The greatest rider of his generation is now on machinery from the dominant manufacturer. Is Marc Marquez ready to banish his recent struggles for Honda and reclaim his crown? As Orwell once wrote, ‘there’s time for everything except the things worth doing’. In Marquez’s case, the thing worth doing is being competitive again on a […]
Year: 2024
Why do F1 drivers get weighed and how does scrutineering work?
Scrutineering plays a crucial role for any F1 grand prix, as it’s the technical checking of cars to ensure all entrants are legal throughout a race weekend. It is something all cars and drivers must go through where one failed test could result in disqualification. So, the FIA – who carry out the checks – […]
Mir wants Honda “intensity” on MotoGP development to get out of “Japanese Cup”
Honda was expected to make a leap in performance after revamping its approach towards MotoGP over the winter, as it began life without its star rider Marc Marquez in the factory Repsol team. But a tough Qatar Grand Prix highlighted the scale of challenge it still faces in order to close the gap to the […]
What we have learned about Massa’s £64m F1 court action
Almost one year on from revealing that he was considering legal action over F1 and the FIA’s handling of the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix ‘crashgate’ controversy, Massa has put his money where his mouth is in seeking redress. The Brazilian has sprung into action after revelations last year from then F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone that […]
Why the impact of Acosta’s MotoGP debut is bigger than his results
Pedro Acosta‘s ninth place finish in Qatar last Sunday does not reflect the rookie’s impact on the opening round of the MotoGP world championship or his future with KTM. After a pre-season in which the spotlight was focused on Marc Marquez and his arrival at Gresini Ducati, the debut of reigning Moto2 world champion Pedro […]
No regrets on McLaren’s “aggressive” F1 Saudi Arabian GP strategy call
Norris was one of only four drivers who opted to gain track position by not stopping when Lance Stroll’s crash triggered a safety car period early in the Jeddah race and having started sixth he was left in the lead at the restart, until Max Verstappen got by two laps later. As with fellow non-stoppers Lewis Hamilton, […]
Martin “cannot use strongest parts” of his riding on 2024 Ducati MotoGP bike
The 2023 championship runner-up took the first win of the 2024 campaign on Saturday in the sprint contest. But he couldn’t convert his pole into a second win in the grand prix, dropping behind Francesco Bagnaia on the opening lap and ultimately finishing third. While Martin branded the Qatar round as a “great weekend” in […]
Sauber to address F1 pit issues after second disastrous stop
Valtteri Bottas lost almost 50 seconds at his second stop in the Bahrain GP with a cross-threading issue at the front axle. In last weekend’s Saudi Arabian race, Zhou Guanyu was delayed by a similar problem for around 25 seconds when he pitted. The Chinese driver was one of only four drivers not to have stopped […]
Renewing Bagnaia’s MotoGP contract not as easy as people may think
After more than two decades in the Italian company’s marketing department, Grassilli was promoted last winter to replace Paolo Ciabatti, one of the most recognisable members within Ducati. Since then, Grassilli’s activity has not ceased. His first public event took place at the beginning of the year, at the presentation of the team at the […]
How Red Bull’s unique F1 cooling approach helped boost its top speed in Jeddah
While it lagged behind the super slippery Haas that topped the official speed trap in qualifying, the RB20 was best able to balance its straightline potential with brilliant downforce for cornering too. While wing levels are often a key factor in determining a team’s downforce/drag levels, what was especially interesting in Saudi Arabia was how […]