With more staff and a new crew chief, Luca Marini is breaking into the top 10 in his second season with Honda – he raves about the good atmosphere in the pits
In his first season with the Honda factory team, Luca Marini scored just 14 World Championship points. The Italian failed to finish in the top 10 once. Honda made significant progress over the winter, and his results have improved as a result.
Marini has scored World Championship points in all four Grands Prix. He finished in the top 10 three times. He came tenth in Argentina and Qatar. He also finished eighth in America, where he also came eighth in the sprint.
This means that Marini already has 26 World Championship points to his name after four race weekends – almost twice as many as in the whole of last year. “Compared to last year, it’s just a small improvement in all areas,” he says with satisfaction.
“There are more people, more engineers, and everything is better under control. There is less pressure on each individual. With more staff, it’s a little easier, especially given the short time between sessions and overnight for the next day.“
”And now the results are slowly coming, which in turn improves the atmosphere. But I would say that this process of building a good working atmosphere has been very consistent since I arrived last year.“
”It got better every day – and this year it’s even better. I have to say: the atmosphere at Honda is really great.” Marini feels comfortable in the team. There were also personnel changes on his side of the garage during the winter.
Change of crew chief in winter
Last year, he was looked after by crew chief Giacomo Guidotti. He moved to the Pramac team to work with Jack Miller. Marini’s new crew chief is Christian Pupulin, who in turn looked after Miller at KTM last year.
“Very good, very good. We’re growing together,“ Marini praised Pupulin. ‘Of course, it wasn’t easy at the beginning – we needed some time to build a good understanding of each other and establish a connection.’
”But I would say that since race day in Argentina, we’ve found a very good base on the bike, a compromise that I really like. Since then, we’ve been working together excellently.”
“I think he also brings a lot of knowledge to Honda and provides very good feedback. He’s also a great person, which makes it fantastic to have him in the pit. Just like the other guys, who are also great.”
That’s why Marini feels completely at home, which is also reflected in his improved results: ”My entire team has been incredible this year, and it’s great fun to work with them.”
Marini’s future is currently open, as his two-year contract with Honda expires at the end of the season. The 27-year-old is highly valued by the engineers for his analytical skills and precise statements.
