Метка: Italian GP

«Super heavy» Yamaha still giving its MotoGP riders arm problems

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Quartararo has intermittently suffered from arm pump throughout his premier-class career, with the Frenchman famously plummeting from first to 13th in the 2021 Spanish Grand Prix.

Yamaha has made a number of changes to its M1 challenger over the past 12 months and, while Quartararo has repeatedly hailed the Japanese marque for bringing new developments, he feels one unintended consequence of the overhaul is the added weight in cornering.

The 25-year-old already complained about arm issues at Jerez last month, but things only got worse for him last weekend as he struggled to make the bike turn at Mugello, dropping him from 15th on the grid to a point-less 18th place.

Asked to explain his dismal showing on a track in which he had looked strong in Friday practice, the 2021 champion said: «Especially from mid-race I had an issue so I could not really ride. We have to improve this area because it’s not arm pump.

«It’s just that my arm is clearly on the limit in this kind of tracks, so we have to find a solution.

«The grip that we are missing and the engine that is pushing us wide is making the bike super, super heavy.

«The number one priority right now for us is to find back the feeling we had in the past, especially on the change of direction.»

Quartararo feels the onus is on Yamaha to fix the problems with the M1, ruling out the role of his own fitness for the arm issue that plagued him at Jerez and again at Mugello.

He has already undergone two surgeries on his arm, first during his rookie 2019 season and then again in 2021 in the wake of that year’s Spanish GP.

«It’s difficult. After Jerez I have the same [problem],» he said. «I already twice had the operation. Everything looks fine.

«But the problem comes, basically I have no space [in my arm to manoeuvre]. My muscle after the mid-race was clearly on the limit, so I don’t know what to do right now.

«I think I’m training in the best way as I’ve ever trained.»

Alex Rins, Yamaha Factory Racing

Alex Rins, Yamaha Factory Racing

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Quartararo doesn’t believe there is a wider problem with modern MotoGP being too tough on the body, saying: «No, because last year we had no problems.

«I think the way we did our bike this year something has been wrong because even if you are making steps forward, from the beginning of the year we feel that the bike is super heavy and we have to adjust it.

«So we have to find what is the main thing that is making this bike [tough to ride].»

Rins’ race was also hampered by the same problem, as he could only salvage a 15th-place finish after lining up 10th on the grid.

The Spaniard revealed that he felt dizzy in the immediate aftermath of the race, as he tried to recover from a tiring 23-lap contest around the Mugello circuit.

«I was struggling all the race,» he admitted. «I just lost two positions on the start. And then lap by lap I tried to be there, I tried to manage the bike, I tried to manage my physical condition because right now our bike is quite hard, it’s quite critical.

«I’m also destroyed. When I got back to the garage they had to help me because I was a little dizzy. With the bike right now, with the problems that we have, everything gets harder and it’s very physical.

«You have to give more from yourself to patch the problems.»

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Mugello result special during «difficult time» as Ducati MotoGP exit beckons

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Bastianini put in an impressive performance in front of his home crowd at Mugello on Sunday, making two key overtakes in a race that featured little action to complete a 1-2 result for Ducati.

The 26-year-old first cleared the Gresini bike of Marc Marquez with two laps to go going into Scarperia, before catching championship leader Jorge Martin by a surprise with an impressive pass into the final corner on the last tour.

The result marked his first visit to the podium since the Americas GP in April and came at the end of a week in which it became clear beyond any doubt that he will be losing his seat at Ducati, with Martin now emerging as the favourite to take the vacant spot next year.

Bastianini said he rode like ‘never before’ in the closing stages of the race, having been spurred on by Marquez briefly snatching the final podium spot from him on lap 18 of 23.

“[It] feeels so special because I come from a difficult moment, it happened during this whole past week,” he said, referring to the media attention about the second factory ride at Ducati.

“But this week we had a result in mind and from yesterday I improved and I was fast. Today I was really motivated to do something more for me but also for all the people here. 

“I slept a little bit during the half part of the race but when Marc overtook me I closed my mind and said that ‘no, it’s not correct. No. This is my podium.’ 

“I came back. I am riding like never [before]. It was good. Also the last lap I overtake Jorge and it was too dangerous but at the end I can be happy.”

Bastianini’s two-year contract comes to a conclusion at the end of the season, with the Italian having been unable to build on the race-winning form he showed at Gresini in 2022 prior to his factory promotion.

His future beyond 2024 remains unclear, with Aprilia seen as a possible destination for the Italian should he not be accommodated elsewhere in a Ducati satellite team.

