MOTORGP: TECH3 KTM CONFIRM LUCA MARINI SIGNING FOR 2027 SEASON

 

Luca Marini will swap red for orange in MotoGP next season

Luca Marini will join Tech3 KTM for the 2027 MotoGP season after spending the last three years with Honda.

The Italian has played an integral role in Honda’s MotoGP project since he joined them in 2024, proving to be a valuable asset on the technical development of the RC213V, whilst being a trustworthy, consistent rider on the track.

Marini takes the spot vacated by Enea Bastianini, who confirmed earlier this week that he would be racing for Trackhouse Aprilia next year alongside Raul Fernandez.

Luca Marini onboard the Honda RC213V during the 2026 MotoGP season

“Luca is a rider we have been watching closely, and we are very pleased to welcome him to Tech3 from 2027,” team CEO Guenther Steiner said. “He brings a huge amount of experience, but also the right mentality and approach for what we are building here.

“2027 will be a big reset for MotoGP, so having a rider who can contribute to our progress in this new era will be important.”

2027 will be Marini’s seventh season in the premier class. The 29-year-old spent the first half of his MotoGP career with Ducati power, first via an Esponsorama Ducati partnership with Valentino Rossi’s VR46 team, and then as a full VR46 Ducati rider once Rossi’s team made the move to the premier class on a full-scale basis.

Marini celebrated his maiden podium at the Circuit of the Americas in 2023, before going on to secure Sprint podiums later that year in Indonesia and Thailand. Marini also broke the lap record in Indonesia to take his first pole.

More success followed in 2023 when Marini secured pole position in Qatar and followed this up with a Sprint and GP podium at the Lusail International Circuit.

Advice from The Doctor and brother, Valentino Rossi for Luca Marini

Given his success in 2023, it came as a surprise to many that Marini chose to depart not only Ducati, but his brother’s team in favour of the struggling factory Honda team.

Whilst there have been no podiums during his time with HRC, Marini’s results have continued to improve as the bike becomes more competitive.

“We are very happy to have Luca joining us from 2027,” Tech3 KTM team manager, Nicolas Goyon said. “He has already shown his ability to perform at the highest level, and his experience in MotoGP will be extremely valuable as we enter this new chapter.

“He has a strong understanding of what is required from both the rider and technical side, and we are confident that he will be an important part of our progress with KTM. We are looking forward to working with him and seeing what we can achieve together.”

Marini is expected to be joined inside the Tech3 KTM garage by current Moto2 frontrunner Senna Agius.

- Josh Close

LCR BOSS PROVIDES JOHANN ZARCO UPDATE AFTER CATALONIA TURN 1 INCIDENT

LCR MotoGP boss gives Johann Zarco update after scary Turn 1 crash

Johann Zarco crashes at the 2026 Catalan MotoGP
© Gold and Goose

LCR MotoGP team boss, Lucio Cecchinello, says Johann Zarco has pain “in the femur area” after a scary incident during Sunday’s Catalan Grand Prix.

The race was red-flagged on lap 12 of 24 for a terrifying collision involving Pedro Acosta, whose KTM encountered an issue, and Gresini’s Alex Marquez on the back straight between Turns 9 and 10.

Alex Marquez was taken to hospital for checks, while the race was restarted again.

On this restart, Johann Zarco collided with Luca Marini and Pecco Bagnaia at Turn 1 at the start, and got tangled up with one of the bikes.

A red flag was flow again while Zarco received medical attention, with the Frenchman taken to hospital for further checks.

Replays of the second Red Flag crash 🚩

All riders conscious 🙌#MotoGP | #CatalanGP | Live on TNT Sports and HBO Max pic.twitter.com/1KQt78sk8j

— TNT Sports Bikes (@bikesontnt) May 17, 2026

2026 Catalan MotoGP incident
© Gold and Goose

Speaking to TNT Sport, Cecchinello offered an update on Zarco’s condition.

“Well, at the moment, he’s been taken to the local hospital,” he said.

“They will perform an MRI and scan to check exactly what he has.

“He has pain in the left leg. He has pain around the knee.

“But, fortunately, he has no concussion, he has no injuries in the upper part of the body, in the feet, in the ankle.

“Looks like he has pain, just in the femur area. I really hope there will be no bad news coming.”

Zarco had been having a strong weekend up to that point, qualifying fifth and finishing there in the sprint.

Prior to the first red flag, Zarco was inside the top six.

