Marco Bezzecchi
Valentino Rossi may be a little disappointed with how his VR46 team are faring this season. They’re currently losing out to Gresini in the battle of the Ducati satellite squads.
Ahead of the Aragon Grand Prix, VR46 are third in the standings, 134 points adrift of the factory team, but also 42 behind Gresini. They entered the year as second-in-command, with Fabio di Giannantonio receiving a current-spec bike.
The minimal performance difference between the GP25 and GP24 has dulled that advantage. Di Giannantonio and Franco Morbidelli are closely matched, with just 10 points separating them.
Morbidelli signed a one-year deal at VR46 when he joined from Pramac over the winter. He arrived as the replacement for Marco Bezzecchi, who switched to Aprilia.
With rider #21 picking up two podiums and leading the way for the team in the championship, a contract extension looked likely. But Jorge Martin’s potential Aprilia exit has completely changed the rider market picture.
Gavin Emmett reckons Valentino Rossi may consider saving Luca Marini
There’s now a strong prospect that Luca Marini, Rossi’s half-brother, loses his seat at Honda. He’s in the final year of his deal, which makes him extremely vulnerable.
The two-time podium finisher is currently injured after a serious crash in testing for the Suzuka Eight Hours. Previous reports claimed that Alberto Puig valued Marini’s contribution, but TNT Sports commentator Gavin Emmett understands that’s not necessarily the case.
Marini represented VR46 during their first two years in the championship. Emmett has now hinted that Rossi could consider bringing him back to keep him on the grid, which may come at the expense of Morbidelli.
“Luca Marini, having been the only rider not to have crashed in MotoGP this year, finds himself laid up in a Suzuka hospital, having suffered injuries not dissimilar to Jorge Martin’s, with a possibility that he’s going to lose his ride for 2026,” Emmett said.
“It is said that Puig himself isn’t a huge fan. What does that mean for the VR46 team, because Franky Morbidelli is out of contract? He is out-performing Fabio di Giannantonio on a GP25.
“Di Giannantonio has a two-year deal, but would Valentino let his little brother [go] without a ride?”
Honda’s best line-up for the 2025 season is obvious amid Jorge Martin links
It’s worth stressing that Rossi also has a close relationship with Morbidelli, a graduate of his academy. That would intensify his dilemma.
There’s talk that Joan Mir’s Honda contract isn’t watertight, even if it runs until the end of 2026. But the consensus is that Marini is the rider who will be sacrificed if Martin becomes available.
The weakest member of the Japanese manufacturer’s line-up is unquestionably the rookie Somkiat Chantra. Honda engineers have been disregarding Chantra’s data, such is his pace deficit, and observers have said he looks ‘terrified’ from trackside.
On merit, Honda should arguably field Martin and Mir in the factory team, and retain Marini at LCR next to Johann Zarco. But commercial interests could keep Chantra on the grid and spell the end for Rossi’s family member.
Receive racing news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
