Luca Marini sees progress with Honda after Thai Grand Prix result

Marini finishes 12th in Thailand, matching his best result on the RC213V and showing signs of improvement for Honda in 2025.

Luca Marini of Italy and Honda HRC Castrol rides during the practice session of the MotoGP Thailand Grand Prix at Buriram International Circuit in Buriram on February 28, 2025. Photo by Lillian Suwanrumpha/AFP

By Anna Fadiah and Hayu Andini

Luca Marini matched his best result on the Honda RC213V at the 2025 season-opening Thai Grand Prix in Buriram, finishing in 12th place. The Italian, now in his second year with the factory Honda team, believes that what was once impossible with the bike is now achievable.

The 27-year-old joined Honda in 2024 as a replacement for Marc Marquez but initially struggled to adapt to the machine. Marini failed to score points in his first eight races after leaving VR46, enduring a difficult transition to the Japanese manufacturer’s RC213V. However, he found improvements in the latter half of the season, finishing inside the points in five of the final seven rounds.

Marini's strong end to 2024 carried over into the new season, with his P12 finish in Thailand marking an encouraging start to 2025. His latest result equals his previous best on the Honda, which he achieved at Buriram last year and at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

Costly mistake at the start, but a strong recovery

Despite finishing 12th, Marini’s race at Buriram was far from straightforward. A mistake at the start saw him drop to last place after failing to engage his launch device properly. The 2020 Moto2 runner-up fell from 16th to 22nd before carving his way through the field to secure P12 by the checkered flag.

Marini believes such a recovery would have been impossible with Honda’s 2024 bike. Now, with noticeable improvements, he feels more confident in the RC213V’s competitiveness.

“At the start, there was a mistake on my part,” Marini told Motorsport. “I arrived late to the grid, so I rushed through the procedure. I was hasty in connecting the launch device, which didn’t activate, and I set off without it.”

“With today’s bikes, even a small detail like that can put you at the back of the grid. But then I made a good comeback to 12th place. And I have to be very satisfied because last year, it was impossible to think of coming back like that.”

Honda's pace still unclear as Marquez dominates

While Marini is pleased with his performance in Thailand, he remains uncertain about Honda’s true standing in the MotoGP field. His P12 finish was 8.715 seconds behind Johann Zarco, who finished seventh for LCR Honda. The gap was 3.528 seconds wider than in 2024 when the same finishing positions were recorded.

At the front, Marc Marquez claimed a dominant victory in his Ducati debut, raising questions about how much progress Honda has truly made. The eight-time world champion briefly surrendered the lead to his brother, Alex Marquez, to manage front tyre pressure. Once he met the minimum lap requirement for legal pressure, he swiftly reclaimed the lead and pulled away to win comfortably.

“I think we’ve gained about four-tenths compared to 2024,” Marini explained. “Last year, we were maybe 1.2 seconds behind the Ducati, and now we’re probably eight-tenths. Although we don’t know if Marc Marquez still has anything in his pocket.”

“He also had to manage the front tyre pressure during the race. But I think we can get closer over the course of the season, and I hope it happens as soon as possible.”

Marini's performance in Thailand suggests that Honda is making progress, but the true test will come as the season unfolds. The Italian remains optimistic that further improvements will allow him to challenge for higher positions as 2025 progresses.