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Luca Marini's Grand Prix debut on the Honda was below expectations. Last in the Sprint, penultimate in qualifying and in the race, especially in the comparison with Zarco (also arrived from Ducati), who was able to be the best rider on the RC213V on Sunday in Qatar, with 12th place. A false start is acceptable and we know that Luca is a 'diesel' rider, the kind who needs time before expressing himself at his best. Going from the best to the worst bike on the grid is no walk in the park, and Marini is fully aware of that.
In his favor, however, are the concessions, and HRC has decided to take advantage of them to give him a hand. As our Motorsport.com colleagues revealed , Luca was in Jerez last week for a day of private testing along with test rider Stefan Bradl. The rider from Tavullia is a hard worker and took the opportunity to grind out the miles on the Honda in view of the Portimao GP.
Right now he knows fully well that he has to grit his teeth, but also get to the level of his brandmates who, at least at Losail, were some distance away from him. "The best thing I can do right now is to keep riding, so of course it's great to go to Portugal and Portimao ," said Marini. " It's a very different track from the one we started the year on, so I'm curious to see how the Honda goes. We are developing the bike, working with Honda and gathering information on different circuits to improve. Our goal is to find a better feeling with the bike to be more competitive."
