Despite the "small technical problem" that affected Luca Marini's race in Qatar's MotoGP season-opener, in recent days there have been several events that suggest the Italian's adaptation to the Honda is proving more complicated than anticipated.
The stopwatch can't be influenced and doesn't lie. Marini's regression at Losail is unquestionable. Last November, in his penultimate race on a Ducati, he took pole position in Qatar with a time of 1m51.7s. Last Saturday, on his debut as an HRC rider at the same venue, Marini failed to progress beyond Q1. His time of 1m52.9s placed him second to last on the grid and was 1.2 seconds slower than the effort that put him at the front of the pack in 2023's penultimate round.
That difference becomes even more pronounced if we consider that, in those four months, most of his rivals improved their lap times. Jorge Martin gained a second on his 2023 time as he took the first pole position of the new season. World champion Francesco Bagnaia improved by 1.1s, and Brad Binder by 1.8s.
Marini finished 21st and last of the classified runners in the sprint race, more than 25s behind winner Martin, and was even beaten by Franco Morbidelli, who arrived at Losail without completing a single lap in pre-season testing due to the accident he suffered at Portimao. Then in Sunday's grand prix Marini crossed the finish line 20th, ahead only of Jack Miller, more than 42s behind the victorious Bagnaia.
That means the Pesaro-born rider lapped an average of two seconds per lap slower than his VR46 Academy colleague. Marini's Honda factory team-mate Joan Mir outpaced him at every stage of the weekend, the clearest indication of that being his 23.8s advantage on Sunday as the 2020 world champion finished 13th. That deficit equates to more than a second per lap over the 21-tour duration.
After the race, Marini said he had a "small technical problem" that made things a little more difficult for him. But he also pointed out that, without it, he wouldn't have been able to do much more. "In any case, without that problem, I wouldn't have been able to fight for the positions my team-mate moved up to [having started 17th]," admitted the Honda newcomer.
As for the "problem" that further complicated Marini's life, Motorsport.com understands that it had to do with the management of the different electronic maps of the RC213V, the result of the moments of confusion that were experienced right before the start, delayed by a failure on Raul Fernandez's bike.
In any case, this failure in the configuration of the #10 bike does not mask the obvious delay Valentino Rossi's brother is suffering to adapt to his new machinery. In fact, HRC considered it appropriate for Marini to travel to Jerez on Wednesday, where Honda's test team was running with Stefan Bradl, with the sole aim of allowing him to accumulate as much running as possible.
For Marini, his Qatar debut with Honda was nothing more than confirmation of the reality check he had received a few weeks earlier in the last pre-season test, also held at Losail. It was there that all the excitement and optimism that had accompanied the youngster since he first got on the Honda in Valencia started shifting to concern as the new season loomed closer.
Honda is in the midst of a revamp that is having a noticeable effect on its factory team. The Qatar Grand Prix marked the first appearance of Taichi Honda in his new role as general manager, replacing Tetsuhiro Kuwata, who acted as his guide.
"In any case, without that problem, I wouldn't have been able to fight for the positions my team-mate moved up to"
Luca Marini
"At the Qatar test, Luca realised how complicated the situation is," a source from the Honda garage tells Motorsport.com. "Some riders take longer than others to understand that the dynamics at Honda are not as easy to change as you might think from the outside. And he, being very clever, has caught on in a couple of months.
"In fact, HRC was very honest with him when we signed him. We asked him if he was sure, because it wasn't going to be easy for him. And he told us that he was really looking forward to it," continues the authoritative voice, before adding: "But what is also clear to him is that we are doing everything in our power to get him out of this situation as soon as possible."
Looking at the Japanese company's display at Losail, that seems to be true. Marini and Mir's crews were joined by the test team, which arrived directly from Jerez, where Bradl had been testing. The intention was to incorporate some parts that the German had been trialling, and which he seemed to like.
Among them was a rear wheel that LCR's Johann Zarco was given to test. He used it in Saturday morning's practice, the one that made the cut between Q1 and Q2. That wheel, which the Frenchman reported had caused uncomfortable vibrations, is manufactured by Marchesini, a different supplier to the one used by Marini and Mir's RC213Vs (OZ) under contract. This made it impossible for the factory riders to test the component, or at least for the moment. Honda therefore seems determined to get out of the hole it is in, even if that means breaking some of the alliances still in place.
