LUCA MARINI SAYS FABIO DI GIANNANTONIO “HATES ME” AFTER MISANO DUEL

Luca Marini and Fabio di Giannantonio provided a tense Misano showdown that ended with both riders trading places in the closing stages, but it was Marini’s post-race humour that captured the intensity of the battle. After the chequered flag, the VR46 Honda rider joked that di Giannantonio “hates me,” explaining that he had “given everything” to keep the Ducati rider behind on home turf.

Marini’s defence lasted until the final laps, when a problem with his rear tyre stripped him of the ability to fight properly. He said the vibration began with around eight laps remaining, after the tyre had “spun on the rim.” From that point, he couldn’t lean as he wanted because of the shaking, and while he continued to press, the situation deteriorated quickly. In the closing moments, di Giannantonio passed him “easily,” and Enea Bastianini—riding for Tech3 KTM—also got past.

Despite losing the duel, Marini still finished as the only Honda rider to take the chequered flag. He crossed the line ahead of Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo and Red Bull KTM’s Brad Binder, but he admitted he would have preferred a higher result. “Well, I would be happier with a seventh place,” Marini said. “I gave everything to [keep] behind Diggia. For sure he hates me! Because we did a really, really bad race, I was closing everything for 15 laps. But this was the only way to keep him behind.”

Di Giannantonio responded to Marini’s comments with a calmer assessment of the contest. “No, no! He was doing his best,” the VR46 rider said. He added that for both Marini and Honda, it was important to secure a strong position and, crucially, to keep behind a Ducati. Di Giannantonio also pointed to his own limitations during the race, insisting he was “really without any weapons” due to a brake issue. With that handicap, he said he was effectively waiting for Marini to make a mistake.

He described the dynamic as one where he could see Marini pushing hard but couldn’t immediately find a way through. “But on my side, I was really without any weapons [due to a brake issue], so I was waiting for a mistake from him. He was riding incredibly well. I was seeing him pushing a lot. Me, I was like, ‘Oh, I can be faster, but I can’t be faster!’ So no, it was super fair, honestly.”

Marini later offered more detail on how the tyre issue developed and how it affected his riding. He said that once the vibration started, he couldn’t commit to the bike in the way required to defend effectively. “Eight laps to the end, I started to have a big vibration in the rear tyre, because it had spun on the rim. So I couldn't lean anymore because of the vibration. I kept fighting a little bit, but then [Diggia] overtook me easily, and also Enea,” he explained.

Even with the setback, Marini said he was still satisfied with the overall weekend, framing the result as a reflection of pace relative to his teammates. “I had no more weapons. I couldn't do anything. But anyway, really happy for the weekend, because it was a really strong one. Every time faster than my teammates, and this is the best that I can do.”

The Misano conditions and the demands of the 1000cc machines were also cited as factors behind the tyre movement. Marini noted that the high-grip nature of the circuit, the hot conditions, and the sheer power of the prototypes contributed to the rear tyre shifting on the rim. He said the team couldn’t complain about the tyres because they were being asked to do a lot. “We can't complain about the tyres, because we are asking a lot of them,” he said. “It's just that we need to work better with the package that we have, and of course, I was also asking a lot from the rear tyre, trying to catch Raul and to create a gap to the guys behind. So it's something that can happen.”