Luca Marini on the new weekend format: “They’ll have more work to do!”

A key topic of discussion in Indonesia was the new schedule for MotoGP weekends, which will come into effect from 2027. Honda works rider Luca Marini also gave the matter a great deal of thought. The 29-year-old half-brother of Valentino Rossi can see the merit in the ideas – but he also recognises that it will mean more work for race control.

“I think it could ultimately be a positive change,” said Marini, who will be riding for KTM Tech3 in 2027. “Having two qualifying sessions is something we’ve been asking for ever since the sprint race was introduced. So it’s quite interesting. Let’s see how it turns out next year. There will, of course, be lots of changes. But I feel that we’re doing everything the right way to ensure MotoGP grows strongly. So I hope that all the fans will enjoy it too and understand that this is the best motorsport in the world.”

“Il Maro” continued: “I don’t remember exactly, but some riders complained back then about other riders tailing them and things like that. From then on, we started spreading the riders out over a 15-minute period. That’s not so easy to manage. Of course, race control will have more work to do with penalties, because that can happen. But it’s our job to get it right and put on the best possible qualifying session. I know it’ll be a bit harder for us riders because we’ll have more time trials and more full-throttle laps, rather than just free practice sessions.”

“There’s one more thing: with the aerodynamics, with the wings, it’s not always the best solution to follow other motorbikes,” Marini continued. “I know it’ll be a bit less of an issue next year, but I think the aerodynamic aspect will still be key to the bike. You’ll always see fast riders trying to ride on their own – because, at the end of the day, the bike works well when you’ve got clean air.”

Luca Marini: Warm-up is important

Marini does, however, regret that there will be no warm-up session in 2027. “As for the warm-up: yes, it’s a shame. I think it’s something really useful for us riders. If you crash in the sprint or make a change to the bike, it’s always nice to have those ten minutes in the warm-up.”

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In return, from next season onwards, riders will have ten minutes on Sunday for formation laps immediately before the race start. “Those ten extra minutes before the start, if we need them, the riders will probably have to do on the second bike, because otherwise we won’t be able to manage the fuel,” mused Marini. “But luckily we have two motorbikes. So perhaps you’ll complete those ten minutes during the open pit lane on one motorbike and then take the other to ride out onto the starting grid. I think we’ll have to work that out, but obviously the teams have already given it some thought.”