Marini leaves Honda: Tech3 confirms KTM switch for 2027

• Tech3 confirmed the move on 26 August 2026, but the team did not state a contract length
• Marini will join his third manufacturer in MotoGP at Tech3, after Ducati and Honda
• The second seat in the team is still open, with Moto2 rider Senna Agius seen as the favourite

The 2027 MotoGP grid keeps filling up. After Enea Bastianini’s move to Trackhouse Aprilia had already been confirmed earlier the same week, Tech3 spoke up on Wednesday morning. The French team, which has worked with KTM since 2019, is signing Luca Marini. For the 29-year-old Italian from Tavullia, a new chapter begins at exactly the moment the premier class is reinventing itself technically from the ground up.

Why is Luca Marini moving to Tech3?

Marini is moving to Tech3 because his seat at Honda has been given to someone else from 2027 onwards, while a ride became available at the KTM customer team at the same time. His departure from Honda had been settled for some time, ever since the Japanese manufacturer signed Fabio Quartararo and David Alonso for 2027, on top of the existing contracts held by Johann Zarco and Diogo Moreira.

At Tech3, the gap was created by Bastianini. The Italian is joining Trackhouse Aprilia in 2027, where he will ride alongside Raul Fernandez. Marini effectively steps straight into his position.

From the team’s point of view, the profile fits. In the paddock, Marini is regarded as a calm and precise rider who reliably scores points and delivers valuable development feedback. That is apparently exactly what Tech3 was looking for after eighteen difficult months with Bastianini and Maverick Vinales. At Honda his technical judgement was held in high regard internally, and he is also said to be good at holding a team together.

How long is Luca Marini’s contract with Tech3?

Officially, the length is not known. The Tech3 statement says only that Marini will join the team “from 2027”. The team does not put a number on it.

That leaves room for speculation. Paddock sources suggest Marini and Tech3 have agreed on two years, which would mean the contract runs until the end of 2028. That would fit the pattern of this year’s silly season, in which every MotoGP rider so far has received a deal covering at least two years. According to media reports, a one-year-plus-option model is also conceivable, with Tech3 deciding itself whether to extend for 2028. As long as the team does not confirm a figure, both remain possible.

How did the move come about?

Contact was made through Marini’s management and initially without any concrete plan. The Italian was not even on the original shortlist drawn up by Tech3 and KTM.

That changed at the Italian Grand Prix. It was there that Marini’s manager first spoke to Tech3 boss Günther Steiner. Another meeting followed in June, this time with KTM motorsport director Pit Beirer. Marini evidently convinced both sides, and the conversations turned into an agreement.

What is notable here is the new chain of responsibility. Over the past two seasons, Bastianini and Vinales were on direct KTM contracts. From 2027, Tech3 negotiates with and pays its riders itself. The squad is now owned by an investor group around Steiner, the former Haas Formula 1 team principal. The ownership structure changed at the end of 2025 following the departure of Hervé Poncharal. Even so, the team is not entirely free: any signing still requires KTM’s approval, because the manufacturer supplies the bikes and the technical support.

What Steiner and Goyon say about Marini

Steiner explains the decision above all in terms of experience and working method. “Luca is a rider we have been watching closely, and we are very pleased to welcome him to Tech3 from 2027. He brings a huge amount of experience, but also the right mentality and approach for what we are building here”, says the Tech3 boss.

Steiner also talks about 2027 representing a major fresh start for MotoGP. That, he says, makes it important to have a rider who can contribute to progress in this new era. Marini knows how to work at this level, whether that means collaborating with the engineers, developing the bike or making headway in difficult conditions.

Team manager Nicolas Goyon strikes a similar note. He points out that Marini has already proven his ability at the highest level and that his MotoGP experience will be of great value at the start of the new chapter. Marini understands exactly what is required both from the rider and from the technical side.

What changes in MotoGP in 2027?

The premier class gets new technical regulations for the 2027 season. Engine capacity drops from 1000 to 850 cubic centimetres, the ride-height devices are banned, and aerodynamics will be restricted.

On top of that comes a change of tyre supplier. From 2027, Pirelli replaces Michelin across the entire field. For the teams that amounts to a kind of restart, because existing data and experience will only help so much. It is precisely in this phase that Marini is meant to take on the role of the veteran at Tech3. In the weeks beforehand, Steiner had repeatedly stressed that he wanted one experienced and one young rider in his line-up for 2027.

Marini’s path from Moto2 via Ducati to Honda

Marini entered the Moto2 World Championship directly in 2016. He spent five years in the intermediate class, taking six wins and 15 podium finishes. He ended his final Moto2 season in 2020 as runner-up in the championship.

The step up to MotoGP followed in 2021. He started out with Team Esponsorama, whose garage side was run by the VR46 outfit of his half-brother Valentino Rossi. A year later VR46 entered with its own structure and Marini stayed on board. His strongest season came in 2023 with the Ducati satellite team: he took his first MotoGP podium with second place in Austin, claimed his first pole in Indonesia with a lap record, and again took top spot on the grid in Qatar along with podiums in both the sprint and the grand prix.

For 2024 he moved to the Honda factory team, taking over the seat vacated by Marc Marquez, who went to Gresini. He was unable to match his Ducati results at Honda. Podiums eluded him, and his best result was fifth place, achieved in Indonesia in 2025 and in Hungary in both 2025 and 2026. In the current 2026 season, however, he is showing remarkable consistency. With 86 points he sits tenth in the championship, making him the best-placed Honda rider.

Tech3 will be Marini’s fourth team in the premier class and KTM his third manufacturer. It will also be the first time he rides an RC16.

Who will be Marini’s team-mate at Tech3?

That has not been decided yet. Tech3 has so far not announced its second rider, but Senna Agius is regarded as the clear favourite.

The 21-year-old Australian currently races in Moto2, where he sits third in the standings, 61.5 points behind championship leader Manuel Gonzalez. His compatriot was also a candidate for the seat at one point but appears to be out of the running despite a strong season. An official decision is expected before the end of the month.

What the move means for Maverick Vinales

With Marini’s signing, Maverick Vinales’ prospects shrink to zero. In all likelihood, the Spaniard will not find a place on the 2027 MotoGP grid.

Vinales was already out of the running for a KTM factory seat after the manufacturer completely reshuffled its works team with Alex Marquez and Fabio Di Giannantonio. On top of that, uncertainty grew around his shoulder injury. He now has a maximum of nine grand prix starts left, and exactly how many it will be remains open. He is still sidelined by injury for the race weekend at Aragon from 28 to 30 August.

Tech3 will therefore line up in 2027 with a completely new rider pairing. Looking at the 2026 season as a whole, Marini’s move is one of the last big pieces of the rider market puzzle before the switch to the 850cc generation.

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