MotoGP 2024. Ideas, questions and considerations after the Spanish GP in Jerez – MotoGP

Zam’s analysis when the weekend has just ended

April 29, 2024

What were the keys to the GP?

• There determination of Bagnaia and Marquez. For several reasons, they were the most eager to achieve a great result: it made the difference;

• Bagnaia’s first lap. From seventh to first in 4,423 metres, with a double overtaking on the outside: decisive for Pecco’s victory;

• There Martin’s fall. On lap 11, at turn 6, while he was in the lead;

• There superiority from the Ducati. In Jerez, total domination returned: 5 DesmosediciGPs in the top 5 places, 6 in the top 7;

• There Bagnaia/Marquez challenge. There’s no need to explain why…

• The Aprilia qualifications. They probably wouldn’t have fought for the victory, but they could have been in the top five.

Fastest laps in the race (in brackets the lap on which it was achieved)

1. Bagnaia 1’37”449 (23); 2. M. Marquez 1’37”637 (25); 3. Martin 1’37”884 (6); 4. Bezzecchi 1’37”910 (10); 5. Morbidelli 1’37”943 (5); 6. Di Giannantonio 1’37”967 (13); 7. A. Marquez 1’37”982 (8); 8. Vinales 1’37”999 (19); 9. Binder 1’38”001 (22); 10. Bastianini 1’38”048 (4)

Questions and answers

FShould Morbidelli have been sanctioned for the contact with Jack Miller on lap 18 while they were fighting for 11th position?

In my opinion, yes: Morbidelli’s entry was very aggressive, too aggressive in my opinion.

What happened to Aprilia?

Vinales and Espargaro made a complete mistake in qualifying, not only in strategy: the RS-GP struggles in the wet. Then, both riders underline how the Aprilia is the worst at the start.

Comparison 2023/2024

Pole position: Espargaro 1’37”216 / 1’46”773 (wet)

Fastest lap in the race: Bagnaia (19) 1’37”989 / Bagnaia (23) 1’37”449

Total sprint duration: Binder 18’05”055 (11 laps) / Martin 19’52”682 (12 laps)

Total race duration: Bagnaia 39’29”085 (24 laps)/ 40’58”053 (25 laps)

Comparison between teammates (sprint+race, only counts when both drivers are on the track)

Bagnaia/Bastianini 4/3; Bezzecchi/Di Giannantonio: 5/3; Martin/Morbidelli: 7/0; M.Marquez/A.Marquez: 6/2; A.Espargaro/Vinales: 2/5; Quartararo/Rins: 7/1; Miller/Binder: 3/5; Mir/Marini: 6/2

Positions recovered/lost at the start by some drivers (sprint/race): + positions gained; – lost. The calculation is made considering the position on the grid and that at the end of the first lap

Bagnaia +2/+6 ; Binder +2/-2; Martin +2/0; M. Marquez -2/-1; Bastianini +2/-1; Acosta +2/-8; Espargaro (did not finish lap 1)/-3; Vinales +1/-1 ; Bezzecchi -4/-2; Morbidelli -7/-5

Sprint races ranking

1. Martin 38; 2. M. Marquez 27; 3. Viñales 25; 4. Acosta 20; 5. Bagnaia 14; 6. Espargaro 14; 7. Bastianini 12; 8. Binder 9; 9. Miller 8; 10. Quartararo 6

Sunday race ranking

1. Bagnaia 61; 2. Bastianini 58; 3. Martin 54; 4. Binder 50; 5. Acosta 49; 6. Viñales 38; 7. Bezzecchi 36; 8. Di Giannantonio 34; 9. M. Marquez 33; 10. Espargaro 25

Points comparison (top 10 in ranking 2024) 2023/2024 (difference)

Martin 92/48 (+44); 2. Bagnaia 75/87 (-12); 3. Bastianini 70/0 (+70); 5. Vinales 63/48 (+15); 6. M. Marquez 60/7 (+53); 7. Binder 59/62 (-3); 8. Espargaro 39/29 (+10); 9. Bezzecchi 36/65 (-29); 10. By Giannantonio 34/17 (+17)

1. Ducati 133/137 (-4); 2. KTM 95/81 (+14); 3. Aprilia 82/67 (+15); 4. Yamaha 27/49 (-22); 5. Honda 13/61 (-48)

Here, after 4 GPs, are my percentages on the favorite for the title

Bagnaia 35%; Martin and Marquez 30%; Bastianini 5%

MotoGP crash ranking

1. M.Maquez, A.Marquez, Binder and Miller 6; Morbidelli, Zarco 5; Di Giannantonio, Espargaro, Mir, Vinales 4; Acosta, Bezzecchi, R.Fernandez, Marini, Martin, Rins 3; Bagnaia, A. Fernandez, Nakagami, Quartararo 2; Bastianini, Oliveira 1.

Three reasons to remember the GP

1. The Bagnaia/Marquez challenge;

2. An American leading the world championship;

3. Dani Pedrosa’s podium

Three sentences from the GP

1. Valentino Rossi: “To make the overtaking that Pecco did in 6th, you need: imagination, talent and a pinch of madness”;

2. Pecco Bagnaia: “To beat Marquez, you have to race like this”

3. Dani Pedrosa: “I don’t know if this was my last race; if it is, I’m proud that it happened here”

Declared public

GThursday and Friday: 80,074

Saturday: 71,989

Sunday: 144,678

Total: 296,741

I said it

Giacomo Agostini, halfway through the race: “Can Marquez take Bagnaia? I do not think so…”

Predictions

Cwho wins the Sprint? Here’s what the readers’ prediction was

M. Marquez 53%; Martin 24%; Bagnaia 16%; Bezzecchi 5%; Binder 2%

Who wins the race? Here’s what the readers’ prediction was

M. Marquez 48%; Bagnaia 27%; Martin 15%; Acosta 9%; Binder 1%

Some interesting statistics

Bagnaia: victory n. 20 with the Ducati, only 3 less than Stoner. In total, it is Bagnaia’s 30th victory, 60th podium in the world championship;

5 Ducatis in the top 5 places: the last time it happened was in the 2023 German GP. For Ducati it is the 90th success in the world championship;

Ducati: 50th consecutive podium for a rider with the Desmosedici. It is the fourth manufacturer to reach this milestone after Honda, Suzuki and Yamaha;

Joe Roberts is the new Moto2 championship leader: a US rider – Nicky Hayden – had not led the world championship since 2006. By the way, Roberts is first with 69 points…