Luca Marini: “With a brother like Vale, I always have a different relationship”

Because of his laid-back character, his royal demeanor, the way he talks and moves, but above all his taste in fashion, the team calls him ‘The Prince’… And that’s it. Luca Marini it is not in the usual canons of a MotoGP rider.

But the Marini that interests us is not the ‘civilian’ but the rider who reached the GGPP in 2016 directly through Moto2, a category in which he raced for five seasons, qualifying 23rd, 15, seventh, sixth and second, and scored six victories. In 2021 he reached MotoGP, which in his two full seasons he qualified 19th and 12th… That is, in his line of always advancing steps. Marini is not one of those who attract his talent, but one of those who develop based on work

This season, after four GGPPs, Marini is sixth in the provisional standings, having won his first two MotoGP podiums: the Argentine sprint and the Austin race.

Why didn’t that podium come sooner?

Hmmm…why didn’t it come sooner…it was pretty close last year, but I just had no luck, or everything just wasn’t in the right place for it to happen. Qualifying was bad, where maybe I had a rhythm to fight for the podium, or even fourth or fifth and none of them crashed in front of me… I lacked luck, which sometimes helps too. In Austin, on the other hand, everything was perfect: a good position on the grid, a good speed that allowed me to have a great race… And that was it.

Whenever I have spoken to your team managers, they have always described you as a rider who may take longer to get there, but the steps you take are always solid. Do you look like this too?

Actually no. For all the riders out there, their career is very important: the people you work with, the bike you have and the team you belong to. In my case, my career has not been easy; I always start each stage from the most difficult position.

Take, for example, last year. I have an official motorcycle, but this is the worst year to have an official motorcycle. I haven’t had any luck with it. But I am determined and will be able to build a team around me that I like, surround myself with people that I am comfortable with and that I like to work with, that help me show my talent on the court. This year we have a very strong team with a very competitive bike.

I was surprised how many times you mentioned the word ‘luck’.

If you want, we can call it something else, destiny or whatever you want, but there’s one thing… There are things you can’t control. If you’re fourth, for example, and a rider crashes in front of you, you end up on the podium without deserving it. In any case, it is very important to do the job properly and if there is something else that can help you then that is great; but it all starts with your work.

Has someone in particular made Luca Marini a better driver; have a first and last name?

I like to think that everyone helped me become the pilot that I am. Every person that has worked I consider very important… since Moto3. I want to learn from everyone I work with.

Did you choose the team you have now or did they choose you?

I chose it… with Pablo, Uccio, Vale…

And have you ever told someone “I’m sorry but you don’t fit in”?

Not from me, never. On several occasions I was told that someone could not continue with me, and in this situation I said “OK, okay, but you have to give me someone better than what you are getting me.”

In my opinion, the difference maker in a team is the driver. The technical manager is important because he builds the bike, yes, but the environment is created by the rider. Motorcycling may seem like an individual sport, but it’s how the group works that makes the difference… Even if in the end you’re the one who has to give value to all the work done in 40 minutes.

When Bezzecchi won in Argentina, I thought you were happy and all said. But what did you think when you got home and realized you had been beaten by your teammate, who also had less experience than you in MotoGP?

It’s normal, nothing special; like when Rins won in Austin. Whenever you don’t win, someone else does, it’s always the same. In the case of Bezz, it doesn’t matter that he is my friend, which he is, another driver beat me and that’s it. I understand this as an opportunity to win that I was not able to fulfill.

But isn’t it an extra incentive for your teammate to win?

No, not mine. Your partner is just another rival. I don’t agree with the fact that he is the first opponent he has to defeat. Your first rival is yourself. What motivates me the most is working as much as possible because I know that doing it is how important the results are.

A curiosity… At the Academy, you’re all friends, right?

Yes.

You’re a professional pilot, okay?

Yes.

In other words, your friends are your rivals that, as a professional, you have an obligation to defeat.

Clear.

When Luca Marini has to negotiate terms that are most beneficial to him as a professional, who is on the other side of the table?… The friend or the one you have to push as hard as possible to grow as a professional?

It is difficult to give a correct answer.

But does this ‘we’re all friends’ situation force you to sit at the table with a third person who defends your professional interests?

Let’s just say this year things have changed. A new person entered the Academy. At the table we sat on one side, that person from the Academy and I, and on the other side Pablo and Uccio. Now VR46 is more like a company where each sector or department is managed independently.

That is, do you have someone defending your interests in front of Team VR46?

Yes… Before you could say that it was a strange situation, but now it is normal. Last year and during the Moto2 seasons, it was complicated, very complicated. But the relationship is always good and both Vale and Uccio, even if they are on the side of the team, know what is on the other side.

How do you see the current MotoGP? Do you think MotoGP lacks a leader, a reference figure?

No… I don’t think MotoGP needs a reference. Now I find it more interesting. Just before you have four drivers, it’s gone… Okay, Jorge, Dani and Stoner, and then Márquez; now it’s fifteen. It seems to me that now it is easier to identify the driver you want. Our sport is very unique. We need to reach our fans not by copying others but by following our own path, bringing the passion and adrenaline of a MotoGP race.

A podium in a sprint and a second place in Austin. Think you’re ready to win your first GP?

Much depends on the moment. Finishing second in Austin helped me realize that in the first two laps I made a mistake. The advantage they took on me in those first two laps was too much; I found it impossible to get it back. The level in MotoGP is very even.

The last thing, let’s see if you can explain to me why in general terms in Italy they are so critical of Pecco Bagnaia, why they value his title so little.

It’s not just in Pecco, it works that way in everything. In Italy we are very critical, always. It’s not easy in Italy, it’s never been easy. I can tell you from experience. Since I was young, having a brother like Vale, the media treated me differently compared to other drivers. I am prepared for this kind of situation and I know how to act.