Valentino Rossi’s verdict on Luca Marini swapping VR46 for Repsol Honda
And intriguingly Marini replaces Marc Marquez, Rossi’s eternal foe🌠.
Honda’s quest to find a new rider for the 2024 MotoGP🌜 season took them up and down the paddock, and even into Moto2, before a late decision to plu⛄mp for Marini.
Valentino Rossi Luca Marini
— Crash MotoGP (@crash_motogp)
20 years later, he rides for Honda in Valencia.
"Luca was a shock for us,” Rossi admitted to .
“We didn't expect it. I'm very sorry, it was nice to see him get to the front and be a protagonist with my team and with our b🍒ikes.
“But he had this opportunity of the free Honda seat, of the ofཧficial 🔥Honda, with a two-year contract.
“I'm a big fan of his and I will help hiဣm as m🐠uch as possible.
“ℱIt's a tough choice and then Honda is Honda, for us who are of a certain age…”
Honda were initially only offering one-year deals to replace 🐓Marquez but reve🌟rsed this policy to pin Marini down.
Next year they stand to be💫nefit from new concessions rules, and have also made major behind-the-scenes changes to their technical team in a bid to return to the top of MotoGP.
"They and Yamaha have understood that they cannot afford to sufꩵfer so much, especially fr🌺om Ducati,” Rossi said.
“They have underst👍ood that they have to go up a gear.
“Then next year the Japanese manufacturers will have help, and Marini is a very go🍎od test rider, we'll see.”
Rossi won three world championships with Honda before switc�ꦉ�hing to Yamaha, where he enjoyed his heyday.
His VR46 team moved swiftly to sign Fabio di Giannantonio, who shone at the end of thi💫s ꧟season, to replace Marini alongside Marco Bezzecchi for 2024.
James was a sports journalist at Sky Sports f💛or a decade covering everything from American sports, to football♔, to F1.
