Aragon WorldSBK: Michael Rinaldi: “I don’t know if my future depends on Marc Marquez, news in Portimao”
Michael Rinaldi says an announcement on his WorldSBK future could come at next weekend’s Portimao round.
Rinaldi has been linked with a move to both Motocorsa Ducati and the factory Honda team, after losing his Aruba.it Ducati ride to Nicolo Bulega.
The Italian, who claimed his first win of 2023 and first in two years at Aragon during Race 1, is only the fourth different rider to have won this season.
- Jonathan Rea “frustrated and confused” by lack of pace in Race 2
- Razgatlioglu: “I’m really surprised at Locatelli, he made a big improvement”
Now a five-time race winner in WorldSBK, Rinaldi’s future could be impacted by what happens with Marc Marquez in MotoGP.
If Marquez leaves for Ducati then a seat at Honda will open, but if the eight-time world champion stays put then Iker Lecuona and Xavi Vierge could both be retained by the Japanese brand.
Rinaldi admitted a decision regarding his future could be made at next weekend’s Portimao round, saying: "This is interesting. I don’t know if my future depends on Marquez but I think we are close to what I want, and to sign where I want to.
"We are close and I think that in Portimao there will be news."
Although Rinaldi was unable to replicate his last race performance of Race 1 by overtaking Toprak Razgatlioglu, the Italian did manage to secure a second consecutive podium in the feature-length race.
"It has been a really positive weekend for us," said Rinaldi. "Talking about the Superpole Race, we didn’t have the pace to stay with the front group but we were able to finish in the top five, which is good.
"In Race 2, like yesterday I decided to manage the tyre to arrive at the end of the race with a little bit more grip.
"The strategy was ok but as soon as I caught Locatelli and Toprak, Locatelli’s bike started to lose some oil and a lot of smoke from the engine.
"Toprak was able to overtake him and I wasn't, so I lost two seconds on that lap and the possibility to fight Toprak for second was gone.
"But it’s okay because it is another podium and a really strong performance. I’m happy. My focus is to try and fight for the podium in every race.
"In Magny-Cours we were really strong and a little bit unlucky on Sunday, but we are always there fighting for top positions."
