Simon Patterson

MotoGP

Oliveira becomes fourth MotoGP rider ruled out of Argentina

RNF Aprilia’s Miguel Oliveira has become the fourth MotoGP rider confirmed as skipping the Argentina round, after being hit by Marc Marquez

MotoGP

Portuguese Grand Prix 2023 MotoGP rider rankings

From the absolute standout to the underperformers, we rank the riders from MotoGP’s first-ever sprint weekend at Portimao

MotoGP

Marquez out of Argentina MotoGP round after hand surgery

Six-time MotoGP champion Marc Marquez will be sidelined for the Argentina MotoGP round, having required surgery after his Portimao crash

MotoGP

Marquez got off lightly – as MotoGP ladder examples prove

Marc Marquez’s double long-lap penalty was apparently prescribed by a new MotoGP rules approach – which is surprising, and may be too lenient

MotoGP

Marquez will never serve penalty if he misses Argentine GP

Injured Honda MotoGP rider Marc Marquez will not have to serve the penalty he was handed for crashing into Miguel Oliveira and Jorge Martin at Portimao if he is not fit for next weekend’s Termas de Rio Hondo event

MotoGP

Injured rival calls Marquez a repeat offender who must improve

Jorge Martin – one of the two MotoGP riders collected and injured by Marc Marquez in the Portuguese Grand Prix pile-up – has lambasted the six-time champion and says he just keeps making the same mistakes

MotoGP

Race ban calls over Marquez’s Portimao MotoGP crash

Marc Marquez’s riding is under fire again after the multi-bike pile-up he triggered in MotoGP’s Portuguese Grand Prix season-opener, with one leading rival calling for him to get a race ban

MotoGP

‘It’s like Gladiator’ – Riders feel powerless over MotoGP rules

Some riders’ unease over the MotoGP sprint format has prompted claims of powerlessness – and brought back the topic of a rider union

MotoGP

Six things first sprint race told us about MotoGP 2023

MotoGP’s first ever sprint race taught us quite a bit about the impact of the new format, but also provided some surprising pointers for 2023 season form

MotoGP

Mir penalised for Quartararo collision as Honda appeal fails

Honda newcomer Joan Mir has been penalised for colliding with Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo in MotoGP’s first-ever sprint race

MotoGP

Vinales might just be the favourite for MotoGP’s first sprint

Aprilia is preparing to go into MotoGP’s first ever sprint race weekend as perhaps the unexpected favourite, judging by the long-run Portuguese Grand Prix practice pace of Maverick Vinales in particular

MotoGP

MotoGP riders want action after Espargaro’s horrific crash

MotoGP riders want to see action taken after the 2023 season opened with a crash-filled first day of practice at Portimao, punctuated by an incident that left Pol Espargaro with spinal, lung and jaw injuries

MotoGP

MotoGP has a popularity problem – and its riders know it

MotoGP riders are increasingly vocal in advocating “change” in how the series markets itself – and they look set to get their wish

MotoGP

KTM’s muted MotoGP pre-season a concerning deja vu

KTM got into the top 10 late into MotoGP pre-season testing – but remains in a familiar position, which may not be good enough for 2023

MotoGP

RNF MotoGP team reveals new livery for first Aprilia season

The new Aprilia satellite MotoGP team RNF, now majority-owned by CryptoData, has presented a revised livery for the 2023 season

MotoGP

The vision of MotoGP’s new ‘not cryptocurrency!’ team owner

A surprise new majority shareholder in MotoGP team RNF Aprilia, tech company CryptoData talks to The Race about its designs for the squad

MotoGP

Honda chassis shock shows its priorities amid Marquez pressure

The bombshell report that Honda is outsourcing a MotoGP chassis design suggests retaining Marc Marquez is a desperate priority

MotoGP

The intriguing 2023 role reversal in MotoGP’s headline duel

Fabio Quartararo and Yamaha might not be “ready yet” for 2023 but solace can be found in Pecco Bagnaia and Ducati’s 2022 recovery

MotoGP

MotoGP’s aero revolution risks snowballing into madness

Radical aero updates are far more commonplace in MotoGP than just a few years ago. But the ones that appeared in 2023 pre-season testing could lead the series down a path it needs to walk with care

MotoGP

MotoGP’s first race at ex-F1 Indian GP circuit under threat

Necessary repairs to the Buddh International Circuit which is hosting MotoGP for the first time in September are currently being held up due to ‘a host of legal and technical complications,’ according to national newspaper the Times of India

MotoGP

‘Changed man’ Bagnaia looms menacingly over MotoGP 2023

“Like a different person” with newfound swagger, Pecco Bagnaia is overwhelmingly seen as the mean to beat heading into the 2023 MotoGP season

