MotoGP 2024. Insights, questions and considerations after the Dutch GP – MotoGP

Zam’s analysis when the weekend is just over

June 30, 2024

What were the keys to the GP?

• Bagnaia’s superiority. Devastating from the first round on Friday: as they say in tennis, here Pecco was “unplayable”;

• Martin’s reaction. In difficulty until Saturday morning, he managed to recover from a complicated situation;

• Marquez’s penalty. For the first time this season, the tire pressure rule affects a race result;

• The superiority of the GP24. This is confirmed by the first three places achieved by Bagnaia, Martin and Bastianini;

• Bastianini’s qualifications. Only 11th on the starting grid, he could have at least competed with Martin;

• KTM’s difficulties. Never in the game, beyond Acosta’s fall.

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

1. Bagnaia 1’31”866 (12); 2. Martin 1’31”919 (12); 3. Di Giannantonio 1’32”099 (5); 4. Bastianini 1’32”160 (15); 5. M.Marquez 1’32”184 (10); 6. Vinales 1’32”231 (10); 7. Acosta 1’32”253 (11); 8. Binder 1’32”344 (10); 9. A. Marquez 1’32”541 (11); 10. Miller 1’32”702 (11).

Questions and answers

Marc Marquez was penalized for being outside the 50% limit for one lap by 0.001: fair sanction?

Yes. You can discuss the rule, but once the rule is there it must be applied. According to Marquez the limit was also exceeded for having gone off the track after the contact with Bastianini, but the regulation does not provide for this exception. So, I repeat, as long as the rule is this, it must be respected. As for whether it is right, I personally continue to have doubts, even if it was introduced for safety reasons.

Marquez said he would have expected a penalty – a loss of position in the race – for being thrown off the track by Bastianini in the overtaking at the first corner: is he right? Should Enea have been penalized?

In my opinion, no, in any way: it was a normal tender contract.

How is Alex Rins doing after the crash at the first corner of the first lap?

The Spanish pilot flew to Madrid for checks on his right wrist, probably broken, and on his foot.

Aleix Espargaro did not take part in the warm up, and consequently the race, even though he was considered “fit” (for the warm up): why?

The fracture of the fifth metacarpal of his right hand, a consequence of the fall on the last lap of the sprint, caused the hand to swell a lot and when Aleix went to put on the glove he felt too much pain and so he deemed it useless to try. He will be reviewed for the next GP. One note: it was the first race Espargaro missed in six years with Aprilia.

Comparison 2023/2024

Pfirst position: Bezzecchi 1’31”472 / Bagnaia 1’30”540

Fastest lap in the race: Martin (13) 1’33”065 / Bagnaia (12) 1’31”866

Total sprint duration: Bezzecchi 20’09”174 / Bagnaia 19’58”090

Total race duration: Bagnaia 40’37”640 / Bagnaia 40’07”214

Teammate comparison (sprint+race, only counts when both drivers are on track)

Bagnaia/Bastianini 10/5; Bezzecchi/Di Giannantonio: 5/11; Martin/Morbidelli: 15/0; M.Marquez/A.Marquez: 13/3; A.Espargaro/Vinales: 4/10; Quartararo/Rins: 12/4; Miller/Binder: 5/11; Mir/Marini: 9/7

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 0/0 ; Binder +3/-1; Martin 0/+3; M.Marquez +2/+2; Bastianini +2/0; Acosta -2/+2; Espargaro -2/x; Vinales -1/-1; Bezzecchi 0/-1; Di Giannantonio -5/-4; Morbidelli 0/+1

Sprint races ranking

1. Martin 65 ; 2. M.Marquez 54; 3. Vinales 46; 4. Acosta 38; 5. Bagnaia 38; 6. Espargaro 32; 7. Bastianini 29; 8. Binder 17; 9 Di Giannantonio 15; 10. Morbidelli 13.

Race standings Sunday

1. Bagnaia 152; 2. Martin 135; 3. Bastianini 107; 4. M. Marquez 88; 5. Binder 82; 6. Di Giannantonio 77; 7. Viñales 72; 8. Acosta 63; 9. A. Marquez 55; 10. Espargaro 50.

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

1. Martin 200/159 (+41); 2. Bagnaia 190/194 (-4); 3. M. Marquez 142/15 (+127); 4. Bastianini 136/18 (+118); 5. Vinales 118/56 (+62); 7. Binder 99/114 (-15); 8 Di Giannantonio 92/34 (+58); 9. Espargaro 82/77 (+5); 10. A. Marquez 62/63 (-1).

Manufacturer points comparison 2024/2023: 1. Ducati 278/285 (-7); 2. Aprilia 156/121 (+35); 3. KTM 154/153 (+1); 4. Yamaha 43/82 (-39); 5. Honda 22/89 (-67)

Here, after 8 GPs, are my percentages on the favorite for the title

Bagnaia 50%; Martin 30%; Marquez 10%; Bastianini 10%

MotoGP crash ranking

Binder 12; M. Marquez 11; Miller 10; Acosta and Zarco 9; Bezzecchi, A. Marquez, Mir 8; Espargaro, Morbidelli and Rins 7; Di Gianantonio, Martin and Vinales 6; A.Fernandez and Quartararo 5; Bagnaia, Bastianini, R.Fernandez 4; Marini, Nakagami, Oliveira 3

Three reasons to remember the GP

1. Bagnaia’s superiority;

2. Three Boscoscuros on the front row and three Boscoscuros on the podium in Moto2;

3. The sensational officialisation of the Pramac team’s move from Ducati to Yamaha.

Three sentences from the GP

1. Jorge Martin: “Bagnaia? Simply unbeatable: he brakes later, opens the gas earlier, is quicker in changing direction…”

   2) Fabio Di Giannantonio: “It has never happened to me that a rider let me pass like Marquez did”

   3) Enea Bastianini: “Brad Binder has always been my nightmare when I have to overcome him”

Public declared

Pre-GP and Friday: 35,563

Saturday: 48,221

Sunday: 108,770

Total: 192,554

Predictions

Chi vince the sprint? Here’s what readers had predicted

Bagnaia 69%; Martin 15%; M. Marquez 11%; Vinales 5%.

Who wins the race? Here’s what readers had predicted

Bagnaia 80%; M. Marquez 9%; Martin and Bastianini 4%; Vinales 3%.

Some interesting statistics

Comparison of best Ducati GP23 at the finish line in 2023 and 2024: 2023: Bagnaia (1) in 40’37”640; 2024: Marquez (before the penalty, 4) in 40’15”082, so 22”558 less.

Ducati top speed comparison in race (average of the 5 best speeds in brackets): Bastianini 316.2 km/h (314.6); Bezzecchi 314.6 (307.2); M. Marquez 313.0 (312); Morbidelli 312.2 (309.8); Di Giannantonio 311.4 (309.6); Bagnaia 310.6 (310); Martin 309.8 (308.6).

Bastianini’s comeback

Pstart: 11th. 1 lap: 10 at 2″084; 2nd lap: 9 at 2″909; 8 lap: 8 at 5″241; 9th lap: 7 at 5″705; Lap 18: 6 at 7″297; 20th lap: 5 at 8″180; Lap 22: 3 at 8″422; Lap 26: 3 at 7″073.