LUCA MARINI TARGETS TOP-10 HONDA ROLE AS HIS 2026 FUTURE IS REPORTEDLY IN MOTION

Luca Marini is heading into the restart of the MotoGP season at Silverstone with a clear sporting target: keep Honda’s top position in the standings and protect his place among the championship’s leading riders. The Italian currently sits tenth overall, 31 points ahead of LCR’s Diogo Moreira, 45 clear of Johann Zarco—who is listed as injured—and 53 in front of his Honda teammate Joan Mir.

Marini’s weekend also carries an extra layer of pressure because his contract situation for 2026 remains a key talking point. He is described as the only rider in Honda’s current four-man lineup without a confirmed spot for next year, but that may change soon. Sky Italia has reported that Marini has agreed terms on a two-year deal with Tech3 KTM, potentially reshaping Honda’s future lineup.

Speaking ahead of the British Grand Prix, Marini said he is ready to return to racing and reconnect with the team after time away. “I’m ready to get back on track and see the team again,” he said, adding that the past few weeks were important for both his physical and mental reset. He framed Silverstone as a circuit that “throws everything at you,” making it a strong test to get back into the right rhythm for the second half of the season.

For Marini, qualifying is the first major checkpoint. “Qualifying again will be the first critical point of the weekend,” he said, explaining that he wants to reach Q2 and continue scoring well enough to remain in the top ten. His immediate aim is explicit: “We need to keep taking good points to protect our position in the top ten in the standings and stay as the fastest Honda.”

Mir, meanwhile, is already set for next season, having secured a seat with Gresini Ducati for 2026. He is looking to build on the speed he showed earlier in the year at Barcelona and Brno. “This time away from the circuit has been very beneficial after a mixed start to the year,” Mir said. He added that his focus in the second part of the season is to “show my speed like we did in Barcelona and Brno,” and to “give my all to take the maximum from each weekend.” Mir also pointed to Silverstone’s unpredictability, noting the need to be in a position to benefit from “interesting situations,” while welcoming the forecast, saying the weather “is looking really nice.”

Honda has already confirmed signings for the summer break, bringing Fabio Quartararo and Moto2 race winner David Alonso into the picture. However, the sources note that it is still unclear whether Alonso or Moreira will be the partner for Quartararo at the factory HRC team in 2027.