2021 MotoGP Discussion (No Links - Contains Spoilers!)

[Priller]

LTTP here, but I seem to be the only one who didn't really enjoy Sunday's race. I hate mixed weather flag-to-flag races, as it becomes as much about luck as skill, with tire selection and pit timing playing huge roles. They're definitely dramatic, but I want to see who was best, rather than who was luckiest.

Quick notes:

- Full credit to Miller for riding through two long laps (although with the rain, the penalty seemed to be about 1.5 seconds total), and again making the best of things when luck was on his side. Celebrations with the Three Amigos foreshadowed his extension, too...
- Zarco's tire choice was clever, and the two mediums paid off well. Without the rain, he's lucky to finish top 5, I think...
- Quatararo looked like he won with his celebrations for 3rd. Looking at how lost the rest of the Yamaha's looked once the rain fell, I think it was because his nightmare weather scenario happened yet he still made the podium. Finishing 3rd in worst-case weather at a Ducati-friendly stop/go track bodes well for the rest of his season
- Aprilia seemed to have fixed their mechanical gremlins until Sunday. AEspargaro was on pace for another solid 6th despite a disastrous Q1, so he's settled into that position. Hoping they find speed and luck somewhere to sneak onto a podium
- Speaking of disastrous Q1's, Bagnaia looked lost and tentative. He picked up the pieces in the race, so it could be argued that he was saving a bad weekend, but with the pace of the rest of the Ducatis, it could be argued he let points slip instead
- Honda seems to have found a few things from the Jerez test, despite Pol's complaints about the long list of stuff to test. AMarquez saved another awful qualifying, and Marc was finding all sorts of speed. Maybe too much, but still, he was regularly running over 1.5 sec faster before and after the first crash. Have to wonder what would have happened if he'd made it in for the slicks instead of crashing again
- Rossi. Looked promising, but came undone again...
- KTM can't figure it out. Different riders do best every race, and they're struggling to find consistency. Fewer silver linings than Honda...

 

[Chaos]

Good update on MotoGP 2022 grid: News Round Up: Miller Stays With Ducati, Silly Season Update, And Fans Back At Races Again | MotoMatters.com | Kropotkin Thinks

Can't be helped. Silly season starts the day after the first day of the season.

I've modified the 2nd post to add the silly season rider list.

As of right now, most of the drama is what bikes: Gresini, VR46 and SRT will race. Tech3 also currently has 2 openings. I can see KTM promoting both Raul Fernandez and Remy Gartner (assuming the latter wins a race). If Gresini stays in GP, he has an open seat, as does SRT.

SRT is an interesting situation. They clearly have the money and backing to want good equipment, but so far, Yamaha has treated them rather poorly. I hope this doesn't result in a situation of they leaving, because that would be a loss. We need well-funded competitive satellite teams.

 

[Winales_2017]

As of right now, most of the drama is what bikes: Gresini, VR46 and SRT will race. Tech3 also currently has 2 openings. I can see KTM promoting both Raul Fernandez and Remy Gartner (assuming the latter wins a race). If Gresini stays in GP, he has an open seat, as does SRT.

SRT is an interesting situation. They clearly have the money and backing to want good equipment, but so far, Yamaha has treated them rather poorly. I hope this doesn't result in a situation of they leaving, because that would be a loss. We need well-funded competitive satellite teams.

It's a toss up for VR46 between Ducati and Yamaha, right? I think Gresini, assuming it stays, would likely go with Suzuki and try to nake the most of a really solid platform that can be competitive and pretty forgiving to many riders. Then again, Aliex is doing rather well on this year's Aprillia so it really comes down to sponsorship and deals/

I have to correct that to saying FRANKIE has not been treated well by Yamaha at SRT mainly due to lackluster results and then getting destroyed by a rookie who no one really heard of. despite being a moto2 champ and a VR46 rider.

