At the end of the first round of testing of the 2021 MotoGP season in Qatar, we observe the incongruous situation of a beginner Luca Marini placed in front of his experienced brother Valentino Rossi!
It would be childish to want to draw the slightest projection for the coming season, but, with a best time 1,6 seconds behind the leader fabio quartararo, we can still say that the rookie's first steps went rather well. A first assessment that the doctor salutes, while explaining its relative poor performance: “Toward the end, unfortunately, I had some problems with the bike, so I couldn't do the time attack at the end of the day. If that hadn't been the case, I could have improved a little. But I'm happy for Luca, I spoke with him today and he was happy because his pace is not bad. He's already driven well and made a good step forward from yesterday, so it's a positive day. He is happy ! »
The person concerned is logically in the midst of a euphoric period of progress, having discovered during the shakedown the specificities of the Michelin tires and the carbon brakes which equip his Ducati. Credited with a 1'58.376 on the first day, the Sky VR46 Avintia driver peaked in 1'57.335 the next day, before finishing in 1'55.605 during the last session.
“What incredible power: I expected it, but the first outing was very special. I had a few good laps, just focusing on my riding style to gain confidence. The braking surprised me, I'm not completely comfortable with the carbon discs because it's different and I definitely need to work on my style. Today I was able to improve the position on the bike by working on the details of the tank, handlebars and saddle. The Ducati is big, but I'm very tall. I'm not very happy with the time, but tomorrow we can take a step. A busy day, but physically I feel good. »
From this almost naive narration of his discovery on the evening of the shakedown, the Italian pilot moved on to a more ambitious analysis before enjoying two days of rest...
“Of the three, today is definitely the day I enjoyed the most. I was able to ride more easily, I made a good step forward on the settings and a great job in the box. I worked a lot on my braking riding style and now I'm closer to the other guys on Ducati. These days, before the second practice session, we will check the data to understand where to focus and evolve my style. The driving position is better, I can do more laps and keep a good pace. I'm doing a lot of things in terms of electronics, I have more confidence at the front too and I've attacked more on the tires which are really very different from those of Dunlop. We have to work on a lot of details to be 100%, but we can think about a race simulation in the next session. »
Luca marini knows: This year, he will not be compared to Valentino Rossi but to the two other rookies who are starting on Ducati, starting with his own teammate, the Moto2 world champion Enea Bastianini.
The latter preceded him by a tenth on the track, while the Pramac driver George Martin only concedes to him 3 hundredths: The fight will be tough among the young shoots of Borgo Panigale, and it starts again today!
Credit ranking: MotoGP.com
