Luca Marini finished Saturday’s race in 12th position. The Italian driver picked up 4 points for the championship after failing to score in the Indonesian GP.

This Sunday, the Mooney VR46 Racing Team driver revealed in a debrief his opinion on the decision made by the race directors to cancel the Australian GP Sprint race.

– ‘I think it’s always difficult to make these decisions. Sometimes it’s better to stay on the side of safety, if you look at the trees, the flags and the wind now it’s crazy. All the drivers know that it’s very risky to brake in the first corner in these conditions because you reach 340 km/h and braking is very complicated, the wind pushes you off the track, it was the best decision. In the morning we were still able to drive, I don’t know if the spray from the other drivers was critical because I was alone at the Warm-up, but the problem for me was the temperature in the front tire, it was very low and we had no grip at all, it just got worse with every lap I did.

Asked if the aerodynamics made it more dangerous to ride in the wind, Marini replied: “I don’t know, for me it’s always dangerous and difficult to ride in these conditions. When I was in Moto2 we did the practice session and it was crazy. They canceled the MotoGP session and we didn’t have aerodynamic wings in Moto2 and it was still very dangerous, it was impossible to ride. I don’t think it’s an aerodynamic issue, if it’s not safe to ride we shouldn’t do it, if there are no conditions we should stay safe.

O conteúdo ‘I don’t think it’s an aerodynamic issue, if it’s not safe to ride we shouldn’t do it’ – Luca Marini aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

The start of the first free practice session for the MotoGP Australian GP had a somewhat turbulent moment for Luca Marini in the opening minutes.

Exiting turn 12 onto the main straight, the rider from the Mooney VR46 Racing Team experienced a violent slide of the rear of his Ducati but managed to regain control by lifting the bike after the turn.

Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) was following behind, and it was a close call as the situation could have resulted in a potentially serious crash between the two, as you can watch in the video below.

O conteúdo Video: Scare for Luca Marini and Francesco Bagnaia; crash narrowly avoided aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

In his return after an injury, Luca Marini retired from the main race of the MotoGP Indonesian GP, but until that point, he had an encouraging round, including his first career pole position.

The Mooney VR46 Racing Team rider now faces the Australian GP, aware that the challenges will be different but also optimistic about his chances of delivering a strong performance:

– As a rider, but also as a spectator, the Phillip Island race is magical! Always a wonderful weekend, both from a purely sporting and non-sporting point of view. I’m arriving with this spirit: it won’t be easy, compared to Indonesia everything changes, the tyres, the layout, the temperatures, but I’m sure the Ducati will be competitive as usual. Let’s recover all the energy we can and see you on Friday morning on track to have fun.

O conteúdo ‘Compared to Indonesia everything changes, but Ducati will be competitive as usual’ – Luca Marini aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

Sunday in Mandalika did not go as expected for Luca Marini, who after starting from the first position, was put out of the race by Brad Binder.

And although Marini was sympathetic to his colleague, he made clear his opinion on future penalties in case of more than one racing incident, stating that it was strange for Binder to be double penalized and still get a good result:

– Yes, it is a strange case that perhaps happens for the first time. A lot of riders also crashed, but maybe we can talk a little bit about the penalties and the second one maybe could have been a little bit worse than the first, like in football with the yellow card and the red card. Something like that. Try to think about it all together because we want more security, as usual. This is going to be a point in the next safety committee, I think.

The Italian Mooney VR46 rider was also asked about a possible riders’ committee led by Sylvan Guintoli to help improve the spectacle and the championship, and a minimum salary for all riders on the MotoGP grid, suggested by Johann Zarco:

– At the moment I don’t really know how the situation is, because I missed Japan and in India I haven’t been exchanging so many messages on the phone, so I’m a little bit behind in this (riders’ committee). I know that they are talking and that we are trying to do something good for the future and I hope that everything can be good, because we also need help to put on a better show and make sport better for everyone. It’s in our best interest as well. (…) I think it’s a very complicated thing. It’s a good option, everyone would be happy, especially me and all the riders from the satellite teams, but I think it’s going to be very difficult. But it’s true that now the stress and lack of time is unbelievable. A MotoGP rider currently is in a very complicated situation during the weekend, it’s never easy and if you’re good on the bike, the job is easier, but if you’re struggling and you need to work spending hours in the garage, then you’re also going to need 4/5 hours a day outside the garage and it’s very difficult for us,  But with more money, of course, all the drivers were happier.