Asked if he made a statement with the speed he showed at Mugello, the five-time grand prix winner said: “Future, future, future. 

“Well, I want to think about the present because we think a lot about the future but I want to enjoy this day, because it has been really difficult this period. 

“I committed some mistakes, also the team has committed some mistakes.

“Today is a really beautiful day. Usually, I’m not really happy about second place but today I’m really happy and I don’t want to think about the future.”

Bagnaia explains race start strategy

As with Saturday’s sprint, the key to Bagnaia’s win was his brilliant getaway at the start, only this time he had to come from fifth on the grid due to a penalty carried forward from Friday practice.

Bagnaia said he took inspiration from KTM rider Jack Miller’s 2023 start and kept his bike on the left into Turn 1, which gave him the inside line into the following left-hander.

Within two corners, he was already up in the lead and was never headed for the rest of the race, despite Martin getting too close for comfort with three laps to run.

“For me it’s not a matter of risk, it’s more a matter of being in a good position possible in the correct moment,” he explained.

“I decided to go on the outside because last year I remember Miller at the start overtook me. So [this year] I just remained on the outside to be on the inside in corner two. So I just tried to do the same. 

“But Maverick [Vinales] had braked very hard and my strategy was almost ruined. But as soon as I saw that he was going wide I just tried to cross his line. It was the best decision. 

“And after that I saw that Jorge didn’t approach the exit of corner 1 strongly so I just tried to take an advantage to overtake him in corner two.”

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Martin blames tyre pressure rule for lack of action in Italian MotoGP race

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The Mugello race featured a limited number of position changes at the front after the opening lap, as the field circulated in formation behind race leader Francesco Bagnaia on a hot and sunny day in Italy.

With three laps to go it appeared that the race had finally come alive, with Martin closing within three tenths of factory Ducati rider Francesco Bagnaia after the latter suffered a sudden drop in pace.

But Bagnaia was able to pick up the speed once again and cruise to the finish in what was easily the least entertaining race of an otherwise thrilling 2024 season.

Polesitter Martin, who was unable to do much about Bagnaia up front despite staying within a second of the defending championship throughout the race, says the high tyre pressure levels meant there were very few overtaking opportunities for riders at Mugello.

Each rider is required to run above the stipulated tyre pressure for 50% of a grand prix distance or risk being penalised with a time penalty at the end of the race.

“I was really thinking about [passing Bagnaia for the lead],” said Martin. “But we are so on the limit with the front temperatures during the season, these last years, with the pressure limit.

“When you are three tenths or closer it’s impossible to get even closer. The rider in front [needs to] make a mistake or it’s impossible to make the move.

Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team

Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

“It’s a pity that we don’t have more show because I think without that rule I would have the chance to overtake.

“But second position was my place today, but with this mistake, it was third.”

Bagnaia’s team-mate Enea Bastianini was responsible for the only two overtakes inside the top five in the closing stages of the race, as he first repassed Gresini’s Marc Marquez for third before going past Martin at the final turn to steal second position.

Martin admitted that it was his error that cost him four points to title rival Bagnaia, as he had already eased off under the assumption that second place was secure.

“It was a big frustration after the finish line because to lose a position on the last corner hurt me quite a lot,” he said.

“It was more my mistake. I saw on the pitboard eight tenths of a second so I was relaxed. I was pushing but not on the limit. I didn’t want to crash because I knew Pecco was already far away.

“I thought nobody was there and then I hear his bike and I said no way this is happening to me. Trust me this mistake won’t happen to me again.”

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Acosta does not expect Marquez to join KTM; Ducati «looks like a soap opera”

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The MotoGP silly season is in full swing heading into Sunday’s Italian Grand Prix at Mugello, with all eyes on the battle to fill the vacant factory seat at Ducati alongside Francesco Bagnaia.

During the week, current championship leader and Pramac rider Jorge Martin emerged as the favourite to replace Enea Bastianini in Ducati’s line-up for 2025, although no confirmation has been forthcoming from the squad.

Martin’s potential graduation to the works Ducati team has opened up a coveted seat at Pramac for Marc Marquez, but the Spaniard ruled out moving to the Italian squad next year — stressing he would like to either continue with Gresini on a 2025-spec bike or take the place currently occupied by Bastianini.

Marquez’s stance against moving from one satellite bike to another, albeit one that gets latest-spec machinery and factory support, has led to a complex battle within Ducati.

The situation is complicated further by the fact that Ducati is currently capable of only supplying four full-factory bikes, with Pramac set to be the only satellite team to get its hands on them if it agrees a new contract with the Italian marque. This means that, at present, there is no room for Marquez to get anything more recent than a year-old bike at Gresini in 2025.

