Honda “impressed” with Luca Marini in area of Marc Marquez weakness

Luca Marini has identified one area where he says Honda is “impressed” by his performance, even compared to Marc Marquez.

Marquez’s asymmetry in his strength between left- and right-handed corners has been well documented over the years in MotoGP, and turn 11 at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli, Curvone, is perhaps the most notorious right-hander of the season.

Approached in sixth gear, riders roll the throttle only to enter the corner, coming back to the power once they’re at maximum lean angle – there is almost no deceleration.

Luca Marini explained that this is the corner where he makes time versus the rest, and where Honda was “struggling a lot with Marc every year”.

“Turn 11. I’m doing a lot of corner speed – more than everybody, for sure,” Marini said on Saturday at the San Marino Grand Prix.

“Also in Honda they were quite impressed. 

“Also because in the past always there they were struggling a lot with Marc [Marquez] every year, and then they saw my data and said ‘Good job, good job,’ because there it’s difficult.”

He added: “Also with the Ducati I was the strongest there. I like it.”

Marini admitted that the corner is “intimidating”, but that you have to accept that the bike behaves in an unnerving way in this corner, and that it’s normal.

 It’s intimidating, but it depends how you feel it,” the Honda HRC Castrol rider said.

“It’s normal to go in super-fast, lose the front and every lap happens the same. Since Moto2.

“Moto2 race was like this every lap: you go in, close the front, and then you open [the throttle] and everything is fine. So, you have to think that this is normal and not worry about it. 

“I’m really strong every time in the fast corners on the right side, every time in every circuit. Here is a very fast one so I’m feeling great.”

Despite his confidence there, Marini says it’s not a corner where you can push.

“Attack? No,” he said. “For lap time, yes, you can gain one tenth at least.”

Marini was able to make his move for seventh place in the race at Curvone, passing Fabio Quartararo there as the Frenchman dropped from fourth place to eighth.