Espargaro considering Aprilia test rider role, but MotoGP future still open
The 34-year-old has been racing full-time in MotoGP since 2012 and has been with Aprilia since 2017, developing the RS-GP into a race-winning package in that time. His current contract with the Italian marque expires at the end of the year and he is giving himself until the Italian Grand Prix in May to see […]
Oliveira reckons MotoGP “looks too easy” on TV now
Oliveira was speaking of his experiences at Trackhouse Racing’s NASCAR facility in Concord, North Carolina, prior to last weekend’s Americas Grand Prix. Admitting he knew very little about NASCAR prior to his visit, he says he gained a greater appreciation of the series and the intricacies of it that go far beyond drivers simply turning […]
Honda MotoGP boss «confused» by «good improvements» not working
The Japanese manufacturer has made an abysmal start to the new campaign on its radically overhauled RC213V package. Scoring just eight points out of a possible 111 from the opening three rounds, no Honda rider has cracked the top 10 yet in either sprint or grand prix. In last weekend’s Americas Grand Prix, only one […]
Secrets of stopping a 220mph bike
The bikes’ 1000cc engines produce 270hp but their tiny contact patches and lack of downforce relative to cars costs them dearly in lap time when compared to a Formula 1 machine. For example, Valtteri Bottas lapped his 2019 F1 Mercedes in 1m32.029s in qualifying for the US Grand Prix at Austin’s Circuit of the Americas, […]
F1 and MotoGP double-header possible but not probable
Earlier this month it was announced that Liberty Media, the American entertainment company which also owns F1, acquired an 86% stake in Dorna Sports, valuing the MotoGP, WorldSBK and MotoE promoter at €4.2 billion. It revived the idea of the two championships experimenting with a joint weekend, which according to Dorna sporting director Carlos Ezpeleta […]
Marquez’s Honda exit «woke a lot of people up» at Yamaha
Earlier this month, Quartararo inked a fresh multi-year deal with Yamaha, keeping him with the Iwata-based manufacturer until at least the end of the 2026 season. The new contract was agreed despite an underwhelming start to the new campaign for Yamaha, leaving the 24-year-old to fight for lower reaches of the points in the opening […]
COTA MotoGP podium “essential step” for Bastianini
Bastianini is in the final year of his two-season contract with the factory Ducati squad and was spared demotion for 2024 by Pramac’s Jorge Martin not winning the title in 2023. Four times a grand prix winner in 2022 on the Gresini Ducati, Bastianini struggled for form in an injury-plagued campaign in 2023. But the start to 2024 […]
The obstacles Yamaha has to overcome to have a satellite MotoGP team in 2025
After 26 seasons at the helm of Yamaha, Britain’s Lin Jarvis revealed last weekend in an interview with Motorsport.com that 2024 will be his final year as the brand’s most senior executive. Before closing this chapter, Jarvis managed to extend 2021 world champion Fabio Quartararo’s contract until the end of 2026. Having secured the Frenchman, […]
Aprilia MotoGP win has a “different value” to Suzuki, Yamaha triumphs
Having looked rapid all weekend in Austin, polesitter Vinales was able to fight back from a first corner clash that dropped him to 11th to take an incredible victory in Sunday’s main race — his first as an Aprilia rider and the 10th of his career. It made him the first rider in the modern […]