On the otherhand Fabio got works backing midseason his rookie year from Yamaha when he was fighting with Marc for wins during the most dominant season, and Rossi has the same equipment as Fabio and Mav despite being at the back while the main team has been winning and leading the championship. I think having Petronas as feeder for the main Yamaha team makes the most sense, since it's such a forgiving bike but I think it's clear they will never be able to put ahead of the main team even if they're ahead of them in the points as we've seen in the past 2 years.

Any new KTM rider will have to be put aside when Acosta comes over at the end of 2022.

 

[Priller]

It's a toss up for VR46 between Ducati and Yamaha, right?

Aparently, though I've read that Ducati is frontrunner at the moment.

I think Gresini, assuming it stays, would likely go with Suzuki and try to nake the most of a really solid platform that can be competitive and pretty forgiving to many riders. Then again, Aliex is doing rather well on this year's Aprillia so it really comes down to sponsorship and deals/

Last I heard, there's an internal fight at Aprilia/Piaggio about really going for it in MotoGP or keeping it low-cost as a testing ground. Lots seem to assume that Dovi's agreement to test for the remainder of the season is a prelude to joining the factory team in 2022. If they go for it and Piaggio opens the purse strings, they could keep Gresini as a satellite team with Diggia and possibly Bastianini if he gets bounced for not being in the VR46 club. Aleix and Dovi would be a very old team, so having a feeder team to bring in kids would help development a lot, not to mention the ability to test a lot more. I'd love to see them show some ambition and use the Piaggio muscle to take on the big boys.

I have to correct that to saying FRANKIE has not been treated well by Yamaha at SRT mainly due to lackluster results and then getting destroyed by a rookie who no one really heard of. despite being a moto2 champ and a VR46 rider.

On the otherhand Fabio got works backing midseason his rookie year from Yamaha when he was fighting with Marc for wins during the most dominant season, and Rossi has the same equipment as Fabio and Mav despite being at the back while the main team has been winning and leading the championship. I think having Petronas as feeder for the main Yamaha team makes the most sense, since it's such a forgiving bike but I think it's clear they will never be able to put ahead of the main team even if they're ahead of them in the points as we've seen in the past 2 years.

I think Morbidelli deserves a top-spec bike, which he'll apparently get next year. He's more than earned it between last year and so far this year. He's certainly dominating his teammate, and often the B rider on the factory Yamaha, despite the old kit...

Yamaha will never push SRT ahead of the factory team, even if the bikes are identical on paper. Covid has limited the ability for factory engineering help from Japan, but that should get back to normal by next year (I hope!)...

Any new KTM rider will have to be put aside when Acosta comes over at the end of 2022.

Unless KTM can't fix the bike. Could see HRC opening the chequebook for him to apprentice MM for a season, and then let them fight for lead rider in 2024. If MM never gets back to peak form, I think that gets more likely, especially if the bike is better (which it will be).

 

[Winales_2017]

Aparently, though I've read that Ducati is frontrunner at the moment.

Makes sense, the Sky46 and Ducati partnership is an Italian marketing ploy, one you may feel better than the Saudi's I imagine, but as you said before it's all about the 'dolla dolla bill y'all!'

Last I heard, there's an internal fight at Aprilia/Piaggio about really going for it in MotoGP or keeping it low-cost as a testing ground. Lots seem to assume that Dovi's agreement to test for the remainder of the season is a prelude to joining the factory team in 2022. If they go for it and Piaggio opens the purse strings, they could keep Gresini as a satellite team with Diggia and possibly Bastianini if he gets bounced for not being in the VR46 club. Aleix and Dovi would be a very old team, so having a feeder team to bring in kids would help development a lot, not to mention the ability to test a lot more. I'd love to see them show some ambition and use the Piaggio muscle to take on the big boys.

Intresting, I'm not a fan of Aprillia, but as far as Italian bikes go their street bikes are less common to see than new Multistradas or Panigalles where I'm from so you never see them but I like to see more manufacturers in general in any sport as it keeps from becoming a monotonous one team domination--2019 will remain as the most dominate and perhaps most boring season in living memory in the GP class.

