Marini bags top-10 finish in a challenging Malaysian Grand Prix
Sepang International CircuitDespite brutal conditions and still recovering from an energy-sapping virus, Luca Marini pushed on to finish seventh and score valuable championship points at Sepang.
Having been left drained of energy after Saturday's Sprint, Luca Marini entered Sunday unsure if he would be able to complete the full Grand Prix. However, Marini made another incredible first lap that put him in contention for a top-10 position early on. Using Zarco as an early benchmark, Marini was able to open up a significant gap over the chasing pack and, with others fading, the Italian kept his focus and held Di Giannantonio at bay until the finish to secure seventh place and nine points. It marked a welcome return to the top 10 after complicated weekends in Indonesia and Australia.
He leaves Malaysia 39 points clear of Diogo Moreira in the battle to be the top Honda rider in the World Championship standings.
Moreira had also made a good start to the 20-lap Malaysian Grand Prix, but while fighting for a top-10 finish himself, suffered a crash at the final corner. The Pro Honda LCR rider was able to pick up his Honda RC213V and continue, but the damage ultimately forced him to retire.
Marini's Honda HRC Castrol teammate, Joan Mir, made a much more aggressive start compared to the Sprint Race, with both he and Marini running side-by-side through the opening sector. As strong as ever, Mir battled with the likes of Marini, Moreira and Binder during the opening eight laps. Unfortunately, his race came to an early end soon after as he returned to the pits due to a change in his physical condition.
Johann Zarco, on the Castrol LCR Honda, was also forced to retire despite being in contention for a top-five finish due to a technical problem that is still being investigated. In spite of the result, the Frenchman had shown promising pace, while both Mir and Moreira demonstrated strong potential throughout the weekend. The three Honda riders will now be looking to bounce back at the next round of the 2026 MotoGP World Championship.
Round 20 will take place at the Lusail International Circuit for the Qatar Grand Prix from 6-8 November.
“Today has been really good when we look at the whole weekend, yesterday after the Sprint I honestly did not know if I would be able to finish this race. I have to say a big thank you to everyone in my crew because they gave me a lot of motivation before the race, thinking about the three years we have spent together – I wanted to give them something to celebrate and match the effort they always show me. Today was a day to remember, even if it is just for seventh place, we did an amazing race in a tough situation. I knew that the first lap would be the most critical, so I went as hard as I could and I found myself with Zarco and kept him as a point of motivation throughout. Now I’ll head back to Italy before Qatar to continue to improve my condition as much as possible.”
“Today has been really good when we look at the whole weekend, yesterday after the Sprint I honestly did not know if I would be able to finish this race. I have to say a big thank you to everyone in my crew because they gave me a lot of motivation before the race, thinking about the three years we have spent together – I wanted to give them something to celebrate and match the effort they always show me. Today was a day to remember, even if it is just for seventh place, we did an amazing race in a tough situation. I knew that the first lap would be the most critical, so I went as hard as I could and I found myself with Zarco and kept him as a point of motivation throughout. Now I’ll head back to Italy before Qatar to continue to improve my condition as much as possible.”
“I’m fine. I managed to save a few crashes throughout the weekend, but unfortunately, I couldn’t save this one during the race. It’s a shame, but we’ll keep working and try to make some adjustments ahead of the next races to see if we can take another step forward.”
“I’m fine. I managed to save a few crashes throughout the weekend, but unfortunately, I couldn’t save this one during the race. It’s a shame, but we’ll keep working and try to make some adjustments ahead of the next races to see if we can take another step forward.”
“Coming into this weekend we knew that there would be some challenges and had already agreed that if I started to feel different, I would stop. On lap nine I started to not feel at my 100% and decided to stop to avoid making anything worse. We need to double check everything now and understand our situation because the weekend until Sunday has been really good – even better than we were expecting. It’s a big shame and of course I am frustrated, but I remain focused to work with the team to understand and overcome this situation.”
“Coming into this weekend we knew that there would be some challenges and had already agreed that if I started to feel different, I would stop. On lap nine I started to not feel at my 100% and decided to stop to avoid making anything worse. We need to double check everything now and understand our situation because the weekend until Sunday has been really good – even better than we were expecting. It’s a big shame and of course I am frustrated, but I remain focused to work with the team to understand and overcome this situation.”
“I’m fine. I was having a good race, and we’ve shown strong pace throughout the weekend. Unfortunately, we had to retire due to a technical issue, but these things can happen. Overall, I’m happy with the work we’ve done here in Malaysia. We’ve made some solid improvements, and the goal now is to keep this positive momentum going.”
“I’m fine. I was having a good race, and we’ve shown strong pace throughout the weekend. Unfortunately, we had to retire due to a technical issue, but these things can happen. Overall, I’m happy with the work we’ve done here in Malaysia. We’ve made some solid improvements, and the goal now is to keep this positive momentum going.”
