My 2024 MotoGP campaign is level with Marquez’s 2019 without sprints
Ducati’s Francesco Bagnaia believes his performance in MotoGP last year was on level with Marc Marquez’s championship-winning 2019 campaign, if sprints are excluded from the equation. Bagnaia impressed with his blistering pace on the factory Ducati in 2024, winning 11 out of 20 grands prix and scoring five more podiums in the other nine events. […]
Emulating Rossi’s 2004 win on Aprilia debut
In 2024, Jorge Martin became the first rider in the MotoGP era to win the title with a satellite team, beating the same-spec factory Ducati of Francesco Bagnaia. It was a feat not seen in the premier class since Valentino Rossi won the 500cc title with the Honda Europe-managed Nastro Azzurro team in 2001 and […]
What the rules say about MotoGP’s winter break
MotoGP imposes a winter break during the off-season, the rules for which are properly defined so riders can get some rest and the development of bikes can be restricted. How long does the winter break last? Article 1.15.1.1 of the MotoGP regulations, which covers testing and training, specifies the rule that applies to full-time riders. […]
What Espargaro learned about Marquez from his time at Honda
Pol Espargaro was surprised to see how Marc Marquez was able to tame an increasingly difficult Honda MotoGP bike during their time as team-mates in 2021-22. Having played a major role in building KTM’s MotoGP operation from scratch, Espargaro got the opportunity to race for the factory HRC team in 2021 alongside six-time champion Marquez. […]
Honda needs to gain half a second over winter in MotoGP, reckons Marini
Honda must find another half a second during the winter break in order to be competitive in MotoGP next year, according to factory rider Luca Marini. The Japanese manufacturer endured another disastrous campaign in MotoGP this year with the troublesome RC213V, ending up at the bottom of the standings behind Yamaha. A clear uptrend in […]
KTM’s MotoGP exit set to take place in 2026 amid insolvency proceedings
KTM could leave MotoGP and its support classes in 2026, as the Austrian manufacturer undergoes a wide-scale restructure under administration. It was on 20 December that a potential exit from MotoGP was publicly mentioned for the first time. In a report presented by Alpenlandischer Kreditorenverband (AKV), following a meeting with the creditors in Austria, it […]
Di Giannantonio will try to “annoy” Marquez and Bagnaia on Ducati GP25
Fabio di Giannantonio says he will try to “annoy” Marc Marquez and Francesco Bagnaia when he is on the same equipment as the factory Ducati riders in MotoGP next year. On the back of his impressive form astride a year-old bike in 2024, di Giannantonio has landed a contract directly with Ducati to ride its […]
If Yamaha had listened to me, I would already be MotoGP champion
Maverick Vinales believes he would have already won a title in MotoGP if Yamaha had followed his advice in the early years of their partnership. Vinales was selected to replace three-time champion Jorge Lorenzo at Yamaha in 2017, having impressed the squad in junior classes and during his two seasons in MotoGP with Suzuki. The […]
Marquez recommended Lorenzo to Honda to prevent Ducati domination
Marc Marquez has revealed he pitched Jorge Lorenzo’s name to Honda for the 2019 MotoGP season in order to stave off a growing threat from Ducati. Lorenzo, the only rider to beat Marquez to the title during the latter’s purple patch in the 2010s, had joined Ducati in 2017 after splitting from his long-term employer […]