I don't know if Dovi will be back, but if he does I doubt it will be fore more than a season and a short term cash grab as the Aprilia's progress isn't championship ready yet. Maybe down the line, sure, but Dovi couldn't deliver on what is perhaps the best bike on the grid, had politics not played a big part as it did and JLO stayed and was healthy I'm pretty sure 2020 would have gone to Ducati and would have been a better way to retire than his horrible exit at HRC. He may be annoying on social media but he deserved better than that.

I think Morbidelli deserves a top-spec bike, which he'll apparently get next year. He's more than earned it between last year and so far this year. He's certainly dominating his teammate, and often the B rider on the factory Yamaha, despite the old kit...

Yamaha will never push SRT ahead of the factory team, even if the bikes are identical on paper. Covid has limited the ability for factory engineering help from Japan, but that should get back to normal by next year (I hope!)...

I don't disagree, but 4 works bikes is really expensive for a non-championship comptetitor, which kind of sucks since he came in 2nd last year. But that's the nature of the game.

Yeah, Iwata isn't going to let a satelite bike team take their glory.

Unless KTM can't fix the bike. Could see HRC opening the chequebook for him to apprentice MM for a season, and then let them fight for lead rider in 2024. If MM never gets back to peak form, I think that gets more likely, especially if the bike is better (which it will be).

I would not mind that at all, Pedro does remind me a lot of Marc, but honestly I don't want to see that bike claim another body, especially when he'd only be 18 when he enters GP. Still, the prospect is rather appealing.

 

[Priller]

Just watched the last bit of FP2, and this weekend looks like it'll be a lot of fun. Mugello is such an incredible track, rewarding both straight line and corner speed, and all six factories are in the top 10 today.

Wild flurry of changes at the close, but Pecco showing late speed to grab top spot on day one, despite not having a lot of past success there. Miller went from first to tenth in just a few minutes, so things are definitely competitive. Big kudos to Morbido for grabbing third on by far the slowest bike on the grid, 20 km/h down at the end of the front straight. Quatararo was furious about losing out on his late hot laps due to traffic, and was on pace to take top spot, but still managed 4th.

KTM seems to have figured something out, as they're close to the front. Less so for Honda, Marquez in particular, but this round was always going to be tough for him with all the high speed rights and difficult braking zones.

Makes sense, the Sky46 and Ducati partnership is an Italian marketing ploy, one you may feel better than the Saudi's I imagine, but as you said before it's all about the 'dolla dolla bill y'all!'

In Italy, Rossi is bigger than everything else put together. Ducati will be breaking the bank to have his logo on their bikes, regardless of how sour it got when he actually rode for them. Add better access to the ranch riders, and it's a big Italian party.

(Which maybe explains why I am so annoyed by the Saudi thing, as it's going to concentrate a huge amount of Italian money and presence in the sport through the VR46 world, all tainted by blood money. I hope Italian riders who aren't in the cult don't get held back.)

Intresting, I'm not a fan of Aprillia, but as far as Italian bikes go their street bikes are less common to see than new Multistradas or Panigalles where I'm from so you never see them but I like to see more manufacturers in general in any sport as it keeps from becoming a monotonous one team domination--2019 will remain as the most dominate and perhaps most boring season in living memory in the GP class.

Aprilia is microscopically small as a factory compared to any of the other GP players. Despite their long history of overachieving in smaller classes, WSBK and MXisthey've never cracked the top class. The Cube was an ambitious disaster.

Piaggio, on the other hand, is not small at all, but they've tended to leave their sub-brands alone to run almost independently. The Moto Guzzi factory, for example, is a very old-school operation, not high tech at all. Vespa, by contrast, has a huge factory that could rival the Japanese for precision, speed and technology.

