Luca Marini

Luca Marini starts his second season as a factory Honda MotoGP rider in 2025.

Luca Marini - Route to MotoGP

Brother of MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi, Marini had the eyes of the world watching when he made his grand prix debut as a wild-card in the Moto3 class at his home Misano round in 2013.

Unfortunately for Marini, who shares the same mother as Rossi, his race ended with an accident at the very first turn.

Two years later Marini again lined up at Misano as a wild-card, this time in the Moto2 class, reaching the finish in 21st place.

Signing with the Forward team for a full 2016 campaign, Marini finally began to show his talent with a sixth place in Germany, raising his best result to fourth the following year.

But the real breakthrough came with a move to the VR46 team in 2018, where a run of three mid-season podiums was followed by a first grand prix win at Sepang, in a season that saw team-mate Francesco Bagnaia clinch the title.

Marini took over as team leader in 2019, alongside rookie Nicolo Bulega. Two more victories followed but Marini only improved one place to sixth in the standings.

A grand prix championship challenge was delivered in 2020 with three wins during the first half of the season. His form later tailed off but he remained in the title fight, alongside Enea Bastianini and Sam Lowes, heading to the Portimao decider. Second place in Portimao also gave Marini second in the world championship.

Luca Marini in MotoGP

VR46 Ducati (2021-2023)

Marini then moved to MotoGP with Bastianini as team-mates at Avintia Ducati, although Marini's side of the garage was run by VR46, a precursor to the team taking over the full entry for 2022.

While Marini wasn't able to match Bastianini's podium heroics on the two-year-old GP19, he did claim a front row start at Misano and best finish of fifth place after a chaoric late rain storm in Austria.

Marini was upgraded to the latest Ducati GP22 machinery at the new Mooney VR46 Racing team in 2022, where he was be joined by rookie Marco Bezzecchi.

Marini spent the early rounds searching for a set-up with the all-new bike, before upping his pace from Le Mans. But while Bezzecchi took a maiden podium, Marini had to settle for a pair of fourth places, plus two front row starts, on his way to twelfth in the world championship.

The 10 was downgraded to year-old machinery for 2023, meaning he remained on the GP22 but was able to capitalise on familiarity with the bike.

Although outperformed by race-winning team-mate Bezzecchi, Marini also hit new heights with a first podium early in the season at COTA.

However, he was later forced to miss Motegi due to a collarbone fracture caused by hitting the back of Bezzecchi at Turn 1 in India.

Marini’s continuation at VR46 didn't look in doubt until Sepang, scene of what would be Marini's final Ducati podium, when rumours suddenly broke that the Italian was in advanced talks to take over Marc Marquez’s vacant seat at Repsol Honda.

When Rossi posted an image from his own Repsol days on social media it was clear the deal was all but done and became official the day after the Valencia finale, where Marini was confirmed as eighth in the world championship.

HRC (2024 - Present)

With Joan Mir moving to the ex-Marc Marquez side of the Repsol Honda garage, new signing Marini slotted into Mir's old crew headed by Giacomo Guidotti.

After scoring 201 points in his final VR46 Ducati season, Marini didn’t score a single Honda point until Sachsenring, when he was promoted to 15^th by post-race tyre pressure penalties.

But the Italian reacted angrily to rumours that his dire results might prompt him to seek an early Honda exit.

Marini's perseverance was rewarded with points in five of the last seven rounds, including a best result of 12th at Emilia Romagna and Thailand but he still finished the season 22nd and last of the full-time riders.