Finally, and following the idea of a commission and a minimum wage, Marini said that he does not think it is possible to improve the format of MotoGP race weekends, saying that it is also up to the riders to adapt to it, and if everyone had a Ducati, it would be easier:

– It’s impossible at the moment to improve the format, in my opinion we just have to adapt better. From my side, since the beginning of the season I have understood everything better, I have a better plan and we manage everything in a better way. Of course, with more time, more experience we will be able to adapt even better, but in my opinion the format is now impossible to change, because it is something that is working and the Sprint races are also a good spectacle for the televisions, for the people and for all the fans. (…) We don’t have enough time to work at this point already. On a Ducati I would say maybe we could come here on Saturday and do the Sprint, but for the other riders on the other brands it’s not fair.

O conteúdo ‘The second could perhaps have been a little worse; Like in football with the yellow card and the red card’ – Luca Marini aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

Pole-sitter Luca Marini finished the Sprint race in second position yesterday, ending today’s long race early, through no fault of his own, but because he was hit by Brad Binder.

In a debrief, the Italian rider of the Mooney VR46 explained that there was nothing he could do to avoid the collision, showing himself satisfied with the weekend and not being resentful of Brad Binder:

– No, it was impossible (to dodge), I just saw a flash and fart, that was it. But Brad went to my garage, and I explain everything to me, so now I’m less upset because he said that when he went to the kerb he had a moment with the bike and sometimes it happens that the front pads open. This has happened to me this weekend too and I know that feeling. It was just bad luck in my case. It’s something I can’t control, but I’m more disappointed with my start because my start wasn’t that good, but then when Jorge passed me on the straight, I had to close the throttle because I was almost crashing because of my front tyre and I lost two positions there that for this case, caused me not to be in the correct position for my run. And anyway, it was a good weekend for me, the speed was good, and we’ll see how my physical condition is at Phillip Island, if it’s a bit better. I hope so.

Marini was also asked about the weekend as a whole and if he expected to achieve the results, he achieved in Mandalika, showing that he was somewhat surprised with the way things went, with the certainty that he could fight for the podium without today’s bad luck:

– The race was a bit strange (Sprint), as was the podium. Nobody expected the podium like that. We knew that Maverick could be strong and Jorge the strongest today but seeing the lap times and the pace that everyone had, I could have fought for the podium easily because today was also cold, with the wind. And especially with the rear medium the bike is easier to ride in the physical department, because with less grip the bike wobbles much less, so the effort you must apply to the handlebar is much less…

O conteúdo ‘It was just bad luck’ – Luca Marini aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

Luca Marini finished this Sprint race in Indonesia in second place and was one of the main figures of the day, after securing pole position. The italian reckoned that his position on the starting grid made things easier, and he regretted not being able to catch the winner, Jorge Martin.

Here’s the reaction of the Mooney VR46 Racing Team rider in parc ferme:

– It was unbelievable [the result] but the most important thing was the sensations with the bike. In India I was also very strong and very fast, feeling comfortable. Here I was feeling ok but in FP2 we had some problems, which we understood and fixed it and then everything went well. When you start from pole position the race is a bit easier and I was able to manage the rear tyre, which in these hot conditions was very tricky. In the last few laps I was trying to catch Jorge [Martin] but I lost the front at the entrance to turn 13 and it was a shame but second place is incredible.

O conteúdo ‘If you start from pole position the race is a little easier; I wanted to catch Martin but second place is incredible’ – Luca Marini aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

Three weeks after suffering an injury on a collarbone at the Indian GP, Luca Marini got his first MotoGP pole position this Saturday. At the Indonesian GP, the rider from Mooney VR46 Racing Team beaten Maverick Viñales (Aprilia) by 0.031s in the qualifying session.