If Piaggio could add that scale and funding to Aprilia's racing expertise, it could get interesting. As BMW's ongoing superbike calamity continues, and KTM's struggle to take the next step shows, just throwing money at it doesn't guarantee success. But Aprilia have a lot of internal experience and expertise that might make a difference.

I don't know if Dovi will be back, but if he does I doubt it will be fore more than a season and a short term cash grab as the Aprilia's progress isn't championship ready yet. Maybe down the line, sure, but Dovi couldn't deliver on what is perhaps the best bike on the grid, had politics not played a big part as it did and JLO stayed and was healthy I'm pretty sure 2020 would have gone to Ducati and would have been a better way to retire than his horrible exit at HRC. He may be annoying on social media but he deserved better than that.

I'll leave the JLo thing alone except to say he was not the only rider miserable in that factory Ducati garage. Lots have left acrimoniously, including Stoner (the obsession of many Ducati brass), Rossi, and now Dovizioso.

As David Emmett pointed out recently, the problem for Aprilia is they have no idea how good their bike actually is now. They've found consistent top six speed with AEspargaro, but that's historically about where his skill tops out. By adding Dovi, you get a guy who a) brings a massive amount of experience with extended time on a lot of bikes, b) offers a very intellectual approach which is useful for development, and c) was the only guy taking the fight to MM for a long time. He's a known quantity, and he can expose the ceiling of that bike a lot better than Espargaro, I think. If he can grab a win or two, it would go a long way to luring young talent onto the bike, which has been an issue for Aprilia for a while.

I don't disagree, but 4 works bikes is really expensive for a non-championship comptetitor, which kind of sucks since he came in 2nd last year. But that's the nature of the game.

Only four if Rossi sticks around, which is impossible to call. Anyone else would pack it in, but Rossi is Rossi. Another catastrophic session for him today, by the way...

 

[bastak]

For someone who has achieved so much in his career, I think it's sad to see such unashamed poor sportsmanship from Marquez. It's one thing to get a tow during the session, but to wait to follow another rider out of the pits, back into the pits for a ride through and throughout the session even when called out for it is petty and disrespectful to your fellow competitor. His win at all costs mentality is getting old.

 

[Winales_2017]

For someone who has achieved so much in his career, I think it's sad to see such unashamed poor sportsmanship from Marquez. It's one thing to get a tow during the session, but to wait to follow another rider out of the pits, back into the pits for a ride through and throughout the session even when called out for it is petty and disrespectful to your fellow competitor. His win at all costs mentality is getting old.

Seriously? All I saw was Marc (who is not in contention for WC) getting into Q2 to help set the bike up for further development and competeivness and unsettling Mav (who is in contention) who was quick fall weekend in the process, how exactly is shameful?

He won't win doing this alone anytime soon, he is too weak from is injuries at this point: what he is doing is trying to prepare himself to be ready to win next season, if that means playing mind games, than so be it. People often were defeated by Marc before they did thier first lap on a race weekend before his injury, Rossi was the best at this before and used the Media to his advantage.

Then Marc came along. And now Mir and Marc are going at it in the media, too. So I think this was just as much as him reminding everyone that injured doesn't mean retired.

I think this clip with Pol says it all really, you can't make champions like this, they're born that way:

I found it amusing and I think Mav just showed why Fabio is Yamaha's future, who rides so much like JLO's so they know that if he sticks to that it's a winning formula; Mav had a decent run at Yamaha but it didn't pan out, and he needs to have his bags prepped and ready to jump ship at then end of this year if he wants to save his career as a rider.

I honestly think that if he see's his 2 year contract out at Yamaha he will likely get demoted to test role and diminish his chances at a decent ride. There is way hungrier talent waiting in Moto3/2 to take both Rossi's and Mav's bikes and DORNA wants more UK/US/Asian riders and has made a big push for that.

