MotoGP, Marini: “Impossible to find a weak point to the 2022 Ducati”

Unlike Marco Bezzecchi, Luca Marini takes on MotoGP as an "expert", remaining with the Mooney VR46 team. Valentino Rossi’s brother already has one season under his belt, a year in which he learned a great deal: “2021 wasn’t terrible, but it was hard, definitely. But I’ve learned a lot of the fundamentals, putting all the details together”.

Luca has the right enthusiasm to do well in Qatar, and throughout the championship in fact: "I’m living a dream, in the reigning class of motorcycling. I have a good team, they're strong and the Ducati is impressive. In fact, compared to the version I rode last year, I can’t find any weak points to the GP22".

Marini previously rode the GP19 and is now experiencing a significant step up in terms of competitiveness: "Yes, like I’ve said, but we need to move forward with the development, and do it right. I can express my riding style with this bike and feel more natural in the saddle, avoiding any unnecessary effort. Added to which, I’m also more experienced as a rider”.

Enjoyment will depend on the... speed

Luca is pleased and it shows – the track is his favourite part of the job. The number 10 rider is asked whether he’ll enjoy himself: “Ah, no doubt but, you know, it depends whether we’re fast. Enjoyment doesn’t have to do with the results but the feeling in the saddle, the lap times. The competitiveness, essentially”.

What does a rider need to do to run up front in MotoGP? The qualifying sessions are key: "Fundamental I’d say”, he continues, “because we’re all within a few tenths of each other. There are sometimes 20 riders within a second, particularly in testing. This happens less often over a race weekend.”

Marini expands: "You need to get straight into Q2, or it’s tough. I hope to do that here at Losail. Q2 is the most important part of the race, which will run at 6pm this year. Better, hopefully the temperature won’t drop too much and the tyres won’t suffer. We’ll need to choose the right visor, with the sun going down. Formula1 raced here so we might find some potholes but… I like racing at tracks where F1 comes, a category that always puts on a show".

Translated by Heather Watson

MotoGP, Bezzecchi: “I’m 50% there, but i have Valentino’s advice”