Marini praises VR46 for "perfect bikes" after Argentina MotoGP freight delays
Luca Marini has praised his Valentino Rossi team for giving him “perfect bikes” to qualify third for the MotoGP Argentina Grand Prix after it was severely affected by freight delays.
The VR46 Ducati squad was one of the teams hit hardest by the freight delays which caused Friday’s running at Termas de Rio Hondo to be cancelled.
The team only took delivery of its bike and equipment in the very early hours of Saturday morning and had to get everything set up in just eight hours before FP1 got underway.
Having ended practice 10th overall, Marini stormed to the second front row of his MotoGP career and the first for VR46 when he guided his 2022-spec Ducati to third.
“My team did an amazing job, so thanks to them and thanks to Ducati because they prepared – for me – two perfect bikes today and was not so easy for them because they did the work in just eight hours and normally they do it in two days,” Marini said.
“So, it’s great to be here, it’s a good result for them and they can sleep well. This is nice.
“Myself, I feel comfortable on the time attack always during this season, but we had some problems at the start of the season.
“Now I think we are going in a good direction, in a good way, we start to fix a lot.
Luca Marini, VR46 Racing Team
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
“The feeling from the start was really good, so I expected to be strong and fast in this track.
“I think the warm-up will be very important because with the used tyres I didn’t feel so well.”
Marini’s race pace in practice doesn’t suggest he will be a main factor in the battle for the podium on Sunday in Argentina and admits the bike’s electronics don’t do what he wants when running on used rubber.
“We started to work on the problems from the first test, especially after the Qatar race we had much data to understand the areas we needed to work,” Marini added when asked how his team has started to get on top of the GP22’s issues.
“And in just two races we are in a good shape now.
“Like I said, when I have to ride with used tyres the electronics side of the bike is not working as I want.
“So, we need to focus on this area in the warm-up to try to improve.”
Related video
Espargaro “proud” of historic Aprilia MotoGP pole after “how far we’ve suffered”
Quartararo fears Aprilia Argentina MotoGP breakaway as pace “surprises”
Farfus says BMW could have reliability edge over LMDh rivals
Augusto Farfus has dismissed concerns about BMW's apparent lack of pace in the build-up to the Daytona 24 Hours, and feels it could have an edge when it comes reliability.
How Formula E's new emergency braking system will work
Formula E has introduced an emergency braking kit for the Diriyah E-Prix as a failsafe should the rear powertrain stop working over the course of a race weekend.
Friday favourite: The Kent happy hunting ground that demands drivers' respect
Martin Donnelly's 100% International Formula 3000 record at Brands Hatch is one reason for him picking the famous Grand Prix circuit as his favourite track. But the Ulsterman also relishes its fast and challenging corners, which rewards thinking drivers just as much as bravery
Ford: F1’s boom means it "requires consideration"
Ford’s motorsport boss says it would be remiss of the American car giant not to be considering a Formula 1 return amid the series' rapid growth in the United States.
The other Suzuki signing that could transform Honda's MotoGP form
Following Suzuki's decision to quit MotoGP, both of its former riders have landed at Honda for 2023. But perhaps its biggest signing from the now-defunct team could instead be a highly-rated technical manager. Is Ken Kawauchi the right man at the right time to steer HRC back to glory?
How the MotoGP paddock has offered refuge to Suzuki's former team
Suzuki's unexpected departure left more than 40 professionals virtually jobless for the 2023 MotoGP season. But that human drama has been successfully corrected by the paddock itself, with most former Suzuki crew-members absorbed into other operations
How one MotoGP team went from title fights to losing it all in four years
The Petronas Sepang Racing Team came into MotoGP with a bang in 2019 as regular front-runners, with wonder rookie Fabio Quartararo mounting a title challenge in 2020. But it all went wrong for the Razlan Razali-helmed squad as the team changed hands and tumbled down the order - and RNF Racing plans to right this in 2023
Is MotoGP's comeback king ready to reclaim his throne?
Marc Marquez’s sixth premier MotoGP title seems a long time ago given the injury woes he has faced in the three years since. At the end of a fraught 2022, in which he had a fourth major operation on his right arm, the Spaniard speaks exclusively to Autosport
How MotoGP’s underachiever is working to reverse its fortunes in 2023
As European manufacturers emerged as the strongest force in 2022 in a changing of the guard for MotoGP, one powerhouse couldn’t quite match the feats of Ducati and Aprilia. Its motorsport chief tells Autosport why this is and what it is doing to become a consistent frontrunner in the class of kings
How MotoGP riders are preparing for the physical stress of sprint races
With the expansion of the calendar to 21 grands prix and the introduction of sprint races, the 2023 MotoGP season will take the riders to almost 1,300 kilometres of competition more than this year, a factor that forces adjustments in their physical preparations.
The Ducati rider who is much more than just the brother of a MotoGP legend
Surname pressure is something many have had to deal with in their motorsport careers. And while Luca Marini doesn’t have that, his familial relation and the team he rides for in MotoGP have cast a brighter spotlight on his progress. But, as he has shown in 2022 – and as he reveals to Autosport – Marini is so much more than just the brother of a legend
Ranking the top 10 riders of MotoGP 2022
The 2022 MotoGP season was another hotly contested championship, with Francesco Bagnaia emerging as the title winner after the campaign went to the wire. Autosport picks out the 10 best performers of the season
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.