 

[Winales_2017]

I'll leave the JLo thing alone except to say he was not the only rider miserable in that factory Ducati garage. Lots have left acrimoniously, including Stoner (the obsession of many Ducati brass), Rossi, and now Dovizioso.

It was foolish and petty, and quite honestly an absurd waste of money to pay and ultimately lose; Audi must have been ******, and I'm sure this hit the corp's budget, but I'm just watching the 99 Seconds review of JLO's Ducati Victory at Mugello and it's practically echoing what we all knew. Not only what you mentioned and would continue, just look at how Petrux and Dovi left so they burned all their bridges, but in a way only that only Italian manufacturers/race teams know how to do.

They are often their own worse enemies.

Only four if Rossi sticks around, which is impossible to call. Anyone else would pack it in, but Rossi is Rossi. Another catastrophic session for him today, by the way...

I want to preface by saying that I feel bad for Rossi, and all the negative press he is getting over his retirement, after having been the darling for decades must suck--but he had his time.

So, I have to give some push back on this: this kind of view is only possible because of his vast commercial appeal in the sport, and with ticket sales not being a part of the equation these 2 seasons I think we're seeing just how irrelevant on a talent level he is to the sport as a rider. He NEEDS to retire, to save his legacy, but also to free up a spot for new talent... talent that he curates and manages!

I think for all the cult like worship that goes with 46 fans, and those from the VR46 team itself, it must really sting when you realize that once you get to GP that the boss that brought you up is willing to burn you for yet another season so that he can have a leisurely Sunday race and finish last. I thnk we all know Franco has tons of talent as Moto2 champion, and that his rides were never good in GP be it on the MarcVDS Honda or the 2nd hand Yamaha. So since this is his 4th season on inferior equipment he has a lot of work to make up for if he is ever going to be in a hunt for a title, not just on track but on desirability to be given that equipment and support.

Rossi absolutely knows how detrminetal wasting years on a failed project is this which is why he ultimately left Ducati back then, too. I'm not saying Petrnoas doesn't want to give Franco the works bike, but the premise of why it's impossible that Rossi calls it quits needs to be questioned from everyone involved.

 

[Chaos]

To be fair to Rossi, he was competitive until San Marino last year, then the wheels fell off, and he caught Covid. Did he do enough to stay at the factory? I think it was fair that Yamaha chose a different rider for 2021.

Rossi felt his early season performance was enough to try again, and Yamaha had to have agreed to this. But this year, there is a clear drop off. He doesn't have a top 10 finish on a bike that has won 3 of the 5 races this year and is just a few points behind in the Constructors'

 

[Chaos]

For someone who has achieved so much in his career, I think it's sad to see such unashamed poor sportsmanship from Marquez. It's one thing to get a tow during the session, but to wait to follow another rider out of the pits, back into the pits for a ride through and throughout the session even when called out for it is petty and disrespectful to your fellow competitor. His win at all costs mentality is getting old.

It didn't bother me. Vinales could have slowed on his outlap, forcing marquez to pass him (though, that would have resulted is his losing a 2nd hot lap chance).

I am more alert to the fact that Marquez has to resort to those tactics in the first place. Either he, or Honda does not have the pace this year. I am not saying there is cause for alarm, but I (and probably Honda) will be paying attention to see if Marquez improves his form. His constant rubbing of his shoulder is pointing to something - but is it permanent? temporary? time will tell.

 

[Chaos]

I didn't see the crash; I hope he pulls through.

Jason Dupasquier 'in a very serious condition' after Mugello Moto3 fall

FIM Medical Officer Giancarlo di Filippo provides an update on Jason Dupasquier, who was airlifted to hospital after a multi-rider accident during Moto3 qualifying at Mugello.

www.crash.net

 

[Winales_2017]

It didn't bother me. Vinales could have slowed on his outlap, forcing marquez to pass him (though, that would have resulted is his losing a 2nd hot lap chance).

