Luca Marini achieved his career-best finish as a Honda MotoGP rider by placing sixth at the German MotoGP held at Sachsenring, despite competing at only 80% fitness. The Italian had returned from injury after missing three consecutive rounds due to a crash on a superbike at Suzuka earlier in the season.
Starting from 15th on the grid, Marini made an impressive initial charge, advancing to ninth position by the end of the first lap. Although he dropped back to 11th during the midsection of the 30-lap race, he gradually regained ground through smart tyre management and capitalized on several crashes involving other riders, securing sixth place by the finish line.
Marini’s Strategic Caution and Tyre Management Amid Challenging Conditions
Marini described his approach as cautious, particularly around Turn 1, where many competitors fell due to front tyre degradation.
“Really happy with my performance in the race,”
he said.
“A lot of riders crashed when the front tyre dropped, so I was especially careful with this at Turn 1 where everyone was falling.”
He praised his strong start but admitted he struggled to defend his position early on.
“I made a really good start and gained a lot, but with new tyres I was not able to defend myself. We are not so competitive at the beginning of the race.”
Physical pain started to affect Marini from lap seven onward, limiting his ability to push aggressively. He explained,
“I had some pain, so I needed to slow down a bit. But this meant I had a lot of tyre left in the end of the race and I could overtake well.”
Final Laps Showcased Marini’s Strength and Tactical Overtakes
In the closing laps, Marini overtook Pramac Yamaha’s Jack Miller for sixth place before fending off KTM’s Brad Binder at the finish. Though he would have preferred to make these passes sooner, Marini’s physical condition restricted his braking power.
“I would like to have overtaken Brad and Jack as soon as possible, but I didn’t have enough strength in the left arm to push more in braking,”
he noted.
“So it was not possible until they lost some grip in the rear tyre.”
He added that with better pace, he could have finished closer to those ahead.
“In my opinion, my pace could be much better and I could finish much closer to Aldeguer [5th] and Fabio [Quartararo, 4th].”
Continued Focus on Bike Improvements and Upcoming Challenges
Marini acknowledged the progress made throughout the weekend but stressed the need for further improvements, especially in qualifying speed and early race laps.
“We’ve done a good job to improve the bike since Friday, but we need to keep working on our one-lap speed and the first laps of a race,”
he said.
With limited recovery time, Marini and the MotoGP paddock will soon head to Brno for the Czech Grand Prix. Notably, Marini had recently participated in a private test at that circuit, which could aid his preparations.
Meanwhile, Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) teammate Joan Mir was forced to retire from the race after contact with Ai Ogura, finishing behind Marini in ninth place.
Our Reader’s Queries
Q. What happened to Luca Marini?
A. The Italian rider went to Japan following the British GP. He had a good first day testing Honda’s CBR1000RR-R SP. Unfortunately, on the second day, Marini crashed. He dislocated his left hip and injured the ligaments in his left knee. He also broke his sternum and left collarbone and had a collapsed lung on his right side.
Q. What are the injuries to Luca Marini?
A. An Italian racer experienced a series of bad injuries, including a dislocated left hip, broken sternum and collarbone, and a collapsed lung during a crash at Suzuka late last month. Speaking to Sky Italia on Friday, he mentioned, “Considering what happened in my crash, I feel very fortunate.”
