Whereas a lot of the tyre debate after Sunday’s COTA MotoGP centred on the unique slicks-or-wets dilemma, riders additionally confronted a essential resolution when deciding on slick compounds for the restart.
Though Luca Marini went on to assert his finest consequence as a Honda rider in eighth, the Italian, who prides himself on his technique calls, was indignant at selecting the comfortable compound entrance and rear.
Marini, like many of the grid, initially lined up on moist tyres for the primary begin. However after a sudden exodus from the grid – led by Marc Marquez dashing again to the pits for slicks – Race Path delayed the beginning on security grounds, permitting all riders to modify to dry tyres with out a penalty.
The popular entrance all through the weekend had been the medium, with Michelin additionally recommending the medium rear for the GP distance. Nonetheless, Marini and two others picked comfortable tyres entrance and rear as a result of lingering damp patches.
It proved to be the incorrect name.
“It’s unattainable to know for me!”
“I’m tremendous disenchanted with myself, with the tyre selections,” Marini stated. “I made two errors: Happening the grid with the rain tyres. However then after the purple flag, I made one other mistake as a result of I put soft-soft.
“It’s unattainable to know for me! I’m at all times tremendous intelligent and sensible in this sort of scenario. I by no means made a mistake with the tyres [before].”
Marini defined that he had been misled by how slowly the monitor dried on Friday.
“In apply, there was quite a lot of water on the bottom and it took a very long time to go away. Whereas as we speak, in 10 minutes, it was fully dry. Unbelievable!” he stated.
“On Friday, it was raining from the morning, colder, and there was additionally water seeping out of the tarmac a little bit bit.
“Whereas as we speak, the asphalt was scorching, and the water went away tremendous shortly. Tremendous disenchanted for this as a result of it might have been a significantly better consequence.”
Aprilia take a look at rider Lorenzo Savadori completed as the subsequent finest rider on the soft-soft tyre mixture, in fifteenth.
Luca Marini, 2025 Americas MotoGP at COTA
“We will obtain superb outcomes”
Regardless of the expensive tyre alternative, Marini was forward of team-mate Joan Mir when he crashed on the medium tyres at mid-distance.
LCR’s Johann Zarco later fell from eighth, a place Marini seized within the closing laps to assert his finest GP end since a remaining VR46 Ducati podium at Qatar in 2023.
“We confirmed that our bundle is bettering each GP, and particularly right here I feel we made a step with the setting,” Marini stated.
“Now the bike is working higher, particularly within the nook entry part.
“Even with the incorrect tyre alternative, I used to be capable of make an excellent race as a result of the sensation with the bike was good.
“So if we’re capable of put all the things collectively, we will obtain superb outcomes.”
With Mir and Zarco crashing, rookie Somkiat Chantra was the subsequent finest Honda rider, in sixteenth.