MotoGP

Nine things we learned from final 2023 MotoGP winter test

MotoGP’s 2023 pre-season testing ended with a fairly clear title favourite, but signs that everything was closing up even more just behind – with a few unhappy outliers

MotoGP

Puzzled Espargaro compromised by ‘big fibrosis’, facing surgery

Continuing problems with his arm mean Aleix Espargaro may require surgery ahead of the fast-approaching MotoGP 2023 season opener

MotoGP

‘May as well race at Monaco’ – Concussed rider’s crash fury

The concussion that ended his MotoGP pre-season early shouldn’t have happened – and gravel is to blame, says a fuming Fabio Di Giannantonio

MotoGP

Espargaro suspects new Aprilia aero caused his arm pump

Aleix Espargaro was forced to stop running early on MotoGP’s penultimate winter test day due to arm pain, and he thinks Aprilia’s radical aero experiments triggered it

MotoGP

Aprilia escalates MotoGP aero war as ‘F1 wing’ reappears

Aprilia has taken the MotoGP aero race up a notch with a host of new wings at the final pre-season test, including the reappearance of a Formula 1-style winglet at the rear that was briefly trialled last year

MotoGP

No ‘snap of finger’ fix – Alex Marquez on Honda’s MotoGP strife

While Alex Marquez is getting to grips with the Ducati, his former employer Honda is struggling – and Marquez doesn’t expect that to change quickly

Formula 1

The MotoGP master who made Stroll’s heroics possible

Lance Stroll says he wouldn’t have raced in the Bahrain GP without Dr Xavier Mir – a name much better-known to MotoGP fans than F1 fans

MotoGP

MotoGP’s ‘new’ manufacturer reveals its 2023 livery

The newly-rebranded Tech3 Gas Gas team has unveiled the new colours it will use during the 2023 MotoGP season

MotoGP

How far along is MotoGP’s ‘data sponge’ sole 2023 rookie?

Making only ‘secure’ steps forward and gorging himself on data, Augusto Fernandez is facing up to the daunting task of being a MotoGP rookie

MotoGP

MotoGP sprint impasse would be strike territory in other sports

MotoGP’s new sprint format has created a rider compensation quandary – and it’s one series promoter Dorna really shouldn’t stay out of

MotoGP

‘I need to change my DNA’ – Morbidelli’s 2023 MotoGP mission

Franco Morbidelli has had to ditch the DNA of his ‘smooth’ riding style during a difficult year and a half adapting to the Yamaha factory team – but can he turn things around in 2023?

MotoGP

Marquez finally fires back at Rossi (+ more Amazon revelations)

Marc Marquez has kept something of a poker face around his feud with Valentino Rossi. Amazon Prime Video’s new ‘Marc Marquez: All in’ documentary series changes that, and reveals plenty more too

MotoGP

Yamaha eyeing VR46 – but can Rossi be lured from Ducati?

Yamaha admits it would be “logical” to make VR46 its new MotoGP satellite team – but is that really in Valentino Rossi’s best interests?

Motorcycle racing

The solution Irish motorcycle road-racing crisis really needs

Though there are some hopeful signs after the recent bombshell news that all 2023 Northern Irish motorcycle road racing would be cancelled, Simon Patterson argues the current crisis should be the spur for a complete reorganisation to give the sport a more secure future

MotoGP

The ominous improvement made by MotoGP’s 2023 title favourite

Coming into MotoGP’s 2023 season, many already expected reigning world champion Pecco Bagnaia to be the man to beat, such was the strength of his end to last year and the initial positive feedback he and his fellow Ducati riders gave on their new GP23 machine when they first had the chance to trial

MotoGP

Doubts surround MotoGP 2023 clampdown ‘every rider’ is against

MotoGP’s stricter policing of tyre pressures – to be introduced four rounds into the 2023 season – has proved unpopular among riders, as Simon Patterson explains

MotoGP

Nine things we learned from MotoGP’s Sepang test

Ducati and Aprilia dominated MotoGP’s Sepang test but there was far more to learn from the pre-season test when you dig a bit deeper as Simon Patterson and Valentin Khorounzhiy explain

MotoGP

Why Honda and Marquez tried ‘zero aero’ in Sepang MotoGP test

Marc Marquez and test rider Stefan Bradl both rode a winglet-free Honda MotoGP bike during the pre-season test at Sepang

MotoGP

Quartararo’s first-ever ‘real test’ is a great sign for Yamaha

The first “real test” of his career is how 2021 MotoGP champion Fabio Quartararo described his and Yamaha’s positive start to 2023 testing on day one at Sepang – even if that was masked by a low-key position in the end-of-day laptimes