'Just focus on riding' is the objective for Luca Marini ahead of MotoGP debut

2020 Moto2 runner-up Luca Marini will make his MotoGP debut for Avintia Ducati during next month's first official Qatar test, with Jorge Martin and Moto2 champion Enea Bastianini also making their debut.   

The two main championship contenders from last season will be teammates, with Marini once again competing in Sky VR46 colours which marks its first ever appearance on the MotoGP grid.

The test in Qatar will be the first time Marini has ridden a Ducati MotoGP machine, however the Italian recently had a private test on a Panigale Superbike with fellow Ducati riders Bastianini, Martin, Johann Zarco, Jack Miller and Francesco Bagnaia at Jerez. 

Marini said: "It was a very good day as I tried for the very first time the Panigale bike. I thought it was going to go worse, but in the end, I found a bike which is quite good for me with unbelievable power and very good electronics, so I really liked it. 

"It was a nice day for Ducati and for all the riders, there was a good atmosphere and a competitive atmosphere, with everybody trying to push themselves to do better and we pushed a lot from the beginning, so it was a lot of fun."

Marini's move into the premier class means he becomes one of the tallest riders in MotoGP and was asked about how this comes into-effect when trying out a new bike. 

"I have already been with Ducati and we tried the bike, so we already took some measures to let me be as comfortable as possible sitting on my bike and to allow me to perform at my best. 

"Of course Ducati have had very different riders with their height in the past, for example with Petrucci and Dovizioso who were very different with their height and they had two different bikes. Everybody is allowed to make his bike his own in terms of balance and positioning, so it is going to be very important because of the physical stress and you need to be as comfortable as possible in order to perform at your best."

Marini will be joining plenty of familiar faces in the top class with half-brother and mentor Valentino Rossi, but also fellow VR46 Academy riders Bagnaia and Franco Morbidelli. 

The 23 year-old has already been given some advice from Bagnaia regarding the opening test and to not immediately go for the all-out time-attack. 

"I think in this moment any advice is important for me. Trying to understand as much as possible is important and to get as much information as I can from guys with more experience than me in MotoGP." said Marini. 

"I have been talking a lot with my technical engineers and my team and trying to organise my work during the upcoming test. There is no need to go for the time-attack during the test as it is the race weekend when it matters."

Given the outstanding performances we saw in 2019 and 2020 from rookies, Marini will be another name to watch as the season draws ever closer.