Luca Marini spoke about the recent MotoGP test at Jerez, saying he feels hopeful. He completed a total of 72 laps, focusing mainly on comparing a new swingarm design with the current version.
Marini finished 18th overall, with his best lap time being 1:37.447. He was slightly slower than his teammate Joan Mir, who tested a new prototype engine — the same one Aleix Espargaro used as a wildcard during the Spanish Grand Prix. Marini, however, did not get a chance to try the updated engine.

“I focused today on testing a new swingarm,” Marini explained in an interview with Crash.net. “It seems like a small improvement already. But it’s hard to say for sure, because Monday tests usually have much better track grip, which can give a false feeling of performance.”

He also mentioned that windy conditions made testing more difficult, but he still managed to collect valuable data. “We did many back-to-back comparisons so the engineers can understand what works best. I’m happy with what Honda HRC prepared for us — it was a good test day,” he told Crash.net.

Even though the new engine wasn’t part of his testing program, Marini said he heard promising feedback from others in the team. “We divided the parts between riders, and this engine wasn’t planned for me. But the feedback sounds good, and it seems like a small but important step forward. We’re happy about that,” he added during the post-test media session.