Luca Marini has firmly rejected the idea of gradually distancing himself from the VR46 Academy, despite his intention to continue long-term with Honda in MotoGP. The Italian rider, currently part of the official HRC team, emphasized that his relationship with the Academy founded by Valentino Rossi remains unchanged, despite the increasing commitments associated with a factory team.
The half-brother of Valentino Rossi made his MotoGP debut in 2021 with the VR46-run Avintia Ducati team, before moving to the VR46 squad for the outfit’s full-time premier class debut the following year.
His path seemed set to continue within the VR46 universe through 2024, until Honda’s call changed the trajectory: Marini was selected as Marc Márquez’s replacement in the factory team.
His first year aboard the RC213V was challenging, but over the season, Marini progressively established himself as one of Honda’s most consistent riders, standing out particularly for his development work on the bike. After some mid-season uncertainties, fueled in part by rumors involving Jorge Martin, Honda confirmed Marini for the 2026 season, reinforcing trust in the joint project.
With the 2027 rider market expected to be one of the hottest in recent years—especially for Honda factory seats—Marini has made it clear that he intends to continue his journey with HRC. At the same time, he dismissed any suggestion of moving away from the VR46 Academy.
“That’s not the case,” he told AS. “Whenever I can, I spend time with them. I’m not becoming independent: what I try to do is give 100% every weekend. It’s true that in a factory team we have more events and meetings than a private team, so it’s harder to find time to be with the Academy riders. Now Bezzecchi is in a factory team too, as is Pecco Bagnaia. It’s not easy to always be together, but everything between us is as it has always been.”
Marini concluded the 2025 season in 13th place overall, just six points behind Johann Zarco, who won a Grand Prix at Le Mans aboard the Honda RC213V. His campaign was also affected by a serious crash during Suzuka 8 Hours testing, which forced him to miss three consecutive rounds from Aragón to Assen.
Returning in the second half of the season, Marini achieved his best results on the Honda, confirming steady progress and an increasingly central role in the HRC project.