Valentino Rossi Admits Sad To See His Sister Move To Repsol Honda

JAKARTA The former seven-time MotoGP world champion Valentino Rossi admitted that he was so sad to see his younger brother Luca Marini decide to move to Repsol Honda.

Marini left his brother's VR46 Racing Team and joined Repsol Honda at the end of November. At the Japanese manufacturer he filled the vacant position left by Marc Marquez.

Rossi said the decision made by his younger brother was clearly quite surprising. However, he admits it is very difficult for a rider to turn down Honda's offer.

"Luca surprised us. We didn't expect it. I am very sad to see him develop and become a protagonist with my team and our motorbike," Rossi was quoted as saying by Sky Sport Italia.

Honda's search to find new riders for the 2024 MotoGP season brought them in and out. They even went to Moto2 before finally making a decision to vote for Marini.

Honda initially only offered a one-year contract for anyone who would replace Marquez. However, they took the decision to change the policy to tease Marini.

Marini herself actually still has a one-year contract with VR46. However, her desire to be in the factory team forced her to make this important decision.

"He had the opportunity to take over an empty seat at Honda, in the Honda factory team, on a two-season contract. I am a big fan, and I will help him as best I can. This is a tough choice, but Honda is Honda, and in our opinion Luca is already at a certain age," said Rossi.

Honda is not a foreign team for Marini's family. Long before that, Rossi's brother had won three world championships with Honda before turning to Yamaha.