Luca Marini says he is targeting podiums by the mid-way point in the 2024 MotoGP season as he prepares to revive brother Valentino Rossi’s legacy at Repsol Honda.
The Italian has been selected as Repsol Honda’s choice to replace Marc Marquez in the factory Team HRC Honda MotoGP squad, evoking memories of when Rossi competed with title-winning success in the Repsol-backed squad at the start of the Millennium.
His arrival comes at a crucial time for Honda as it looks to rebuild following a period of protracted decline stretching back to the start of the 2020 MotoGP season.
Though Marini is yet to win a MotoGP race, he enjoyed a breakthrough campaign in 2023 with VR46 Racing Ducati with his first career podiums and pole positions spurring him on to seventh in the overall standings.
While he admits to finding the transition from Ducati to Honda difficult, Marini has high hopes he can be fighting for podiums by the middle portion of the 2024 season.
“It’s a dream [to join Honda],” he said at the launch of the new-look 2024 Honda RC213V.
“For sure we have some work to do but I am really pleased to work with this factory. I think we made a step forward in the test, sure we will have some things more to do in the Qatar test but we will be ready for the first race.
“It will be a long season, very interesting, I want to arrive in the middle part of the season. I think we can improve a lot, there is a lot of margin, plus I can adapt better on the bike and it will be great to work with these guys
“I would like to start with no targets for now because we don’t know the level of the bike at the start of the season. I would like to adapt the riding style that the Honda needs to be fast on track.
“Joan is more experienced so I can improve in an easy way, or a fast way, to be ready for the first races and for sure the target is to give my feedback in the best way possible, so they [the engineers] can bring something better every race and by the middle of the season, give a good package, competitive and that can fight for podiums, it won’t be easy but that is the target.”
