Luca Marini thinks Honda can now do the ‘impossible’ after his ‘mistake’ at the Thai Grand Prix

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Luca Marini matched his best result riding the Honda RC213V at the 2025 season-opening Thai Grand Prix at Buriram and believes the ‘impossible’ is now possible.

The 27-year-old kicked off his second campaign with the works Honda crew on Sunday after joining to replace Marc Marquez in 2024. Life with the Japanese brand was initially tough for the Italian as Marini did not score any points during his first eight rounds upon leaving VR46.

Marini began to turn a corner with his performances on the RC213V towards the end of last term, and his adaptation to the Honda bike has continued into the new campaign with 12th place in the Thai Grand Prix. Only twice last year did Marini finish as high as P12 in any race.

Luca Marini thinks the ‘impossible’ is now on for Honda after his Thai Grand Prix recovery

One of Marini’s P12 finishes in his first term with Honda last year even came at Buriram. The Urbino native first got his joint-best result on the RC213V at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, sparking a run of scoring points in five of the final seven rounds that he continued into 2025.

Marini is ‘very satisfied’ to record another P12 at the Thai GP, where Marquez left Francesco Bagnaia looking beaten, to start 2025 after the Honda rider made a costly ‘mistake’ when he failed to engage his launch device. It saw the 2020 Moto2 runner-up drop from P16 into last.

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Carving his way back through the rear of the field to finish in P12 after falling to P22 is a feat Marini thinks would have been ‘impossible’ on the Honda last year. But the feat is now on in 2025 after an encouraging start as the second-best Honda, with LCR’s Johann Zarco in P8.

“At the start, there was a mistake on my part,” Marini said, via Motorsport.com. “I arrived last on the grid, so I was in a hurry when I did the procedure. I was hasty in connecting the launch device, which then didn’t activate, and I set off without it.

“With today’s bikes, it only takes a small detail like that to find yourself last in the first corner. But then I made a good comeback to 12th place. And I have to be very satisfied because last year it was impossible to think of coming back like that.”

How far behind Ducati are Honda after the 2025 season-opener at Buriram?

Despite Marini’s glee with his P12 at the Thai Grand Prix – 8.715 seconds behind Zarco in P7 with LCR, 3.528s more than in 2024 for P12 and P8 – the Italian is still unsure how far Honda actually are from the front as Marquez won the 2025 Thai GP on his Ducati debut with ease.

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Marquez intentionally gave up the lead at Buriram to his brother, Alex Marquez, to bring his front tyre pressure up. But once the Spaniard met the minimum number of laps with a legal pressure, he comfortably passed the Gresini ace and ran off to win at Buriram last weekend.

“I think we’ve gained four-tenths compared to 2024,” Marini continued. “Last year we were, perhaps, 1.2 seconds behind the Ducati and now we’re probably eight-tenths. Although we don’t know if Marc Marquez still has anything in his pocket.

“He also had to manage the front tyre pressure in the race. But I think we can get closer over the course of the season, and I hope it happens as soon as possible.”