Finally, the two MotoGP Grands Prix which took place this year in Portimão lead to the same result for Luca marini : A twelfth place adding four points to his purse!
There was therefore no real progress during the Algarve Grand Prix for the Sky VR46 Avintia driver, even if the latter can be satisfied with scoring points again for the 11th time of the season.
After going directly to Q2 on Saturday morning (9th at the end of Fp3 against 7th last April), the Italian rookie started from 12th position on the grid due to a crash in qualifying (compared to 8th in April). The 24-year-old driver then struggled to hold his position at the start of the race. Relegated to 18th place after 7 laps, he then recovered to get closer to the Top10 in the last laps before the red flag.
In addition to the 4 points collected, Luca Marini also had fun during a great fight with his famous brother who finished 3 tenths behind him and was preparing to launch a new attack when the red flags were waved...
Luca marini : " Definitely a compromised race at the start. My goal was not to lose too many positions at the start but unfortunately I lost six or seven places on the first lap. Everyone has taken a big step forward in this area, while we have not. It seems that the other manufacturers and teams have improved a lot in this area, but from start to first braking I am still losing a lot of time. I'm a little disappointed with that, because I think my pace would have been a little better if I had stayed further forward. At the beginning it was also difficult to overtake the other drivers because they were very aggressive. It wasn't easy to fight with them, so I lost a lot of time, then I started going fast. In the end, my pace was very consistent. I'm happy I chose the Hard on the rear, which was definitely the right decision for my riding style as I had a lot of confidence with it, but had difficulty overtaking. I'm still disappointed with the result, and although I learned a lot in the race, we will work on this to improve for next season as well. »
Reuben Xaus : " A crescendo weekend: A good Friday and excellent free practice on Saturday. Too bad for the fall in Q2 because Luca did not find the same confidence with the second bike. We could have gotten closer to the Top6 in qualifying, started in the leading group and kept their pace in the race. On such a difficult and particular track, it is very difficult to go back up. We will continue to progress to conclude in the best possible way in Valencia. »