This has opened up the possibility of the six-time MotoGP champion leaving the Ducati fold after just one season, with it being suggested that he has an offer from other manufacturers, including KTM.

However, Tech3 GasGas rider Acosta quashed these suggestions at Mugello, clarifying that he will team up with incumbent Brad Binder when he moves up to the Austrian marque’s factory team next year.

«Yes, I’ll be with Brad, he’s under contract until his twenties (2026),» he said.

When asked about rumours linking Marquez to riding a RC16 next year, Acosta likened the current state-of-affairs at Ducati to a television show.

«I don’t know, ask Pit [Beirer, KTM’s sporting director].» he said. «I don’t know if that’s out of the question. At the end of the day this Ducati thing looks like a soap opera, every weekend we have a different answer but nobody knows anything.”

On Saturday, KTM announced that Acosta will be promoted to its main team in 2025 as part of a new contract, replacing four-time MotoGP race winner Jack Miller.

The 20-year-old was delighted to secure a move to the ‘orange team’ less than seven rounds into the season, having impressed his bosses with podiums in Portimao and Austin and further top results in sprints.

«As far as I’m concerned, I’m happy with the team they’ve given me this year, with everything they’re giving me and with making the step to the official team to wear orange again,»  he said.

«I’m happy, yesterday they showed me the photo of when I signed my first contract to go to Moto3 in 2020, in Valencia, and I look like a child. 

“Look at how hard it took me to get there and how quickly we’ve gotten here to where we are now. 

“It’s the return home, dressing in orange again, was one of the goals of the year if everything went the way we wanted and wanted. 

“Happy to take all my team there and to see all the support they are giving us to be closer to the first. I think all their effort and mine is paying off.»

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Aleix Espargaro set to become Honda MotoGP test rider

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Espargaro announced ahead of last week’s Catalan Grand Prix that he will retire at the end of the 2024 season, bringing to an end a 20-year career in the MotoGP paddock that has so far yielded three premier class victories with Aprilia.

The Catalan already said at the time that he was seriously contemplating the possibility of becoming a test rider, given the experience he possesses.

Despite the success he has enjoyed with Aprilia, the brand with which he has raced for the last eight years and to which he brought their respective first victories in MotoGP, Espargaro has already made it clear that he will not continue with the Italian brand.

Autosport understands Honda is close to securing Espargaro’s services as a test rider for 2025, marking a major challenge for the Spaniard given HRC’s struggles in recent years. It is unclear what this would mean for current Honda tester Stefan Bradl.

Espargaro arrived at Aprilia in 2017 after two years at Suzuki, two years into the Noale brand’s return to MotoGP.

During these eight years, he took on the role of developing the RS-GP, which went from being the worst bike on the grid to become, right now, a motorcycle capable of winning races and standing up to the powerful Ducati — a job he now hopes to repeat at Honda.

Espargaro was also instrumental in developing Suzuki’s GSX-RR into a race-winning package.

HRC is experiencing drought that does not seem to be close ending.

Apart from Alex Rins’ solitary victory last year in Austin, the Japanese giant is going through the worst moment in its history.

In the last two years, Honda has finished last in the manufacturers’ standings and lost Marc Marquez to the Gresini Ducati squad owing to its lack of performance.

Ahead of this Sunday’s Italian Grand Prix at Mugello, Joan Mir is the leading Honda in the standings on 13 points, while factory team-mate Luca Marini has yet to score.

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Bagnaia feared Barcelona crash repeat in Mugello MotoGP sprint win

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Factory Ducati rider Bagnaia was finally able to end a barren run stretching all the way back to last year’s Austrian Grand Prix by taking the top spot in the half-distance race at Mugello, beating Gresini’s Marc Marquez by over a second.

His victory followed just a week after he dropped his Ducati on the last lap of the Catalan Grand Prix sprint while leading, a mistake that not only cost him 12 points but also widened his deficit to Pramac rival Jorge Martin in the standings.

The Italian admitted that he took a cautious approach on the final lap, with the memories of his Barcelona tumble still weighing on him.

Asked if that crash was on his mind as he neared the chequered flag at Mugello, the reigning champion admitted: “Absolutely it was.

“It was super scary. When I arrived in corner 10, that is the one more critical for the front, I was very very slow. And also on corner 12. Luckily I managed to finish it.”

He added: “The last two laps were quite difficult to manage, to remain in a constant pace. I saw that more or less for everybody it was the same situation.

