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MotoGP 2024 in some ways seemed more like a one-make race for victory than a true world championship in which the top manufacturers do battle. That is why looking back, although there was no shortage of head-to-head battles, there were many who raised their eyebrows. Among them was Luca Marini, who from the back of the grid was able to enjoy in peace a show that could have been much more compelling in a different situation.
"For me, the action was nice and I think we also had good racing, the biggest problem is that there are only Ducatis at the top," he told the Crashnet website exclusively. Confirming the Honda rider's claims are the statistics, because out of twenty race weekends, in fact, a Desmosedici came first on 19 occasions and in 17 Sprint Races, leaving the crumbs to the Aprilia, the only one able to hold its own on those rare occasions.
"In the past we never had this kind of situation with so many bikes in the front from the same manufacturer, it was a Honda, a Yamaha, a Honda, a Yamaha, a Ducati. Like this, I think it brings a little bit more spice to the championship. But now, you have to be on Martin's side or on Pecco's side and that's it," he argued his point.
And in 2025, the scenario could become even worse due to coexistence in the official Borgo Panigale team of two big names like Pecco and Marc Marquez. "For me, at the moment, this is the biggest issue of our championship," he warned. Turning to the race format, while appreciating the explosiveness required by Sprint Races, the rider from the Marche admitted he prefers only one GP on Sunday.
"This is something that at the moment we cannot change and I think for the show, for the people watching, the Sprint race is amazing," he continued, "By making two races, you lose a little bit from the 'big event' on Sunday. Now the main event looks a little bit with less emotion. We already know who is going to be on the podium because at the end the level between Saturday and Sunday usually stays the same. For me as a rider, you also have less feelings on the grid on Sunday now, because you already made a race and you know the tyre drop, the fuel consumption and how the bikes will use the tyre. So you are super prepared and miss a little bit of emotion. But it's OK like this, I think for the show we made a good step forward and we have to keep working like this to bring MotoGP back on top of the motorsport," he added.
In spite of the direction taken by the premier class, the start is still decisive for overtaking and making up positions. “We passed through different periods with the starts. At the beginning it was super good. Then introduced new systems, new updates and lost a little bit the direction. The start was becoming a problem because we were very slow. Also because we changed the engine and other parts. But now we’ve come back to a very good level. A fast start is one of our priorities because if you qualify 14th but then gain four positions straight away and the race is much easier. So it’s something that we are always working on,” he concluded.
