2020 Moto2 Runner-Up · MotoGP

Luca Marini

Luca Marini won six Moto2 races and lost the 2020 title to Enea Bastianini. He spent three MotoGP seasons with his half-brother Valentino Rossi's VR46 team before joining Honda in 2024.

Nationality
Italian
Born
10 August 1997 · Urbino, Italy
Number
10
Family
Maternal half-brother of Valentino Rossi
Teams
Pons · Forward Racing · Sky Racing Team VR46 · Mooney VR46 · Repsol Honda · Honda HRC Castrol
Best championship finish
2nd (Moto2, 2020) · 8th (MotoGP, 2023)
Shop the Collection Watch highlights
Graphic illustration of MotoGP rider Luca Marini wearing his red, white, and blue Castrol Honda racing suit and cap, featuring his number 10 Honda race motorcycle
Moto2 Runner-Up
2013 — Present
6
Grand Prix Wins
17
Podiums
7
Poles
195
GP Starts

Who is Luca Marini?

Luca Marini, born 10 August 1997 in Urbino, is an Italian Grand Prix motorcycle racer and the maternal half-brother of Valentino Rossi. He won six Moto2 races and finished runner-up in the 2020 championship, then spent three MotoGP seasons with his brother's VR46 team. He rides for Honda and joins Red Bull KTM Tech3 in 2027.

Full name
Luca Marini
Nationality
Italian
Career
2013 — present
Best known for
Six Moto2 wins, the 2020 runner-up finish, and racing for his brother's VR46 team

By Kozmozracing Editorial Published Updated 9 sources

Rider Profile

Luca Marini: Full Biography

Luca Marini is an Italian Grand Prix motorcycle racer, born on 10 August 1997 in Urbino. He rides the number 10 for Honda HRC Castrol and is the maternal half-brother of Valentino Rossi.

He came up through the Italian CIV series and the Spanish CEV, reaching the Moto2 European Championship in 2015 before a full world championship season with Forward Racing in 2016. A move to his brother’s Sky Racing Team VR46 for 2018 transformed his results.

Six Moto2 wins followed across three seasons, the first at Sepang in 2018. He led the 2020 championship for much of the year until a heavy crash in French Grand Prix qualifying cost him the lead, and finished runner-up to Enea Bastianini.

In MotoGP he rode for the family team — Sky VR46 Avintia in 2021, then Mooney VR46 — and took two podiums and two poles in 2023, his best season at eighth overall. He replaced Marc Márquez at Repsol Honda for 2024, and joins Red Bull KTM Tech3 for 2027.

The Career

Three Chapters That Defined Luca Marini

Chapter 01

Six Wins and a Runner-Up

Marini came through the Italian CIV series, finishing fourth in Moto3 in 2013 with six podiums, and made a single Grand Prix appearance that year. After the Spanish CEV and a season in the Moto2 European Championship, where he was second in only his third race, he reached the world championship full time with Forward Racing in 2016. Two modest years followed. Then Sky Racing Team VR46 signed him for 2018 and everything improved: five podiums and a maiden Grand Prix victory at Sepang. Two more wins came in 2019, in Thailand and Japan, and in 2020 he led the championship for much of the season until a heavy crash in French Grand Prix qualifying cost him the lead. He finished runner-up to Enea Bastianini.

Luca Marini cornering his number 10 Sky Racing Team VR46 Moto2 machine at Brno in 2018. Moto3 and Moto2, 2013 — 2020 Photo: Luca Marini, Sky Racing Team VR46 Moto2 (Brno 2018) by Lubor Horak / Wikimedia Commons, CC0 (cropped and resized) · licence
Chapter 02

The Family Team

Marini stepped up to the premier class in 2021 with Sky VR46 Avintia, partnered by the man who had just beaten him to the Moto2 title. It was hard at first, but a front-row start at Misano and a top-five finish in Austria pointed forward. The team became Mooney VR46 in 2022 and he was consistent without breaking through, finishing fourth twice. The podium came in 2023 at the Americas Grand Prix, where he finished second behind Álex Rins, and again in Qatar with third behind Fabio Di Giannantonio and Francesco Bagnaia. Two pole positions and eighth in the championship made it his strongest season.

Luca Marini riding the number 10 Sky VR46 Ducati on track at Spielberg in 2021, alongside Pol Espargaró on the number 44 Repsol Honda and Valentino Rossi on the number 46 Petronas MotoGP with VR46, 2021 — 2023 Photo: Luca Marini riding the number 10 Sky VR46 Ducati on track at Spielberg in 2021 by Box Repsol — CC BY 2.0. Cropped and resized. · licence
Chapter 03

Honda, and What Next

Repsol Honda signed him for 2024 as Marc Márquez's replacement, and a first year on the RC213V brought twenty-second overall. 2025 was better — thirteenth in the standings, regularly inside the top ten — though a crash while testing for the Suzuka 8 Hours cost him three rounds of the season. He remains with Honda in 2026, and in August that year Tech3 announced he would ride for Red Bull KTM Tech3 from 2027, taking the seat vacated by Enea Bastianini.

Luca Marini, number 10, riding his Honda HRC Castrol machine at the 2025 Malaysian motorcycle Grand Prix. MotoGP, 2024 — present Photo: Luca Marini, Honda HRC Castrol (2025 Malaysian Grand Prix) by Liauzh / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (resized) · licence
Career Timeline

Luca Marini Career Timeline: 1997 — Present

Born in Urbino

Born on 10 August 1997 in Urbino, the maternal half-brother of Valentino Rossi.

