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Tenth in the riders' overall standings Luca Marini approaches the first European round of the season with a sense of relief. After the many critical issues encountered in recent years Honda finally seems to have found the right direction to be competitive again. One of the main comforting signs is the increased responsiveness of Japan headquarters from where several updates are on the way.
"We'll have some new parts here, but we'll keep them for testing," the Marche rider revealed, "You have to give time to everything, so in light of the fact that during practice we'll focus on the time attack, most of the new features we'll test on Monday. What do I think of the new approach? I like it very much. The change is not only the child of Albesiano, but it had already begun in 2024. Certainly Romano is doing a great job and has brought with him a good organization that is preventing us from making mistakes. Let's say that he is integrating well and it is very nice to collaborate with him, but it is the Japanese who have as their goal to get back to the front which is then what we all want. Now it is crucial to continue to grow and prevent possible setbacks because we would risk losing months of work. We have to continue in this way.
Until the last championship we could see very important gaps between the riders of the Japanese manufacturer, but now it is the opposite. "All credit to a friendlier RC213V, although it is still lacking in pure performance. Since my arrival we have also moved in a direction oriented to the basic setting of the bike so as to ensure its optimal functioning within a wider range, not for nothing now it behaves well a little bit everywhere. In general, in the past edition of this GP the feedback was not very good, today instead we can say that there has been an overall improvement of the bike."
For the occasion as a wild card there will also be Aleix Espargaro on the track. "He will be a rival like all the others and will be here to do the best possible result. I personally think he will have a good race because he is testing, training and ready. Will he have a lab bike? I don't know but let's hope so. I hope he goes stronger than us," he added.
Asked if he would prefer it to be the riders and teams who would decree the minimum tire pressure, the 27-year-old said, "If the rules are such for safety reasons, it's right for Michelin to decide, we don't have the tools to define it, therefore, we can only accept and do our best. We know what is the range where the coverage is at its best and we try to stay there all the time, then, actually, sometimes it can go lower, but that is related to the new MotoGPs that vary a lot in terms of pressure if you are alone or in slipstream. I don't know if it is because of a tire problem or because of aerodynamics, but we will have to live with it until 2027. Having a low pressure does not give advantages anyway, while having a high pressure is disadvantageous. If you exceed 2.2 bar your race is over. The penalty? It's excessive in my opinion."
Finally a prediction about the weekend. "Qualifying will be key and it will be crucial to get straight into Q2. Since it is a short circuit we will all be close, so it could be a good chance for us," he concluded.