“Look, I was commenting that it was a perfect weekend for us: fifth in Friday practice, fifth in qualifying, fifth in the sprint, sixth with 2.8s after half a race,” Cecchinello added.

“It was really, really a pity that our weekend ended like this.”

Zarco suffered bruising on his foot from hitting debris when Marquez and Acosta collided, but was cleared to restart.

The FIM stewards' document notes that Zarco is due to face a hearing on the incident, but will only do so once he is available. 

- Lewis Duncan

MARC MARQUEZ FIGHTS BACK TO TAKE GERMAN MOTOGP SPRINT VICTORY

Marquez takes a debut Sprint win at the Sachsenring - Ducati Media House

Marc Marquez battled through from sixth on the opening lap to seal a comeback victory in the German MotoGP Sprint.

The Spaniard overtook Marco Bezzecchi on the final lap of the race to take a 10th Sprint win of 2025 despite an error at the first corner. 

The wet conditions made it difficult for the field to decide which tyre to choose, with the majority of the grid electing for the soft rear tyre, while Johann Zarco and Luca Marini chose the unfavoured medium.

Marquez made the best start and looked to hold his lead down into the first corner, but ran wide and dropped back down to sixth.

Marco Bezzecchi inherited the lead after Marquez’s error as Franco Morbidelli got the launch from fourth on the grid to take second.

Fabio Quartararo also made a good start from the third row of the grid, and carved his way past Marquez into third. 

Marquez immediately made progress by overtaking Johann Zarco to get back into fifth place, before battling with Fabio Di Giannantonio for fourth. 

The Italian pulled an aggressive move to remain ahead of the Spanish rider as they continued fighting. 

Morbidelli had made good progress but suffered a violent crash at Turn 8 as he exited the race. 

Following his team-mate’s woes, Di Giannantonio surrendered third to Marquez at the start of the fifth lap, as Pedro Acosta followed his compatriot through to demote the VR46 rider to fifth. 

The race stabilised around the seventh lap, with Marquez setting the fastest lap as he attempted to close the two-second gap to Quartararo in second. 

The Spanish rider was lapping half a second faster than the Frenchman as he continued to close the gap. 

Marquez then made his move on Lap 9 as he forced himself and Quartararo wide at the first corner, but managed to make the move stick. 

Bezzecchi set his fastest lap of the race, but Marquez continued to close the gap to the leader by using his superior pace around the circuit. 

As the pair reached the final lap of the race, Marquez used the slipstream to draw level with Bezzecchi going into Turn 1. 

The Spanish rider ran wide, but managed to hang on around the outside as he took the lead for the first time in the race. 

Bezzecchi tried to force a move to regain the lead, but Marquez managed to pull a gap out front to remove any chance of an overtake. 

The eight-time World Champion crossed the line to take the Sprint victory by almost a second after battling back through the order.

Bezzecchi was forced to settle for second place as Quartararo completed the podium in third. 

Di Giannantonio pressured the Frenchman but finished fourth, as Jack Miller rounded out the top five. 

Brad Binder was sixth ahead of Johann Zarco, who struggled on the medium rear tyre in seventh. 

Alex Marquez battled through a hand injury to finish eighth, as Pedro Acosta completed the Sprint points finishers in ninth. 

Fermin Aldeguer completed the top 10 after a battle with Acosta on the final laps of the race, while Miguel Oliveira was 11th.

Francesco Bagnaia struggled in the wet conditions and took the flag in 12th ahead of Raul Fernandez in 13th. 

Joan Mir crossed the line in 14th, with former team-mate Alex Rins trailing behind in 15th. 

Luca Marini was 16th on his first competitive start after injury during the Suzuka 8hr practice, while Ai Ogura finished 17th.

Lorenzo Savadori completed the finishers in 18th, as Morbidelli was the sole retirement of the Sprint. 

Maverick Vinales suffered a dislocated shoulder following his qualifying crash and was declared unfit for the remainder of the weekend. 

- Eden Hannigan

TAKAAKI NAKAGAMI TO FILL IN FOR LUCA MARINI

 Nakagami will race for Honda HRC Castrol at the Italian GP 🇮🇹 as Luca Marini continues his recovery ❤️‍🩹

BREAKING NEWS: LUCA MARINI INJURED WHILE TESTING IN JAPAN

 

BREAKING: Luca Marini suffered a fall and sustained multiple injuries including a right-sided pneumothorax while testing for the Suzuka 8 Hour 🚨