I am more alert to the fact that Marquez has to resort to those tactics in the first place. Either he, or Honda does not have the pace this year. I am not saying there is cause for alarm, but I (and probably Honda) will be paying attention to see if Marquez improves his form. His constant rubbing of his shoulder is pointing to something - but is it permanent? temporary? time will tell.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1398672433910067205

I didn't see the crash; I hope he pulls through.

Jason Dupasquier 'in a very serious condition' after Mugello Moto3 fall

FIM Medical Officer Giancarlo di Filippo provides an update on Jason Dupasquier, who was airlifted to hospital after a multi-rider accident during Moto3 qualifying at Mugello.

www.crash.net

It was bad, word from medical team is he is having neurosurgery.

 

[Priller]

While I agree with you, @Winales_2017 about Rossi needing to retire, I think it has to come from him. No team is yet at the point where his poor performance overcomes his incredible popularity. This is especially true in Asia, which is a critical market for a number of sponsors.

It's easy for us dedicated fans of the sport to forget just how much he transcends that world. I was watching videos of Mugello 2019 on YouTube yesterday, and the crowds were literally 80% in yellow Rossi gear, all over the track. Granted, that's Italy, but ot still shows the power of his celebrity. If you did a poll of average folks around the world, not just MotoGP fans, I bet Rossi's name awareness is way ahead of Marquez, and completely eclipses Mir or Quatararo. That kind of personal brand keeps seats open, and attracts money. Now, if he sees out the season without improvement, it may get complicated in the SRT garage, and everyone will be hoping he makes the call to pack it in on his own. Maybe he should follow his old rival Biaggi to WSBK (I'd actually love to see it, even if it'll never happen.. )

I think the Marquez tow on Viñales was amplified because the Yamaha rider knew he had good race pace, and not making Q2 would be catastrophic. The faces of his team when he ended Q1 third told the whole story. I don't like what Marquez did at all, especially when Viñales made it so clear he didn't want it. At a certain point, there has to be mutual respect between riders, and Marquez showed how little he has. Saying it's inside the rules may be true, but it then forces yet another rule to be implemented because it's wrong. It sets some dangerous precedents around that kind of cat and mouse nonsense that needs to be nipped in the bud somehow. Nobody wants to see qualifying become like track cycling where everyone goes slow, jockeying to be behind at the start of the last lap. And nobody wants to see a superpole arrangement, which comes with all sorts of complications when the weather changes. Between that and the coasting issue, it's got to stop. Pecco brought up the safety implications in the press conference today, and he's right. Poor Jason Dupasquier was hit by another bike on track, and having riders coast around off the pace only ups the chances of something similarly awful happening.

In the end, though, Viñales still has nobody to blame but himself. He wasted two laps complaining, and then ran wide on his last lap, despite being on pace to top the session. Marquez obviously rattled him, which is a shame. Would've made a feel-good story with the recent birth of his daughter.

Drama aside, it was a fascinating Q session. Quatararo looks like he has some magic in those corners, and just flattened the field (and smashed the lap record) on a solo lap with no shenanigans. The post-Q press conference was hilarious, with Zarco freely admitting that he and Miller used Bagnaia for a tow, while Bagnaia grouchily (or at least as grouchy as he ever gets, which is pretty mild) pointed out that nobody gave him one. Quatararo just laughed, knowing he's running well ahead of everyone else in all conditions at the moment.

I was really impressed with AEsparagaro, who found some late speed and even ran fastest in Sector 2. I'm not expecting similar race pace, and think he'll be happy with top 10, especially considering how brutal Mugello is for arm pump.

I expect the Suzukis to do their usual charge to the front in the race, especially Rins, who's been fast on mediums all weekend. Similar for the factory KTM's. The Moto2 race will make the track slippery for the first few laps, so I could see Quatararo struggling to assert himself for a while. One things bed in, it'll be up to him to gap the Ducatis, or it'll be a frustrating day of being repeatedly passed into turn 1.

