Valentin Khorounzhiy

Formula 1

Red Bull or bust? Alonso's revealing 2025 F1 comments

Is Mercedes really an upgrade on Aston Martin? That's just part of Fernando Alonso's complex 2025 dilemma - as his comments at the Japanese Grand Prix reveal...

MotoGP

Miller's KTM MotoGP destiny is no longer in his hands

Is there anything Jack Miller himself can actually do now to ensure he keeps his current MotoGP ride beyond 2024? Valentin Khorounzhiy assesses Miller's start and the impact of Pedro Acosta's emergence

Formula 1

Two reasons Ricciardo escaped penalty for Albon Japanese GP crash

Daniel Ricciardo has escaped sanction for the opening-lap collision that took him and Alex Albon out of F1's Japanese GP - but the stewards have indicated this would not have been the case if not for a pair of mitigating circumstances

Formula 1

Ferrari fights back while Red Bull dominates F1's Japanese GP

Red Bull bounced back from its Melbourne disaster in devastating fashion by dominating the Japanese Grand Prix while Ferrari fought back to third and fourth

MotoGP

Boring? Why Quartararo rejected a Marquez-style gamble

Marc Marquez gave up a lucrative Honda deal to ride a year-old Ducati, but Fabio Quartararo has shunned any similar opportunities at other MotoGP teams to stay at Yamaha. Why has he made that choice?

MotoGP

Big win for Yamaha as Quartararo signs new MotoGP deal

Yamaha's MotoGP programme has secured a major win on the rider market by agreeing a new two-year deal with its lead rider Fabio Quartararo

MotoGP

Marquez destroying rivals on the same bike - what's happened to them?

Of the 69 laps completed in MotoGP so far, Marc Marquez has been the top GP23 bike rider for 66 of them. What has happened to his Ducati rivals on the same machinery?

MotoGP

Honda's Marquez replacement is utterly invisible so far

Luca Marini wasn't signed to match what the rider he's replaced, Marc Marquez, meant to Honda. Nor to drag instant results out of the bike - certainly not this version of it. But he's not having the start to the MotoGP season that either he or Honda will have hoped for

MotoGP

Why Liberty's sure it can own both F1 and MotoGP

F1 owner Liberty Media has outlined its case for why it believes its takeover of MotoGP will receive the blessing of competition regulators despite a past precedent of joint MotoGP/F1 ownership being challenged

MotoGP

F1 owner Liberty announces deal to acquire MotoGP as well

Formula 1 owner Liberty Media has agreed a deal to take over F1's two-wheeled counterpart MotoGP through the acquisition of its promoter Dorna Sports

MotoGP

Is MotoGP 2024 about to get another new frontrunner?

He suffered a miserable pre-season and is one of only three riders without a point in 2024 so far, but there's been promising signs for Franco Morbidelli so far

MotoGP

Honda's MotoGP riders just had another rude awakening

Even by the standards of its current rebuilding season, Honda was abject in the last MotoGP round at Portimao. Valentin Khorounzhiy looks at what its riders were struggling with

WEC/Le Mans

Why Sebastian Vettel is testing Porsche's Le Mans challenger

Sebastian Vettel's test in a Porsche Hypercar was no mere novelty outing - this was a very serious undertaking, both for Porsche's Le Mans 24 Hours preparations and for four-time F1 world champion Vettel

MotoGP

'On another planet' Acosta is completely changing KTM's timeline

Rookie Pedro Acosta beat both factory KTM riders on his privateer bike to take a podium on only his second MotoGP weekend at Portimao. What does that mean for his and KTM's progression?

MotoGP

Aprilia should feel haunted by its Portugal MotoGP waste

Maverick Vinales took his late-race exit from the Portuguese GP incredibly well - maybe too well. On a weekend where he brought his A-game, Aprilia's bike should at least have taken him to the flag - if not a double win

MotoGP

'Not necessary' - Marquez and Bagnaia disagree over clash

MotoGP championship protagonists Pecco Bagnaia and Marc Marquez have made it clear they don't see eye-to-eye over their race-ruining Portuguese Grand Prix collision

MotoGP

Martin wins Portimao MotoGP as Marquez and Bagnaia collide

Jorge Martin reclaimed the MotoGP championship lead by winning the Portuguese Grand Prix, while in his wake Pecco Bagnaia and Marc Marquez tangled, Pedro Acosta got a podium and Maverick Vinales made a bizarre exit

MotoGP

Does Vinales' heroic first Aprilia win change anything for 2025?

Maverick Vinales reminded Aprilia why it signed him with a gritty sprint win - but does that change the math for 2025?

