MotoGP - No replacement for injured Luca Marini: Honda only with one MotoGP rider at the Aragon GP
Honda will not field a replacement for the injured Luca Marini in Aragon, despite a large rider lineup. The Italian himself has some initial good news.
Tobias Mühlbauer
Following Luca Marini's injury during a practice session for the Suzuka Eight Hours, Honda will surprisingly field only one rider in the factory team for the Aragon Grand Prix, despite having three reserve riders under contract. However, there is some initial good news from the injured rider himself.
Three Honda reserve riders under contract, but none of them in AragonOnly Joan Mir will be in the factory team's garage at his home race, although two Honda testers, Aleix Espargaro and Takaaki Nakagami, recently made it to the wildcard race, and Stefan Bradl could theoretically also be considered. This is according to the entry list for the Aragon Grand Prix.
Honda isn't yet obligated by regulations to provide a replacement. This only applies if the injury occurred more than nine days ago. Marini crashed during testing last Wednesday, meaning the Aragon GP falls right within that timeframe. Furthermore, Honda will have one less driver for the Monday test after the race, as none of the test riders are scheduled to participate there either. A replacement will only be definitively required for the next Grand Prix at Mugello.
Father gives all-clear for Luca Marini: Return to Europe probably sooner than expectedLuca Marini himself certainly won't be in the running for the race. But there's now some good news about the Italian. His father, Massimo, gave an update to the newspaper 'Il resto del Carlino'. The Honda driver suffered a hip dislocation, a ligament injury in his left knee, and fractures of his sternum and left collarbone. He also developed a pneumothorax in his left lung, a buildup of air between the lung and the chest wall. Nevertheless, his father emphasizes that no surgery will be necessary: "With a certain amount of physical therapy, he'll be able to recover."
The Italian left the hospital's intensive care unit on Friday. A transfer to his native Italy is now being considered. This could happen in about a week, significantly sooner than would be expected for a pneumothorax patient. His father also clarified: "The rumor that even his career is in question must be firmly refuted." The driver himself posted on Instagram with a photo from the hospital and the words: "Thank you all for your support! I will keep you updated."
In contrast to Marini, who unfortunately had an accident, MotoGP colleague Jack Miller can aim for a start at the Suzuka Eight Hours:
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