MotoGP | What's behind Marini's disastrous debut with Honda

The clock cannot be influenced and does not lie, and Marini's regression in Lusail is indisputable. Last November, in his penultimate race aboard the Ducati, he took pole position with a time of 1'51″7. Last Saturday, on his official debut as an HRC rider, Marini failed to get through the first qualifying round (Q1) That time placed him in second to last place on the starting grid.

His time in Q1 was 1'52″9, 1″2 slower than the time that put him at the head of the group in the penultimate round last year. This difference becomes even more relevant when you consider that, in those four months, most of its rivals lowered their records. Jorge Martin, for example, gained a second over his time on the lap that took him to his first pole position of the season. Pecco Bagnaia improved by 1″1 and Brad Binder by 1″8.

Marini finished last in the Sprint, over 25 seconds behind the winner (Martin), and was even beaten by Franco Morbidelli, who arrived in Lusail without having been able to complete a kilometer in the pre-season, due to the accident suffered in Portimao . On Sunday the Honda rider crossed the finish line behind Jack Miller, over 42 seconds behind the winner Bagnaia.

This means that the Pesaro native lapped on average two seconds per lap slower than his VR46 Academy colleague. Joan Mir, the other member of the factory Honda team, outpaced him at every stage of the weekend, although the clearest indication was the 23.8 advantage the Spaniard had over him on Sunday. It's about more of one second per lap.

Immediately after reaching the finish line, Marini said he had a “small technical problem” which made things a little more difficult for him, although he stressed that without it he couldn't have done much more. “In any case, without that problem I wouldn't have been able to fight for the positions my teammate was in (13th),” admitted the Honda newcomer.

As for the “problem” that further complicated Marini's life, Motorsport.com understood that it had to do with the management of the different electronic maps of the RC213V, the result of the moments of confusion that were experienced in the moments before the start , delayed by a breakdown on Raul Fernandez's motorbike.

In any case, this failure in the configuration of prototype #10 does not hide the evident delay in the process of adapting Valentino Rossi's brother to the Honda. Indeed, as Motorsport.com has learned, HRC deemed it appropriate for Marini to travel to Jerez on Wednesday, where the testing facility of the golden wing brand was running with Stefan Bradl, with the sole purpose of allowing him to accumulate more kilometers possible.

For Marini, this debut with Honda was nothing more than the confirmation of the slap that reality had dealt him a few weeks earlier, in the last pre-season test also held at Losail. It was there that all the enthusiasm and optimism that had accompanied the young man since the first time he got on the Honda in Valencia began to turn into concern as the start of the championship approached.

Honda is in the midst of a renovation process that is having a noticeable effect on its garage. The Qatar Grand Prix saw the debut of the new general manager Taichi Honda, replacing Tetsuhiro Kuwata, who acted as his guide. “At the Qatar test, Luca realized how complicated the situation is. Some riders take longer than others to understand that the dynamics at Honda are not as easy to change as one might think from the outside. And he, who is very intelligent, he understood it in a couple of months”, said a source from the Honda garage.

“In fact, HRC was very honest with him when we signed him. We asked him if he was sure, because it wouldn't be easy for him. And he told us he couldn't wait to do it,” continues the authoritative voice, before adding: “But what is clear to him too is that we are doing everything we can to get him out of this situation as soon as possible.” Looking at the Japanese company's display in Lusail, this certainly seems to be the case.

Not only team members Marini and Mir went to Doha, but also the test facility, which arrived directly from Jerez, where Bradl had completed some tests. The intention was to be able to incorporate some of the parts that the German had tried and seemed to like. One of these was the rear rim that Zarco had the opportunity to test and which he used in free practice on Saturday morning, the one that led the way between Q1 and Q2.

This rim, which did not satisfy the Frenchman from the LCR team because it caused annoying vibrations, is produced by Marchesini, a different supplier to the one that uses the RC213Vs of Marini and Mir (OZ). This makes it impossible for the Italian and Majorcan to test the component. At least for the moment, given that Honda seems determined to get out of the hole it finds itself in, even if this means breaking some of the alliances still in place.