“Very happy. We were close in the last one in Barcelona but here was the day. We managed everything in a perfect way.”

After Marquez had cleared Pramac polesitter Jorge Martin for second, he began closing on race leader Bagnaia, cutting his deficit by 1.3s to just eight tenths with less than a handful of laps to run in the sprint.

Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team

Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

But the 27-year-old picked up the pace and stretched his advantage back to a second, before easing off on the final lap and cruising to the finish.

“As soon as I dropped a little pace, Marc was already there,” he said.

“For sure it wasn’t ideal for the front tyre, because I was starting having a lot of moments from the front. But we managed quite well the situation.”

The key to Bagnaia’s win on Saturday was his impressive launch from second on the grid, as he immediately reeled in Martin and established a small buffer out front.

Bagnaia stressed that the start will be even more crucial in Sunday’s grand prix, when he will line up fifth on the grid due to a three-place grid drop from his Friday practice run-in with Gresini’s Alex Marquez.

“I did a very good start and it was so useful in this case, because today the front temperature could be a problem and we managed a big lead already in the front corner,” he added.

“For tomorrow it will be more important, because I start from P5.”

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Martin «cannot be competitive» in MotoGP Italian GP with current set-up

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Championship leader Martin retired from Saturday’s sprint at Mugello while running third, losing the front-end of his GP24 into the first corner with four laps remaining.

But even before his race-ending crash, the Spaniard was losing touch with eventual sprint winner Francesco Bagnaia and second-placed Marc Marquez, both on Ducati machinery, despite his strong record in half-distance races in 2024.

While the 12 points he lost to Bagnaia in the title race were obviously costly, Martin feels a bigger point of concern was his speed on the GP24 in the sprint, which was slower than what he managed during long runs in Friday practice.

“We need to work because it seems like I use too much the front,” he said.

“After three laps I feel like the tyres already has 20 laps, so this is not good for sure like the rear is pushing.

“We need to improve the set-up for tomorrow, because with this bike I cannot be competitive. Let’s see what happens.

“Even yesterday evening I did a [1m]46.1s [lap] with really used tyres and at the end of the sprint I was in 46.4 at my 100%. So something went wrong for sure.

“And together my feeling [is] not fantastic, I don’t know [why].

“It’s something we need to solve for tomorrow because it was really difficult to turn. I saw a big difference compared to Pecco and Marc on the track.”

Jorge Martin, Pramac Racing

Jorge Martin, Pramac Racing

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Martin’s retirement on Saturday marked the first time he didn’t score a point in a sprint in 2024.

It was also his second major mistake of 2024, having previously crashed out from the Spanish GP while comfortably leading.

Similar to his Jerez incident, Martin didn’t immediately have an explanation as to why he fell off his bike going into the opening right-hander.

“I watched the data; the lap before I went wide so I braked a little bit earlier, a bit this, trying to not go wide and I crashed,” he explained.

“I don’t like when I don’t understand I crashed. Even if I look into it the temperature was okay, the pressure was okay. “

Earlier in the sprint, Martin had a run-in with Bagnaia’s factory Ducati team-mate Enea Bastianini into the same right-hander where he eventually crashed. The Italian was trying to retake third place but, after running wide, he tried to return to the racing line and hit the GP24 of Martin.

The contact sent Bastianini out of the race, while Martin was able to continue without any major issues until his own crash at the same turn later on.

Asked for his thoughts on their clash, Martin said: “With Enea he was already aggressive on the first lap. Then on corner one he went wide, and then I did the normal line to close. I felt the touch.

“I know he didn’t crash or not because I didn’t see him, but then on the television they showed. Later I have to go to race direction. I think they already studied, so I don’t think it will be any problem.”

He added: “I did a normal line, he run wide. It would have been avoided if he didn’t come again to the line without looking.

“I was lucky that he crashed and I didn’t.”

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MotoGP stewards seem like they ‘have never raced bikes’

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Quartararo was unlucky to retire from Saturday’s sprint race at Mugello on lap two of 11 when Miguel Oliveira crashed his Trackhouse Aprilia in front of him at Turn 10 following a failed attempt to overtake the Frenchman, leaving the former with nowhere to go.

The 2021 champion went down with Oliveira into the right-hander and retired immediately, bringing a premature end to a Saturday in which he couldn’t convert his strong practice pace into a top 10 qualifying position.

Following his exit from the sprint, Quartararo went to the stewards to get their views on the incident, which was eventually dismissed as a racing incident, but returned feeling that MotoGP’s officials weren’t up to the task.

