Honda rider Luca Marini is ‘certain’ of one thing ahead of Qatar Grand Prix challenges that ‘aren’t easy’

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Luca Marini heads to the Grand Prix of Qatar on the back of taking the Italian’s best result riding with the factory Honda MotoGP team to date last time out in America.

The 27-year-old moved out of sync with the MotoGP rider market before the 2024 season as Marini traded his satellite Ducati at VR46 Racing Team for a factory bike at Honda. A place at the Japanese outfit emerged when Marc Marquez bought himself out of his Honda contract.

It took Marini time to adapt to the RC213V having only previously raced a Honda bike for his Moto3 debut in 2013. The Urbino native failed to get a point in his first eight races last term and ended it on 14. His best finish was P12 at the Emilia Romagna and Thailand Grands Prix.

Marini has already shattered last season’s points tally over the first three rounds of the 2025 MotoGP season after scoring 20 to also sit ninth in the riders’ championship. He has built on each result after coming 12th in Thailand before sealing P10 in Argentina and P8 in America.

Luca Marini is ‘certain’ he can show ‘a lot more’ on his Honda at the 2025 Grand Prix of Qatar

Marini also finished the Sprint Race at the Americas Grand Prix in eighth to also see him rank as the second-best Honda rider behind LCR ace Johann Zarco in seventh with 25 points. He now heads to the Qatar GP confident that Marini can display progress after a year at Honda.

READ MORE: Everything to know about Luca Marini from his net worth to half brother

His debut for Honda at the 2024 Qatar GP proved hugely disappointing as Marini qualified in P21 and was 0.926 seconds slower than teammate Joan Mir. Marini even finished the Sprint Race in P21 as the last finisher and the feature race at the Lusail International Circuit in P20.

It marked a quick regression for the Italian after Marini sealed pole position for VR46 at the 2023 Qatar GP and finished it in third place. A podium might not be on offer at this season’s Qatar GP, but Marini is confident of what he can offer Honda at the challenging Lusail track.

Marini said in Honda’s pre-race press release: “Qatar is next up for us and it will be a good chance to try our bike at a track where sometimes things aren’t easy. It was our first race last year, so I am certain that we can do a lot more!

“The conditions should be a lot more stable than in Austin, but even in Qatar we have some sessions more in the day than at night.”

Luca Marini must maintain his early progress to the 2025 MotoGP season with his Honda future uncertain

Honda will certainly hope Marini can show ‘a lot more’ at the 2025 Qatar Grand Prix than he managed on debut for the Japanese squad at the 2024 season-opener. The Italian lost more than a second per lap to Mir in last year’s meet, as the Spaniard finished 23.8s ahead in P13.

READ MORE: Everything to know about Honda from the MotoGP team’s riders to leadership

Marini has now had a year and 21 more rounds on the RC231V to find his footing and is also starting to find results. Mir took 10 points in this year’s first three rounds from P9 in the Thai Sprint and P8 and P9 in the Termas races after retiring in the Thai and Americas Grands Prix.

It may be vital for him to maintain that edge, as well, as Marini has an uncertain future with Honda targeting Toprak Razgatlioglu. While Mir has a contract for 2026, the Italian is due to be a free agent and Neil Hodgson thinks Honda should swap Marini with Zarco for next year.