For the first time since the pandemic, MotoGP has returned to the flowing Hermas de Rio Hondo circuit, and a lot has changed in the sport since we were last here. The third instalment of the series produced another twist in the tale, of what is becoming a box office season already!
It had to be, that in his 200th MotoGP race, Aleix Espargaro finally realised his dream, and became a winner in the top class. He now holds the rather unwanted title, of most races before a first win. It didn’t come easily to him though, as he fought Martin right to the last lap for it. In the end he clearly had the pace to win, it was just the pressure of the occasion which tried to ruin his day, as he made a few mistakes in the battle. The question now is, can he keep this going, as Aprilia have produced an incredible bike, and with the pressure now gone, he could go from strength to strength. Vinales had a pretty good day too, although the gap to his teammate is still not what he would want. He left Yamaha to not be a No. 2, and is fulfilling that role once again.
I honestly don’t know what kind of a year Ducati are having, on one hand the factory team have barely any points, and a severe lack of pace, yet the customer teams are fighting for wins almost every race weekend. It isn’t like it is all down to the new bike, as Bastiannini won on an old bike at Qatar, and Martin finished 2nd here on the new one. Jorge is doing excellent things right now, he was unlucky in Qatar, and made a small mistake in Indonesia, otherwise, all the ingredients are there for him to fight for a title. The fight here was a perfect example of that, as he just did all he could to pressure Aleix, by being consistent. Marini should be credited too for his qualifying, and he still had a solid race. Bagnaia did bring it back together in the race, but his championship challenge is already looking weak.
Suzuki have not set the world on fire, yet their steady and consistent pace is reminiscent of 2020, where Mir ended up winning the title. If this season is as crazy as that one, which is very possible, either of their two riders are in position to capitalise. Rins is showing the pace we all thought he had for the past two years, but he was never able to translate it into points. Their only issue now is qualifying, which has been the case for many years now, but I get the feeling they are very close to cracking it!
After the amazing exploits of Olivera at Indonesia, it is back to business as usual at KTM, here in Argentina. It is hard to know whether Binder is outperforming the bike, or if he is the only one able to get the true speed of it out. If it is the former, they truly have the worst bike on the grid. His late race climb through the field is nothing new, and puts him firmly in the title fight.
Yamaha have gone backwards massively this season, as I don’t think they are just losing out on the straights. Even if that isn’t the case, looking at how Suzuki have managed to gain straight line speed, there is no longer an excuse for Yamaha anymore. Quartararo couldn’t really fight in the race, given his speed deficit on the straights. Eventually tyre wear allowed him to climb up to 8th. Mechanical issues are also plaguing them, which is just rubbing salt in the wound at the moment.
Honda’s weekend may look to be the worst of the lot, but at least Pol had the pace to be in the top 5, if it wasn’t for the crash. That bike isn’t the fastest out there, but it is clearly easier to ride for the rest of the riders. Marquez being out again is a blow for them, and it is unclear if he will be back for Austin. The LCR team never were able to really challenge the top 10, despite Nakagami looking super-fast in practice, not bad for someone just clear of covid.
It was another feel good story in the tale of MotoGP, and keeps the championship tight as we head to the resurfaced COTA track. If Marquez is back, he will likely be the favourite, although there are many other bikes out there with what it takes to win. In fact, you can now confidently argue there isn’t a bad bike out there!
-M
Meaning of Motorsport 