Luca Marini ended the MotoGP race at Misano with a wry smile. The VR46 Ducati rider admitted he gave everything to hold off Fabio di Giannantonio, but fate had other plans. "I would be happier with a seventh place," he said after the race. "I gave everything to keep Diggia behind. For sure he hates me! Because we did a really, really bad race, I was closing everything for 15 laps. But this was the only way to keep him behind."
The fierce battle between Luca Marini and Fabio di Giannantonio at the Misano circuit was one of the highlights of the San Marino MotoGP weekend. Marini, riding for the VR46 team, had to concede to his fellow Italian after suffering a technical issue with his rear tyre eight laps from the end. A severe vibration emerged because the tyre had spun on the rim, robbing him of the ability to lean and defend his position.
Di Giannantonio himself admitted he was powerless due to a brake issue. "I was really without any weapons," he said. "I was waiting for a mistake from him. He was riding incredibly well. I was seeing him pushing a lot. I was like, 'Oh, I can be faster, but I can't be faster!' So no, it was super fair, honestly."
For Marini, the result at Misano remains a valuable takeaway. He was the only Honda rider to reach the finish, crossing the line ahead of Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha) and Brad Binder (KTM). "I'm really happy for the weekend, because it was a really strong one. Every time faster than my teammates, and this is the best that I can do," he added.
The rear tyre incident that struck Marini became a talking point. He explained that Misano's high-grip surface, hot conditions, and the immense power of the 1000cc prototypes contributed to the tyre moving on the rim. "We can't complain about the tyres, because we are asking a lot of them," he said. "We just need to work better with the package that we have."
With this result, Marini demonstrated his consistency as Honda's leading rider, though he had to settle for ninth place. Meanwhile, Di Giannantonio finished ahead of Marini and Enea Bastianini (Tech3 KTM). Their duel added colour to this season's MotoGP competition.
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