malaysia. While the firm with the golden wing seemed to be on the rise, Reality caught up with Honda riders on the tortuous Sepang track. Starting with Luca Marini, only 18th, who was unable to worry anyone. His teammates are not doing much better, and even Johann Zarco, who has been quite fast in recent races, was only in 13th position at the finish of the Practice. Clearly, dark days still await Honda, which has not managed to make concrete improvements validated by the riders.
Marini, usually stoic, was quite annoyed after Friday's event. “Today we were very busy trying out a new setup and getting everything ready for the weekend. The new modification does not bring any obvious advantage, so we will return to the specifications we used in previous races." he said. This is problematic, because the Italian's role until the end of the year is limited to testing parts and settings for next year.
Many hands. Light work. Etc. pic.twitter.com/eog0EcxlyI
- Repsol Honda Team (@HRC_MotoGP) November 1, 2024
As if that were not enough, the rear tire does not respond as it would like. Many complain of intense vibrations when braking, and the Honda suffers from this in particular. “We also need to work to better understand the behaviour of the rear tyre, because here it is different from other races. Corner entry is an area we need to work on more, as we are generally stronger in this area » he continued.
Photo: Michelin Motorsport
What can we do, apart from getting back to work, and quickly? « We have some work to do tonight, because I'm not satisfied, but we continue to do our best, as always". We must recognize Marini's involvement in this rather... vague project, let's say. He never seems to give up.
What do you think of his situation at Honda? Tell us in the comments!
MotoGP Practice Result at the 2024 Malaysian Grand Prix:
Classification credit: MotoGP.com
Cover photo: Michelin Motorsport
