Luca Marini’s move to Repsol Honda in MotoGP has not been officially announced yet, but it’s already certain that the change will happen. The departure from Mooney VR46 Racing Team has already been announced, and Valentino Rossi admitted that his brother will embrace a rare opportunity.
Il Dottore told Sky Sport MotoGP: ‘It was a shock because we didn’t expect it at all. I’m very sorry; it was nice to see him stay in front and be the protagonist. I had a good championship with my team, but he had this opportunity with Honda. Each rider has their dreams. You become an official rider with a two-year contract. I will help him as much as I can. Considering how the bike is currently, it’s a difficult choice, but Honda is always Honda’.
And Rossi believes that the Japanese manufacturer will be different: ‘Something will change, in my opinion because Honda and Yamaha cannot afford to compete in MotoGP suffering so much compared to Ducati. They understood that they need to take another step because MotoGP has changed a lot in recent years, especially thanks to Ducati, which has raised the bar. Perhaps the Japanese will also have some concessions. Luca is also a good test rider, so it will be interesting to see how it goes’.