In the interview with the official broadcast, the Italian reacted to the result: ‘It’s just amazing. But also in India… it is a period now that I’m feeling really comfortable with the bike, and so strong, so fast. But there is always a problem, like yesterday in the second practice. But yesterday’s evening we understood the problems, we fixed it and this morning the bike was very good. I had a very good feeling with the tyres and it was a pleasure to ride here in this beautiful track. So I’m really satisfied about the job that we’ve done in these two days’.

After the dominance in the qualifying, Marini addmited he expects to have a harder task in the races: ‘I think that for the sprint and for the race on Sunday it will be really though. I expect Aprilia stronger than us, because with these long corners there are a lot of grip and their bike works really well in this track. But I will try to do my best, my 100%, and let’s see what we can achieve’.

O conteúdo ‘It’s a period that I’m feeling really comfortable with the bike, but there is always a problem’ – Luca Marini aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

A surprise in Mandalika, as Luca Marini clinched his first-ever pole position in the MotoGP. The rider set a new circuit record at the Indonesian Grand Prix circuit, being the only one to clock a time in the 1m29s range.

Aprilia started strongly, with Maverick Viñales leading ahead of Aleix Espargaró after the initial flying laps. They swapped positions on their second attempts.

Jorge Martín (Prima Pramac/Ducati) had a crash during his second lap, but the consequences were limited to lost time.

With less than three minutes remaining, Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing Team/Ducati) was the first to break into the 1m29s range, setting a very high bar and outperforming the official Aprilia riders.

In fact, no one could beat the Italian’s lap time until the end, as he secured the pole position with a 0.031s lead over Viñales. Aleix Espargaró will start from third place, ahead of Quartararo. After his crash, Martín managed to secure the sixth position.

Q2 results:

Qualifying results:

O conteúdo Luca Marini dominates the competition in Mandalika to secure his first MotoGP pole position aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

Luca Marini and Enea Bastianini were the fastest riders in the first phase of qualification at the MotoGP Indonesian GP in Mandalika, securing the last spots in the battle for pole position. The championship leader, Francesco Bagnaia, missed out on this opportunity.

After the initial timed laps, Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing Team/Ducati) and Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac/Ducati) held the qualifying positions, while Bagnaia (Ducati) had his lap time canceled.

Zarco took the lead by improving his time, with Franco Morbidelli (Monster Energy Yamaha) taking second place on his second attempt. Bagnaia ended up in third, just 0.006s behind.

With less than three minutes to go, the positions changed again, with Marini moving to first place and Bagnaia to second, before being overtaken by his teammate Bastianini.

No further changes occurred in the qualifying positions, which were held by Marini and Bastianini. Bagnaia missed the entry into Q2 by 0.099s and will start from 13th place. Zarco crashed near the end and was also eliminated, securing the 14th spot on the grid ahead of Morbidelli.

Results:

O conteúdo Luca Marini and Enea Bastianini advance to Q2 in Mandalika; Francesco Bagnaia settles for 13th in Q1 aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

After being absent from the main race at the MotoGP Indian GP and absent of the Japanese GP due to a broken collarbone, Luca Marini arrives in Mandalika this weekend to compete in the Indonesian GP.

The rider from the Mooney VR46 Racing Team has ensured that he feels prepared to get back on the bike: ‘I am happy to return here in Mandalika, in front of all the Indonesian fans who are truly special. The recovery from the injury is progressing well, after the operation I immediately started all the treatments and physiotherapy and I feel ready to get back on the Ducati. We are waiting for the medical check tomorrow, but the goal is to race in all the three races in a row and find the same good sensations in riding as in India’.

Despite expecting a hard task, Marini emphasized that he arrives at Mandalika with great motivation: ‘It won’t be an easy weekend, but I’m motivated to do well also because of all the people who have made me feel their support in recent weeks. The Team, my family, the medical crew, the Academy and all the fans’.

O conteúdo Luca Marini is ready to return to the track at Mandalika aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.