‘Honda finalising Marini contract clauses’ | “A bold move, see how it goes…”

Marini is set to swap VR46 for replacing Marc Marquez in 2024.

But his move still hasn’t been confirmed, despite being an open secret, as VR46 hunt for his replacement.

“There needs to be some news! Because in one week we finish the season,” Marini said after finishing third in Qatar.

Michael Laverty told TNT Sports about the delay in confirmation: “It takes some time. They’ll want the various clauses, the get-out clauses. 

“They’ll want two years fixed then the extra year to bring them parallel with the rest of the riders.

“There will be a lot of i’s to dot and t’s to cross. “You can understand why it takes time, it’s a big move.

“But he was squirming a little bit there, when asked the question! 

“He’s such a nice guy, he wants to answer, but he can’t give us any quotes.”

Sylvain Guintoli added: “It sounds like it’s just technical details, now. 

“The move is happening. It’s a bold move. 

“We’ll have to give it time to see which way it goes…

“HRC are going to sort it out, they are the biggest manufacturer, they have firepower. “There has been reorganisation at Honda, bringing four-wheel and two-wheel departments together. 

“That sounds like good news on the aero side. It will take a little bit of time. 

“We don’t know what will happen next year, the bike might have drastic technical changes. You never know. 

“The rules come in for 2027, that’s a guarantee, big changes for sure. There might be a new front tyre…

“Luca feels like he needs to be the No1 man, part of the factory team, and HRC is his bet.”

On November 28 at the postseason Valencia test, Marini will hope to jump on a Honda for the first time, but knows time is running out to finalise his switch.