Grand Prix debut

Makes a single Moto3 world championship appearance while finishing fourth in the Italian CIV series.

Moto2 European Championship

Takes second place in only his third race and finishes fifth overall.

Full-time world championship

Joins Forward Racing in Moto2 alongside Lorenzo Baldassarri.

Joins Sky Racing Team VR46

Five podiums and a maiden Grand Prix win at Sepang.

Two more wins

Victories in Thailand and Japan despite winter shoulder surgery.

Moto2 runner-up

Leads much of the championship before a qualifying crash at Le Mans; loses the title to Enea Bastianini.

MotoGP debut

Rides for Sky VR46 Avintia and takes a front-row start at Misano.

Mooney VR46

Seven top-six finishes, including two fourths, but no podium.

First MotoGP podium

Second at the Americas Grand Prix behind Álex Rins.

Second podium and best season

Third in Qatar; two poles and eighth in the championship.

Joins Repsol Honda

Signs as Marc Márquez's replacement at the factory Honda team.

Tech3 confirmed

Announced at Red Bull KTM Tech3 for 2027.

By the Numbers

Luca Marini Career Record, Season by Season

Luca Marini season-by-season record: team, wins, poles, podiums, points and final standing.
SeasonTeam Wins Poles Podiums Points Pos.
2013 Twelve Racing · Moto3 0 0 0 0 NC
2015 Pons Racing Junior Team · Moto2 0 0 0 0 NC
2016 Forward Racing Team · Moto2 0 0 0 34 23
2017 Forward Racing Team · Moto2 0 0 0 59 15
2018 Sky Racing Team VR46 · Moto2 1 2 5 147 7
2019 Sky Racing Team VR46 · Moto2 2 1 4 190 6
2020 Sky Racing Team VR46 · Moto2 3 2 6 196 2
2021 Sky VR46 Avintia · MotoGP 0 0 0 41 19
2022 Mooney VR46 Racing Team · MotoGP 0 0 0 120 12
2023 Mooney VR46 Racing Team · MotoGP 0 2 2 201 8
2024 Repsol Honda Team · MotoGP 0 0 0 14 22
2025 Honda HRC Castrol · MotoGP 0 0 0 142 13
2026 Honda HRC Castrol · MotoGP 0 0 0 88 11

Career totals across all classes: 195 starts, 6 Grand Prix wins, 7 poles, 17 podiums, 1,232 points. No world championship; runner-up in Moto2 in 2020. He did not contest the 2014 season. The 2026 season is in progress — figures are after 13 rounds. Verified 2026-09-01 against the official MotoGP rider statistics, which match Wikipedia's per-class totals exactly for every completed season.

Luca Marini in his own words

In His Own Words
It was difficult for me, but I'm excited for the future
Luca Marini · motogp.com, on signing for Tech3, 26 August 2026

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Frequently Asked

Luca Marini: Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Luca Marini?

Luca Marini is an Italian Grand Prix motorcycle racer, born 10 August 1997 in Urbino. He rides the number 10 for Honda HRC Castrol and is the maternal half-brother of Valentino Rossi.

Is Luca Marini related to Valentino Rossi?

Yes. They are maternal half-brothers. Marini rode for Rossi's Sky Racing Team VR46 in Moto2 and for the VR46 squad in MotoGP from 2021 to 2023.

Has Luca Marini won a world championship?

No. He finished runner-up in the 2020 Moto2 championship, losing to Enea Bastianini, and his best MotoGP result is eighth overall in 2023.

Has Luca Marini won a MotoGP race?

No. He has six Grand Prix wins, all in Moto2, and two MotoGP podiums.

What are Luca Marini's MotoGP podiums?

Two, both in 2023: second at the Americas Grand Prix behind Álex Rins, and third in Qatar behind Fabio Di Giannantonio and Francesco Bagnaia.

Why did Marini join Repsol Honda?

He was signed for 2024 as the replacement for Marc Márquez, who left the factory Honda team.

What team will Luca Marini ride for in 2027?

Red Bull KTM Tech3, announced on 26 August 2026. He takes the seat vacated by Enea Bastianini.

What number does Luca Marini race with?

10, throughout his Grand Prix career.

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References

Sources & Further Reading

Every statistic on this page is drawn from the following records.

  1. Luca Marini rider profile · MotoGP
  2. Luca Marini · Wikipedia
  3. Luca Marini (Q21030434) · Wikidata
  4. 2023 Motorcycle Grand Prix of the Americas · Wikipedia
  5. 2023 Qatar motorcycle Grand Prix · Wikipedia
  6. 2020 Moto2 World Championship · Wikipedia
  7. Tech3 announce Marini for 2027's new era of MotoGP · MotoGP
  8. Marini stays with Honda Racing Corporation for 2026 · MotoGP
  9. Honda HRC Castrol team profile · MotoGP

How this page is made

Rider profiles are compiled from official series records and cross-checked against independent statistical databases before publication.

Commercial disclosure. This page links to merchandise sold by Kozmozracing. Products are fan-made tributes inspired by motorsport history and are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or licensed from the rider, their estate, or any team.

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