Luca Marini has signed with Repsol Honda for the 2024 and 2025 seasons, replacing their most successful rider, Marc Márquez

Although this year’s MotoGP season came to a close last Sunday, there was still no way of knowing who would take the vacant positions in the VR46 Ducati and Repsol Honda teams. The penultimate piece of the transfer puzzle was completed the day after the Valencia GP, after the Japanese marque’s factory team announced the signing of Luca Marini. The Italian will replace six-time MotoGP world champion Marc Márquez, who won all his titles in the most prestigious category with Repsol Honda.

The move was speculated for a long time, until the MotoGP community had to wait until after the official end of the World Championship. Although riders will face post-season tests this Tuesday, sometimes in the colours of new teams or factories on completely unfamiliar bikes, two names remain missing from the list of riders for the 2024 edition.

One of those names has been confirmed by Repsol Honda following the celebrations of old world champion Francesco “Pecca” Bagnai. The Japanese stable announced the transfer bombshell of the century in October when it severed its partnership with Marc Márquez, who won six MotoGP world titles for it between 2013 and 2019. In an official statement, it confirmed the signing of now former Mooney VR46 Ducati rider Luca Marini for the 2024 and 2025 seasons.

The short release, with no comment from either rider or stable official, says: “Honda Racing Corporation is pleased to announce that it has signed Luca Marini for the 2024 and 2025 MotoGP World Championships.

The 26-year-old rider joins the premier class in 2021 after scoring six wins and 15 podiums in the Moto2 World Championship and finishing second in 2020. Since joining the premier class, Marini has scored two grand prix podiums, two pole positions and four sprint podiums in 2023.”

Marini joins a team that, along with factory Yamaha and occasionally factory Ducati, has absolutely dominated MotoGP races over the past decade. The combination of Marc Márquez and Honda has enjoyed a near-perfect season, dominating the championship a total of six times between 2013 and 2019.

However, after the Spaniard’s crash three years ago at Jerez, Repsol Honda quickly found itself in a depressing slump, falling short of almost every other team in terms of results. Honda did try to steer its trajectory on the right note, first bringing in Pol Espargar and a year later 2020 world champion Joan Miró.

But neither of those moves bore fruit. Nor has Márquez himself been able to carry his team back to the very top, despite often absurd performances in a positive sense. It was no surprise, then, that in October he and Respol Honda announced the dissolution of their eleven-year collaboration.

Marini’s move to Repsol Honda vacated his position in the Mooney VR46 alongside third man in the overall standings, Marco Bezzecchi. By all known, but unofficial, accounts, Gresini Ducati’s Fabio Di Giannantonio will don the black and yellow overalls next year (and in fact this Tuesday). This is where Márquez is heading, intent on confirming that his sheer speed hasn’t gone anywhere next season and that he’s ready to fight for the world title again.

Sources: Honda Motor Company, MotoGP