abkdt41
Well-known member
Thanks for sharing - looks like i might have to start watching wsbk again
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2021 MotoGP Discussion (No Links - Contains Spoilers!)
- Thread starter Chaos
- Start date
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Priller
Well-known member
Hope he's okay. Back in the pits, so no obvious damage. Will take a bit for things to settle and see how bad it hurts...
And, hilariously, Vinales is topping the time sheets. Maybe those Quartararo settings weren't so bad after all...
(I know he won there last year, but the timing is something else...)
I have to admit I laughed when i saw that too.
I only watched extended highlights but Pol looked ragged at times as well so could be related.
Yamaha 1-2 in qualifying. Vinales on pole... using Quartararo's setup?
Rossi got direct to Q2 so I had some hope for him, but he ended up 12th... oof
Suzuki has lost the plot this year. I dare now drop them below KTM is terms of bike quality as their recent chassis update has made a tangible difference:
1. Yamaha
2. Ducati
3. KTM
4. Suzuki
5. Honda
6. Aprilia
Rossi got direct to Q2 so I had some hope for him, but he ended up 12th... oof
Suzuki has lost the plot this year. I dare now drop them below KTM is terms of bike quality as their recent chassis update has made a tangible difference:
1. Yamaha
2. Ducati
3. KTM
4. Suzuki
5. Honda
6. Aprilia
Priller
Well-known member
Marc was extremely critical of Honda after that session, saying they were the only brand launching riders, citing examples of Pol highsiding as well. Honda has always built savage motors (ask Doohan), but it seems theirs overcomes the TC.
Definitely not, according to Vinales, but he would say that, wouldn't he? He was fast right out of the gate, though, and won last time there, so as amusing as ot would be, I suspect he hasn't used Fabio's settings.
In FP4, Quartararo was significantly quicker on both the medium and hard rear, so it should be a really fun race if the rain stays away... (please, rain, stay away!)
No more Assen magic, I suppose. Every time he seems to take a step forward, everyone else takes a step to push him down the order...
I think, like Rossi, it's more a case of everyone else getting faster while Suzuki stays the same. They're so small compared to the likes of KTM, (who are pulling a Ferrari/US Military and basically outspending everyone else combined), so it's always going to be a challenge to respond with updates as quickly as the big boys.
Spanish Twitter is going nuts with rumours that Vinales will terminate his contract with Yamaha and sign with Aprilia for next season:
Apparently these sources are legit, but could be some brinksmanship from Vinales while he's got some leverage. He's certainly kept the soap opera moving.
Aprilia could be great for him, if being undisputed king of the team helps settle him down. Or it could be another head case catastrophe for Aprilia, with a talented rider who can't get his poop in a group. It'd definitely be interesting, either way...
I suppose anything is possible, but realistically for Yamaha, as flawed as Vinales may be, the available rider market pool is super thin. The only plausible alternatives for Yamaha would be promoting Morbidelli (who has a contract with Petronas, but I am sure can be negotiated away), or sign a free agent - maybe Dovi on a one-year contract. But I don't think Dovi is that much better than Vinales.
If Vinales is that adamant about leaving, he (Aprilia?) would have to pay his way out.
With Vinales, anything can happen. He could win it tomorrow, or come dead last.
Totally inconsistent.
Priller
Well-known member
He's also one of the most highly paid riders, second only to Marquez, so Yamaha would be thrilled to axe that bill. He's not what any team would want as a second rider anyway, as usually the ideal is someone who finishes just behind the top guy, stealing points from the rivals. Add his public complaints, which are embarassing for everyone involved, and Yamaha may be perfectly happy to try someone else in the B seat. Also, going to Aprilia is likely to be more palatable for Yamaha than a bigger factory, as it's extremely unlikely he will be fighting for the championship there.
For Vinales, he takes a pay cut but gets to test the waters on a bike that's showing lots of promise. If it works and he wins a few, he looks like a hero. If not, he jumps ship at the end of next year with little harm done to his reputation. Likely to an open seat elsewhere, possibly back at Suzuki if Rins stays inconsistent.
