Luca Marini joked that Fabio di Giannantonio “hates me” after a fierce on-track battle at the Misano MotoGP, where Marini gave his all to keep the VR46 Ducati rider behind for much of their home race.
Marini, riding for Honda, defended his position from Di Giannantonio for 15 laps before a rear-tyre vibration left him “without weapons” and he lost out to both Diggia and Tech3 KTM’s Enea Bastianini in the closing stages. Despite this, Marini was the only Honda to finish, narrowly beating Fabio Quartararo and Brad Binder.
“I gave everything to [keep] behind Diggia. For sure he hates me! Because we did a really, really bad race, I was closing everything for 15 laps. But this was the only way to keep him behind,” Marini said with a smile.
Di Giannantonio, who struggled with brake issues, saw it differently: “No, no! He was doing his best. For him and Honda, it’s super important… But on my side, I was really without any weapons, so I was waiting for a mistake from him. He was riding incredibly well. It was super fair, honestly.”
Marini’s race unraveled with eight laps to go when a big rear tyre vibration—caused by the tyre spinning on the rim—forced him to back off. “I couldn’t lean anymore because of the vibration. I kept fighting a little bit, but then [Diggia] overtook me easily, and also Enea.”
Despite missing out on a higher finish, Marini was pleased to be the fastest Honda all weekend. He attributed the tyre issue to Misano’s high grip, hot conditions, and the demands of the 1000cc MotoGP bikes: “We can’t complain about the tyres, because we are asking a lot of them… It’s something that can happen.”
Marini’s gritty performance and good humor after the race showcased the camaraderie and competitive spirit in the MotoGP paddock.
