MotoGP, Marini: "We're experimenting. The slipstream here is worth 3 tenths."

Luca Marini came in 14th in the morning and three positions further back in pre-qualifying, so he'll be trying again tomorrow, hoping to access the Q2 and start not too far behind in the two races at the Buriram circuit. But, as usual, Rossi's half brother was positive in his way of analyzing his and the Honda's performance.

"It's too bad that I didn't get into the Q2, because I did a perfect lap attached to Marquez and didn't lose him at any point. It seemd impossible not to have made it, but there are many accelerations here, and you're on the gas on the straight several times," he said at the end of Friday. "But the slipstream counts a lot and, in fact, I gained three tenths. Tomorrow I'll have to try to do the same. I had already tried to attack Viñales, but he went wide at Turn 3, so I ended up doing the lap alone. I think we have a lot of room for improvement. We're trying a different set-up here, more load on the rear tire in view of 2025. The change isn't huge, but it's there, and we need to adapt. Overall, we have an idea of the direction we need to take, and there's also work to be done on the electronics."

For the HRC rider, the things he needs to fix for the future are clear. "Ducati, KTM, and Aprilia make the rear tire work better and with more load. While waiting for the frame and swingarm next year, we're trying to give as much information as possible to the Japanese. I think we're very close to taking away that half-second disadvantage we have. Once we take that step, we'll get good races. If we can make the rear work well in the last part of braking, so we can stop better, and in the first part of the climb up to the 35th bend, that would be good progress," he said, analyzing the situation and confiding on being on a sort of laboratory bike.

"For the last races, we'll keep the current package, doing only some experiments. I think it's a good time to do them because, with the new aerodynamics, the RC213 V has reached a good potential, and I feel really improved, so it's fair to try something alternative. In my opinion, passing the Q2 on Friday is easier than on Saturday morning. In any case, tomorrow I'll have to do a perfect lap, trying to catch the slipstream," he concluded.