This story broke in AS, the Spanish newspaper, and Jove works for DAZN in Spain, who are the MotoGP broadcaster there, and were the ones who did the interview a couple weeks ago where Vinales was talking about things he regrets, implying signing with Yamaha was one of them. He's a credible source, and I actually saw it retweeted by Julian Ryder (former Eurosport commentator) saying it was a credible story. He followed that tweet by saying they'd also reveal who would take Vinales' spot at Yamaha. My understanding is Morbidelli is contracted directly to Yamaha, not SRT (same as Rossi), so they can shift him at will.
Still, 95% isn't a guarantee, and there's still time for minds to be changed. But it seems the pieces may be falling into place, especially as Aprilia has gotten irritated with Dovizioso indecision and moved on, wanting to sort out a rider sooner than later.
abkdt41
Well-known member
Tough to see Nakagami fall back.....i think he has a really hard time dealing with pressure
Does Zarco have the same machinery as the factory boys? Great to see him near the top
I think this will/should be Rossi's last season as a rider
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Does Zarco have the same machinery as the factory boys? Great to see him near the top
I think this will/should be Rossi's last season as a rider
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BigEvilDoer
Well-known member
Even at the end of the race he looked super unhappy about his end result (which was properly decent - not giving proper spoilers). Very much of a "meh" attitude.
Priller
Well-known member
I suspect Vinales was cranky both because of the presence of Meregali and because he knew he had the pace to fight for the win but lost the holehot and couldn't get around Nakagami before Quartararo got past Bagnaia. He's clearly fuming with Yamaha and wants nothing to do with the team. He was civil to Quartararo, but stonewalled Meregali when he tried to get a group photo on the podium.
Sounds like there's something to the rumours, though the impression I get from reading between the lines in various interviews is the last piece needed is Yamaha agreeing to terminate the contract. Aprilia said they would love to sign Vinales if he wasn't contracted to Yamaha, Vinales said he would like to ride an Aprilia but was evasive when asked about leaving Yamaha (except to say how unhappy he is), and Yamaha haven't said much. One way or another, they're all going to be sick of being asked about it, so I suspect it'll be sorted before the summer break is done.
Quartararo skated above the noise with another emphatic win. He's been competitive at every track and often dominant, so it'll take some doing for anyone else to catch him. Still, Zarco is doing an incredible job of minimising damage, even at tracks where his bike isn't great. The fact that he's as close as he is at this point is seriously impressive. Bagnaia, on the other hand, seems more interested in chasing a win than safe points, but just couldn't keep it off the green. It was still a good ride, but he should've settled for third, as he had the pace. Miller, not so much. Never looked comfortable all weekend, and a real blow to his title hopes.
Suzuki did their usual Sunday improvement, but there's too much consistency from Fabio, Zarco and the factory Ducatis this year for Mir's podiums to add up to a title defense. Apparently they feel confident that the tracks for the second half of the season will let their bike make better use of the tires, so I expect a win before the season is done. The gap is too big, though.
KTM saved a bit of pride with Oliviera's 5th after struggling to maintain recent form, but the rest looked lost at sea. Aprilia stayed in the lead group, but nothing more. I'm sure Aleix would've loved to beat Marquez, who had a surprisingly good result considering his grid position. Heartbreaking to see Nakagami fall off the pace like he did, not sure if he had an issue or just lost focus. He was in tears afterwards, but just can't seal the deal and seems to fade late. I'd love to see his score a podium.
I'm not sure why Gresini and VR46 have gone with Ducati for next year if the Esponsorama results are any indication. They've been consistent backmarkers, and Marini isn't finding much speed.
As for Rossi, he keeps saying his retirement decision is all about results, so this could seal the deal. The second half of the season will be quite a send-off...
Sounds like there's something to the rumours, though the impression I get from reading between the lines in various interviews is the last piece needed is Yamaha agreeing to terminate the contract. Aprilia said they would love to sign Vinales if he wasn't contracted to Yamaha, Vinales said he would like to ride an Aprilia but was evasive when asked about leaving Yamaha (except to say how unhappy he is), and Yamaha haven't said much. One way or another, they're all going to be sick of being asked about it, so I suspect it'll be sorted before the summer break is done.