“I wanted to talk to them just to explain a little bit but I’m talking to [a] wall, to don’t say any word,” a frustrated Quartararo said.

“I go out more confused than when I come. But it’s not bad. You know it looks like I’m talking to someone that have never been racing, so this is sad and I think we have to get people more proficient.”

Quartararo explained that he didn’t want to persuade stewards to hand Oliveira a penalty, as he accepted the mistake made by the Portuguese rider. However, the 25-year-old hit out at what he feels are inconsistencies in stewarding and called for improvements in how on-track incidents are looked at going forward.

“I wanted to see the stewards not to get a penalty for Miguel, but just to realise that they are not doing a good job,” he said.

Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha Factory Racing

Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha Factory Racing

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

“I’m not here to say he [Oliveira] have to make a long lap here [or] three-place grid penalty, but I have not seen any great move from them [stewards]. For me Miguel made a mistake, can happen, it happened to me, Aleix [Espargaro] didn’t crash and I get a long lap.

“But yes, for me the job they are doing is not great.”

Asked how the stewards responded, he revealed: “That [it] was a racing incident and when I did it, it was too optimistic overtake. So they play a little bit with the words.

“Like I said, I don’t want any penalty for Miguel. We just have to realise because if I’m playing for the championship and this happens to me and someone is not getting a penalty, it’s not the same.

“Right now it’s complicated, we have no data for the race, I was not scoring any points today anyway.

“But it’s just a question of improve how the system is working and we are not doing any step for that this weekend.”

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Bagnaia wins sprint as Martin crashes out

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At the start of the 11-lap race, the factory Ducatis shot to the front from polesitter Martin, with reigning champion Bagnaia taking the lead from team-mate Enea Bastianini.

KTM’s Brad Binder jumped from 14th on the grid to take fourth behind Martin, with Marc Marquez dropping a place to fifth.

Heading into lap three, Bastianini was trying to retake the second position he had lost to Martin when he went too deep at the exit of Turn 1.

As the Italian tried to return to the racing line he was hit by the Pramac Ducati of Martin, with the contact sending his factory-run GP24 sliding into the gravel.

The incident between the two Ducati riders was investigated, but both riders were cleared of any wrongdoing.

Bastianini’s exit gave Martin some breathing space for a few laps, but it didn’t take long for Marquez to close in on the points leader on his year-old GP23.

After a fruitless attempt on lap five, Marquez was finally able to complete a move going into the opening right-hander on the following tour to claim second.

Jorge Martin, Pramac Racing

Jorge Martin, Pramac Racing

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

By this stage of the race, Bagnaia was already sitting 1.3s clear in first position, a seemingly large advantage with half the sprint already over.

But Marquez was able to bring the gap down by half a second with four laps to go, giving him a faint hope of victory in the closing stages of the race.

Ultimately, Bagnaia was able to break away from Gresini rival to claim his first sprint win since last year’s Austrian GP, ending his streak of poor Saturday results in 2024.

The final place on the podium went to GasGas Tech3 rookie Pedro Acosta, who was announced as a factory KTM rider for 2025 earlier on Saturday.

Acosta moved up to third place when Martin fell off his Pramac-run bike at the start of lap eight, his second major mistake of 2024 after his crash out of the lead of the Spanish Grand Prix in April.

Franco Morbidelli enjoyed his best result of 2024 on the sole-remaining Pramac Ducati bike, while Maverick Vinales was fifth on the top Aprilia after a sedate start from the front row.

Binder could only take sixth after his impressive start to the race, some four seconds off KTM stablemate Acosta, as Fabio Di Giannantonio guided his VR46 Aprilia to seventh place.

Alex Marquez (Gresini) and Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia) were classified eighth and ninth respectively, while Raul Fernandez completed the top 10 for Trackhouse.

Further behind, Jack Miller (KTM) and Marco Bezzecchi (VR46) took 11th and 12th respectively, while Yamaha’s Alex Rins recovered from a poor start that dropped him outside of the points to take 13th at the chequered flag.

Pol Espargaro took 14th on his wildcard outing for KTM, while LCR’s Johann Zarco was the only points scorer for Honda in 15th after factory rider Joan Mir crashed out.

Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo was another former champion to retire from the sprint, the Frenchman’s race ending on lap two after Miguel Oliveira lost control of his Trackhouse Aprilia in front of him at Turn 10. The incident was investigated but no further action taken.

After his crash out of the sprint, Martin’s lead is now down to just 27 points over Bagnaia heading into Sunday’s grand prix.

MotoGP Italian GP Sprint result



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