MotoGP

Bagnaia's Portimao MotoGP sprint-losing 'f**k-up' explained

MotoGP champion Pecco Bagnaia's surprise defeat in the Portuguese Grand Prix sprint was the result of a fascinating mental lapse - with the Italian forthcoming about the details of his error

MotoGP

What Marquez's ahead-of-schedule first Ducati podium really means

Marc Marquez's first MotoGP podium for Ducati shows he is ahead of schedule in his adaptation, but it came with some familiar risks as well as the familiar prodigious talent

MotoGP

Vinales ends Ducati win streak after Bagnaia error, Marquez stars

Aprilia rider Maverick Vinales took a long-awaited victory in the MotoGP sprint at Portimao, as Pecco Bagnaia's likely win was lost in a sudden Turn 1 off

MotoGP

Bastianini takes pole in Portimao MotoGP qualifying thriller

Ducati MotoGP rider Enea Bastianini took pole position for the Portuguese Grand Prix in an absolute nail-biter of a qualifying session at Portimao

MotoGP

Marquez's crash, Bagnaia's escape - Portimao practice recapped

Enea Bastianini led the way in the second MotoGP practice session at Portimao, as Marc Marquez suffered his first race weekend crash of the season

MotoGP

Marquez tops first practice of key MotoGP weekend

Marc Marquez set the pace in the opening MotoGP practice session of what he sees as a crucial Portuguese Grand Prix weekend at Portimao

MotoGP

'He's the future' - What we learned about Ducati's rider plans

Ducati's rider roster for 2025 is starting to take shape - and its interest in new signing Fermin Aldeguer goes well beyond just filling a spot.

Formula 1

FIA president cleared of wrongdoing after F1 interference investigation

The FIA has cleared president Mohammed Ben Sulayem of "any wrongdoing" after an investigation into allegations of interference into the running of two events in the 2023 Formula 1 season.

MotoGP

Marquez can vanquish last remaining doubt over his title bid

Portimao could banish the last remaining doubt that Marc Marquez is a MotoGP 2024 title contender - or reinforce it

MotoGP

MotoGP podcast: Mid-season rider changes? Your questions answered

We're answering your questions on The Race MotoGP Podcast this week, including on the prospect of mid-season rider changes at two teams in particular

MotoGP

Ducati 'thrilled' to promote MotoGP rookie on multi-year deal

Moto2 star Fermin Aldeguer will make his MotoGP debut in 2025 as part of the Ducati stable.

MotoGP

Why Marquez at Ducati in 2025 is making more and more sense

Ducati was generally regarded as being somewhere between reluctant and uninvolved as Marc Marquez's move to satellite team Gresini played out. Everything that applied then remains valid now - but the spectre of Marquez in Ducati red is starting to add up

MotoGP

A MotoGP contender's intriguing 2024 divide

There was a clear divide between the lead Aprilia rider in Qatar and his two peers on the 2024-spec bike. That's in part down to Aleix Espargaro, but it's also about this year's Aprilia and what the manufacturer has set out to do

MotoGP

Is Bezzecchi's brave MotoGP 2024 gamble already failing?

Marco Bezzecchi made a crucial decision about his MotoGP future last year. The first round of the 2024 season provided a host of reasons to declare that decision was a needless, campaign-compromising own goal

Formula 1

These broken F1 careers should be a warning to Bearman

Ollie Bearman's magical Formula 1 debut has made him grand prix racing's star of the hour, a breath of fresh air amid a competitively stale start to the 2024 season. But that's no guarantee of anything as a couple of recent examples demonstrated all too well

MotoGP

Why the Qatar GP threat to Ducati collapsed at the last hurdle

Ducati looked more vulnerable than expected ahead of the Qatar GP. Then Pecco Bagnaia won with some ease, and Ducati locked out six of the top seven positions. Why couldn't its main rivals mount a challenge?

MotoGP

Least competitive Yamaha ever? Quartararo's grim verdict

Further from the front than ever and in even more trouble than Honda - that's Fabio Quartararo's assessment of Yamaha after the 2024 MotoGP opener

MotoGP

Bagnaia wins MotoGP opener but all eyes on Acosta and Marquez

While Pecco Bagnaia opened his MotoGP title defence with Qatar Grand Prix victory, it was rookie Pedro Acosta whose riding grabbed most attention in the 2024 opener

MotoGP

Marquez's first Ducati race was more ominous than it might look

Was Marc Marquez's fifth place in the Qatar MotoGP sprint on his Gresini Ducati race debut underwhelming or ominous? It's the latter, says Valentin Khorounzhiy

MotoGP

Why Ducati suddenly seems vulnerable in MotoGP 2024 opener

Ducati has spent a year being virtually unbeatable in MotoGP. But it nearly lost the Qatar sprint and could easily be defeated by two rivals - one of which now has "F1 car" handling - in the grand prix

MotoGP

Martin wins opening MotoGP sprint, Bagnaia misses podium

Jorge Martin won yet another sprint in the 2024 MotoGP opener in Qatar, as his old title rival Pecco Bagnaia was edged off the podium by an KTM and an Aprilia

MotoGP

Martin breaks lap record to claim pole for MotoGP opener

Pramac Ducati MotoGP rider Jorge Martin broke the Qatar lap record in the opening qualifying of the 2024 season after a feisty battle for pole