One note on Honda: Mick Doohan was interviewed while the medical teams were working on Dupasquier, and he said he thinks the Honda just sucks, which is making Marquez look worse and ride closer to the edge than he'd like. Crafar agreed, saying he thinks the problem may have something to do with engine internals, which they can't change this year. Nobody is making it work with any consistency, and the early optimism about Pol is gone now. Alex Marquez is catastrophically bad, either crashing or going slow. Nakagami is the only hope, but it's aiming for a podium, not a win.Hondas have always been hard to ride, but they traditionally have had incredible power to compensate. Now, they're hard to ride and are slow. It's going to be a long year in those Repsol/LCR garages...

Edit: Prayers for Jason Dupasquier. It's never good when it takes that long just to prepare someone for medevac. Goes to show the sport is dangerous even when bikes have less power. I haven't seen the incident, and won't until I know he'll be okay, so not sure what the contributing factors were...

 

[Winales_2017]

While I agree with you, @Winales_2017 about Rossi needing to retire, I think it has to come from him. No team is yet at the point where his poor performance overcomes his incredible popularity. This is especially true in Asia, which is a critical market for a number of sponsors.

Yeah, I get it Motorsports is mainly Marketing, which is why Rossi hasn't been forced out of a seat since 2016 when he seemed to have dropped off and we had to question whether he wanted to win anymore--Japan GP where he gave up after a crash.

Maybe he should follow his old rival Biaggi to WSBK (I'd actually love to see it, even if it'll never happen.. )

It's pretty clear he is moving into a team owner role after he steps off the SRT bike, WSBK would be a poor choice in my view, but that is mainly because his brand awareness is strongest in MotoGP which is the cash cow and has lots of riders to manage.

I think the Marquez tow on Viñales was amplified because the Yamaha rider knew he had good race pace, and not making Q2 would be catastrophic. The faces of his team when he ended Q1 third told the whole story. I don't like what Marquez did at all, especially when Viñales made it so clear he didn't want it. At a certain point, there has to be mutual respect between riders, and Marquez showed how little he has. Saying it's inside the rules may be true, but it then forces yet another rule to be implemented because it's wrong. It sets some dangerous precedents around that kind of cat and mouse nonsense that needs to be nipped in the bud somehow. Nobody wants to see qualifying become like track cycling where everyone goes slow, jockeying to be behind at the start of the last lap. And nobody wants to see a superpole arrangement, which comes with all sorts of complications when the weather changes. Between that and the coasting issue, it's got to stop. Pecco brought up the safety implications in the press conference today, and he's right. Poor Jason Dupasquier was hit by another bike on track, and having riders coast around off the pace only ups the chances of something similarly awful happening.

In the end, though, Viñales still has nobody to blame but himself. He wasted two laps complaining, and then ran wide on his last lap, despite being on pace to top the session. Marquez obviously rattled him, which is a shame. Would've made a feel-good story with the recent birth of his daughter.

I think I get why I'm a fan of Marquez and most are not; MotoGP is the ruthless pinnacle of motorcycle racing, and thier is no room for compassion on the track. It's one thing to get along off the track, and be respectful of each other safety on the track, but this is just what a champion does: he gets in your head and breaks you from within.

The Moto3 situation was unfortunate, and the towing can be dangerous, but Dupasquier's situation was a rider error. He lost control of the bike and that could have happened at any time. I don't think anyone ever wants to see that happen, but we all know it's possible but specifically with bike racing at the lower catgories due to being low on power. The need draft for a few tenths is typical in most motorsports, and I think this is really a byproduct in the GP class due to the advent of agressive aerodynamics and wings on bikes and the subsequent turbulence from it for riders behind the chasing bike.

As for Mav, his personal life is one thing and his racing life is another, so while I wish him and his family well he needs to get his composure during a race weekend and maybe compartmentalize those things if he wnats to remain a competetive rider, which I think he can but is suffering from metal fragility throughout his career. Or alternatively maybe he realizes their is more to life than risking your life going around a track in circles at +200mph and decides to step down to a test rider role and let someone else get a chance on the factory bike (Franco?).

