Motorcycling - MotoGP - Thailand Grand Prix - Chang International Circuit, Buriram, Thailand - October 28, 2023 Mooney VR46 Racing Team's Luca Marini celebrates after qualifying in second place. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha/ File photo
(Reuters) - Valentino Rossi's half-brother Luca Marini will replace Marc Marquez at the factory Honda MotoGP team next season, the Japanese manufacturer announced on Monday.
Six times MotoGP world champion Marquez has joined his brother Alex at Ducati satellite team Gresini Racing.
"Honda Racing Corporation are pleased to announce the signing of Luca Marini for the 2024 and 2025 MotoGP World Championship seasons," Honda said in a statement.
Italian Marini, 26, has been racing for Rossi's VR46 Ducati team since 2021. He was runner-up in the Moto2 championship in 2020.
He will partner Spaniard Joan Mir, the 2020 MotoGP champion with Suzuki, at the Repsol Honda team.
Nine-times world champion Rossi, now retired, won three of his seven titles in the top category with Honda from 2001-03.
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin in London, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