Quartararo skated above the noise with another emphatic win. He's been competitive at every track and often dominant, so it'll take some doing for anyone else to catch him. Still, Zarco is doing an incredible job of minimising damage, even at tracks where his bike isn't great. The fact that he's as close as he is at this point is seriously impressive. Bagnaia, on the other hand, seems more interested in chasing a win than safe points, but just couldn't keep it off the green. It was still a good ride, but he should've settled for third, as he had the pace. Miller, not so much. Never looked comfortable all weekend, and a real blow to his title hopes.
Suzuki did their usual Sunday improvement, but there's too much consistency from Fabio, Zarco and the factory Ducatis this year for Mir's podiums to add up to a title defense. Apparently they feel confident that the tracks for the second half of the season will let their bike make better use of the tires, so I expect a win before the season is done. The gap is too big, though.
KTM saved a bit of pride with Oliviera's 5th after struggling to maintain recent form, but the rest looked lost at sea. Aprilia stayed in the lead group, but nothing more. I'm sure Aleix would've loved to beat Marquez, who had a surprisingly good result considering his grid position. Heartbreaking to see Nakagami fall off the pace like he did, not sure if he had an issue or just lost focus. He was in tears afterwards, but just can't seal the deal and seems to fade late. I'd love to see his score a podium.
I'm not sure why Gresini and VR46 have gone with Ducati for next year if the Esponsorama results are any indication. They've been consistent backmarkers, and Marini isn't finding much speed.
As for Rossi, he keeps saying his retirement decision is all about results, so this could seal the deal. The second half of the season will be quite a send-off...
I think that speaks more to the alternatives being worse, or simply not available/sustainable.
From a romantic perspective, I kind of wished Gresini hooked up with Honda again. They had good success as a partnership. But Gresini left Honda because Honda wanted some serious money for leasing their bikes. Gresini was lucky with the timing since Aprilia decided to rejoin MotoGP, otherwise I think he would not have returned.
I would love to know why VR46 did not connect with Yamaha. If Rossi is supposed to be their legacy poster boy, this flies directly in the face of it. I can't help but think that the Rossi legacy no longer sells as many scooters in Asia as it once did.
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Ok Now this would be absolutely bonkers
"Hearing very solid rumours from some well placed sources. Vinales to VR46 to give them a top tier rider. Ticks the box for everyone of top rider for Rossi, Academy happy with Franco to the factory and Bezz on the Petronas. Vinales can walk away from €5m for another payday"
By extension, I would imagine VR46 would get at least 1 GP22 - I would imagine Vinales get a factory ducati contract as opposed to a VR46 one as well.
"Hearing very solid rumours from some well placed sources. Vinales to VR46 to give them a top tier rider. Ticks the box for everyone of top rider for Rossi, Academy happy with Franco to the factory and Bezz on the Petronas. Vinales can walk away from €5m for another payday"
By extension, I would imagine VR46 would get at least 1 GP22 - I would imagine Vinales get a factory ducati contract as opposed to a VR46 one as well.
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Official: Vinales to leave Yamaha at the end of the season:
www.yamahamotogp.com
All of a sudden, a pretty attractive seat opens up. Logically, the best candidate is Morbidelli. But between his contract directly with SRT and his pretty severe knee injury, I don't think it is 100% certain.
I've updated the Silly Season Post (#2 on the thread)
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP |News details:
www.yamahamotogp.com
All of a sudden, a pretty attractive seat opens up. Logically, the best candidate is Morbidelli. But between his contract directly with SRT and his pretty severe knee injury, I don't think it is 100% certain.
I've updated the Silly Season Post (#2 on the thread)
Priller
Well-known member
And an odd choice for a rider whose chief complaint is supposedly not having enough input into the development of a bike. Going from second to fifth in the pecking order at a factory won't solve that problem, but maybe that wasn't really the problem anyway. Maybe, just maybe, it's actually just a bruised ego after being supplanted by the faster new kid.
It'd also be an odd choice for VR46, who've stated more than once that they want to provide competitive seats for academy members. Maybe the blood money comes with more strings attached than previously thought, especially if Rossi retires from motorcycles.
If Maverick does go to VR46, it's back to the drawing board yet again for Aprilia. The bike seems good enough to tempt someone with potential, but it'd definitely be a gamble for a young rider with fears of a career wasteland fighting for points positions...
EDIT: seems the MotoGP journalists don't all agree:
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