Luca Marini aims to remain “fastest Honda”, MotoGP future decided?
Luca Marini seeking to "stay as the fastest Honda" - Tech3 MotoGP deal done?
Luca Marini is seeking to protect his position as Honda’s leading rider in the MotoGP standings when the 2026 season resumes at Silverstone this weekend.
The Italian is currently tenth in the World Championship, 31 points ahead of LCR’s Diogo Moreira, 45 clear of the injured Johann Zarco and 53 ahead of factory team-mate Joan Mir.
Nonetheless, Marini is the only member of Honda’s current four-rider line-up without a confirmed place on next year’s grid.
However, that could soon change, with Sky Italia reporting that Marini has now agreed terms on a two-year deal with Tech3 KTM.
The Italian, whose premier-class career began at brother Valentino Rossi's VR46 squad before taking over Marc Marquez's abandoned Honda seat in 2024, is tipped to be joined by Moto2 star Senna Agius.
Meanwhile, current Tech3 rider Enea Bastianini is set to move to Trackhouse Aprilia while team-mate Maverick Vinales faces an uncertain future and has now stepped back from Silverstone.
"Stay as the fastest Honda"
Looking ahead to the British MotoGP weekend, Marini said: “I’m ready to get back on track and see the team again.
“These past few weeks have been very important for the physical and mental side, a refresh to head into the second half of the season hunting our maximum. A circuit like Silverstone throws everything at you as a rider, so it’s a good place to get back into racing mode.
“Qualifying again will be the first critical point of the weekend, and I hope we can accomplish Q2. We need to keep taking good points to protect our position in the top ten in the standings and stay as the fastest Honda.”
Team-mate Mir, who has already secured a seat with Gresini Ducati for next season, is aiming to reproduce the speed he showed earlier this year at Barcelona and Brno.
“This time away from the circuit has been very beneficial after a mixed start to the year," Mir said.
“My focus in this second part of the year is to show my speed like we did in Barcelona and Brno, give my all to take the maximum from each weekend.
“Silverstone always throws up some interesting situations, so we need to put ourselves in the position to take profit from that.
“The weather is looking really nice which makes the weekend a lot more enjoyable, especially after the break!”
Honda officially confirmed the signings of Fabio Quartararo and Moto2 race winner David Alonso during the summer break.
However, it remains unclear whether Alonso or Moreira will partner Quartararo at the factory HRC team in 2027.
Peter has been in the paddock for 20 years and has seen Valentino Rossi come and go. He is at the forefront of the Suzuki exit story and Marc Marquez’s injury issues.
