Luca Marini: The MotoGP engineers should test the bikes themselves!

At the most recent MotoGP event, too, it was Luca Marini who delivered the most efficient performance for his employer. Although Rossi’s half-brother failed to make it through to Q2, he lived up to his status as Honda’s leading rider at the highlight of the event – finishing 9th for the rider currently 10th in the World Championship standings.

The progress made by the project since the reorganisation at HRC, including the appointment of Romano Albesiano, cannot be overlooked. It was Marini who lifted his team out of the manufacturers’ concessions basement at the 2025 finale. Crucial progress was made through new engine upgrades. A new carbon swingarm and a wave of aerodynamic updates initially brought Honda back on a level footing with the competition.

MotoGP aerodynamics: there is still a lot of work to be done

However, when it comes to aerodynamics in particular, the competition – and especially the two Italian factory teams – have long since introduced the next stages of evolution. According to Luca Marini, the fact that Honda is currently hitting an invisible wall is also linked to the state of aerodynamic development. After all, it is still generally underestimated today. Marini, speaking to SPEEDWEEK.com: “I agree with the engineers who work on aerodynamics – but I also maintain that they still haven’t realised just how important this area is.”

Luca Marini lädt die MotoGP-Ingenieure zur Entwicklungsfahrt ein

Foto: Gold and Goose

Marini continues: “In my opinion, the reason is that they don’t ride the motorbike themselves. To fully grasp the implications, they’d have to test the bike themselves. I’ve been saying this since my first year at Honda – at least some of the engineers should experience for themselves how the motorbike behaves with and without wings. Only then does the true picture emerge – there is still so much room for improvement in this area.”

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There’s still plenty of leeway in the regulations

The works rider sums up the arguments: “Development in the field of aerodynamics is very efficient. New parts can be implemented more quickly and, as things stand today, there is still a great deal of leeway in the regulations. I’m urging the engineers to invest even more in this area of development.”

Luca Marini is considered a strong candidate for a MotoGP contract with the French Tech3 team, which will continue to operate as a closely affiliated KTM customer team in the coming years. It remains to be seen whether the engineers from Austria, under Luca Marini’s guidance, will occasionally swap the simulation computer for a leather suit.