MotoGP, Sportrik Media - HRC rider Luca Marini fell short of a top-five finish in the 2025 Catalan MotoGP after damaging his rear tire while pursuing Pedro Acosta. Despite a strong performance, Marini secured eighth place, matching his season-best result.
Strong Start and Mid-Race Battles
Starting from tenth, Marini surged to sixth on the opening lap. He then engaged in a fierce battle with teammate Johann Zarco and Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo. By mid-race, Marini overtook both, showcasing impressive pace and strategy.
His focus then shifted to Acosta, the only rider using a soft rear tire. From laps 16 to 21, Marini closed the gap as Acosta’s tire performance dropped. However, this aggressive pursuit took a toll on Marini’s medium rear tire, which lost grip in the final four laps.
“I tried to catch Acosta when I saw him dropping with the soft tire, but I completely destroyed my rear tire in the last four laps,” Marini said.
Consequences and Lessons Learned
As grip faded, Marini’s lap times slowed significantly, allowing Quartararo, Ai Ogura, and Francesco Bagnaia to overtake him in the final two laps. Despite the setback, Marini viewed the race as a valuable lesson in tire management.
“I’m happy to have tried [chasing Acosta], as it’s an important topic for us to better understand rear tire management,” he added.
Marini’s eighth-place finish in Catalunya equaled his second-best result of the season, following Balaton Park. He also highlighted HRC’s progress, with Zarco and Joan Mir showing competitive pace.
Post-Race Test and Future Outlook
Marini will remain in Barcelona for a private MotoGP test on Monday, focusing on evaluating the chassis and swingarm to provide feedback for 2026 development.
“We’ll evaluate the chassis and swingarm again to give the engineers the best feedback for next year’s specifications,” Marini explained.
Meanwhile, Joan Mir, starting from 20th due to a grid penalty, finished 11th with a pace comparable to Marini and Zarco. Mir described his race as “offensive” despite the challenging starting position.
Although Marini missed a top-five finish, his performance in Catalunya underscored HRC’s ongoing progress. With post-race testing and a focus on bike development, Marini and his team are optimistic about the remainder of the 2025 season. For further updates, visit Sportrik.
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