Just read the official press release from the Honda HRC Castrol team ahead of the Grand Prix. MotoGP from Portugal to realize that the joint objective of the team and of Luca marini seems clear: to beat Johann zarco at the end of the season!
“Luca Marini is 18 points behind the Top 10 in the Championship and only six points separate him from Johann Zarco for the title of best Honda rider,” is thus clearly stated, indicating the Frenchman as one of the two objectives to be achieved during the last two Grand Prix to be held.
Of course, it's perfectly normal for a team on the rise to aim for a top-10 finish before the end of the season, but to specifically mention a race within the race between Honda riders is only fair if they have exactly the same equipment. However, we know that, due to supply issues, this wasn't the case, at a time when, coincidence or not, Johann zarco lost the positive momentum with which he was competing.
Luca marini He himself remains more vague, only mentioning "We still have a few things to tick off our list to be truly satisfied with the year."without naming Johann zarco, two places and six points ahead of him.
“We’re back in Europe after a few busy but productive races. Our goals remain the same for Portugal and Valencia: to fight at the front and show our full potential. In 2024, Portimao was only my second race with Honda, and our situation has changed a lot since then, so it’s difficult to compare with our past performances here. There are only two races left in what has been a good 2025 season, but we still have a few things to tick off our list to be truly satisfied with the year. Let’s enjoy these moments with the team and the fans.”
On a circuit where Honda HRC has never won a race in the premier class since its introduction to the calendar in 2020, the trend is clearly in favour of the rider who is nevertheless chasing his first podium with Honda: Luca Marini has only dropped out of the Top 10 twice since returning from injury sustained during practice for the Suzuka 8 Hours, accumulating 73 points since Hungary, compared to just 20 in Johann zarco.
Faced with this clear imbalance, neither his victory at Le Mans in the wet, nor that at the Suzuka 8 Hours, seem, on paper, capable of helping the LCR rider regain his full confidence and the pace demonstrated recently by the two factory Hondas, which are progressing rapidly…
Clearly, between the Ducati-Bagnaia mystery and the Honda-Zarco one, many things remain incomprehensible in MotoGP, even if nothing is ever written in advance!
MotoGP Portugal Marini Zarco