Drama aside, it was a fascinating Q session. Quatararo looks like he has some magic in those corners, and just flattened the field (and smashed the lap record) on a solo lap with no shenanigans. The post-Q press conference was hilarious, with Zarco freely admitting that he and Miller used Bagnaia for a tow, while Bagnaia grouchily (or at least as grouchy as he ever gets, which is pretty mild) pointed out that nobody gave him one. Quatararo just laughed, knowing he's running well ahead of everyone else in all conditions at the moment.

Fabio is really coming into his own, and is able to cope with the pressure now which he was not ready last year and fell apart after doing so well in the opening rounds.

One note on Honda: Mick Doohan was interviewed while the medical teams were working on Dupasquier, and he said he thinks the Honda just sucks, which is making Marquez look worse and ride closer to the edge than he'd like. Crafar agreed, saying he thinks the problem may have something to do with engine internals, which they can't change this year. Nobody is making it work with any consistency, and the early optimism about Pol is gone now. Alex Marquez is catastrophically bad, either crashing or going slow. Nakagami is the only hope, but it's aiming for a podium, not a win.Hondas have always been hard to ride, but they traditionally have had incredible power to compensate. Now, they're hard to ride and are slow. It's going to be a long year in those Repsol/LCR garages...

Yeah, the bike lacks any directional development, which is odd because it's the same bike from last year which allowed Alex and Taka to do rather well; my issue is with HRC, Taka was doing well on the 2019 chassis but was forced to get on the 2021 chassis from upper management according the BT guys, perhaps to do some testing to refine the over all package? But, yeah, their was speculation that in Portimao when Marc came back he already knew the bike would need a season's worth of work to get it back in title contention. Which must have been devastating, as he had the physical aspect to work on top of that.

But it must be said that the Honda was never a 'good' bike, it always suffered in several things, be it power and acceleration or being way too violent and suffering from lack of stability and electronics aides when the power got better.

One of the reasons I think Marc dominated in 2019 was because it was the first year HRC seemed to have a solid package (for Marc) from the opening of the season (extremely rare) and didn't have to play catch up had been closer to par to the rest of the pack from Qatar; a healthy Marc has and will likely remain the only one to be able to make up the difference of this deficit and get the most out of that violent bike's DNA. I think this is why he is writing off this year's season and having to do things like stalking the Ducati and Yamaha to see where they compare to the leaders and give the feedback to the engineers of where they are missing out on to improve the bike.

In short, this is why HRC pays and gives him what ever he wants because they're lost without him in this modern era. I wouldn't be surprised if he signs another 4 year contract if/when he starts winning again.

 

[Winales_2017]

RIP Jason

 

[Chaos]

Deaths in motorcycle racing are more and more rare, and then it happens to remind you how dangerous the sport can truly be.

My condolences to the family.

 

[bastak]

Seriously? All I saw was Marc (who is not in contention for WC) getting into Q2 to help set the bike up for further development and competeivness and unsettling Mav (who is in contention) who was quick fall weekend in the process, how exactly is shameful?

He won't win doing this alone anytime soon, he is too weak from is injuries at this point: what he is doing is trying to prepare himself to be ready to win next season, if that means playing mind games, than so be it. People often were defeated by Marc before they did thier first lap on a race weekend before his injury, Rossi was the best at this before and used the Media to his advantage.

Not shameful, but without shame as in he does so without any guilt. I expected Marquez to just get on with it when Mav got annoyed called him out for it, went into the pits etc. Don't get me wrong, he's well within his rights to do so - it's not against the rules, but just a little respect? I think it's unnecessary, especially given he's not in contention for the WC atm.

RIP Jason. Really sad news this morning.

 

[Chaos]

Oh Pecco

 

[Hardwrkr13]

Well if nothing else, Rins is consistent!