MotoGP’s plan for a big 2027 race weekend shake-up

MotoGP's planning a big shake-up to its race weekend format in 2027 with a new way of forming sprint grids on the agenda. Does it actually need to? And if it does, what should it do? That's what Val Khorounzhiy, Jordan Moreland and Matt Beer debate in The Race MotoGP Podcast.Plus what we make of soon-to-be MotoGP rider Nicolo Bulega's World Superbike coronation, how the world might react to a second Jorge Martin title and Pedro Acosta's chances of kicking on with a winning streak.Want more of our MotoGP insight direct to your inbox? Sign up for our new free MotoGP newsletter The Lean Angle here: https://theracemedia.beehiiv.com/motogp-signup Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Pedro Acosta is FINALLY a MotoGP grand prix winner - though only after putting KTM through the agony of his sprint blunder first.Simon and Val report from the Austrian Grand Prix on that error, that breakthrough win yet another title fight twist, as problems for Marc Marquez and a mysterious lack of Ducati pace coincided with perhaps Jorge Martin's strongest Aprilia weekend yet.Plus we answer The Race Members' Club's questions on everything from Taka Nakagami to Brad Binder and a particularly woeful Yamaha weekend.Get our MotoGP insight straight to your inbox - Sign up for our new MotoGP newsletter The Lean Angle here!Join The Race Members' Club: Sign up to our motorbike-only Riders tier on Patreon for our Revisited series, ad-free listening and more! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Marc Marquez leads the MotoGP riders’ standings for the first time in 2026 after his Misano double win coincided with a weekend of pain for Aprilia.Given how many races Marquez has missed, his injury struggles, and Aprilia often having the better bike, is Marquez on course for his greatest MotoGP championship win so far?That’s one of the questions Val Khorounzhiy, Simon Patterson and Eden Hannigan debate on the San Marino Grand Prix episode of The Race MotoGP Podcast.Plus whether Marco Bezzecchi is psychologically strong enough for the pressures of a title fight and whether Jorge Martin is just not quite as fast as he used to be - regardless of Sunday’s arm pump issues.Get our MotoGP insight straight to your inbox - Sign up for our new MotoGP newsletter The Lean Angle here!Join The Race Members' Club: Sign up to our motorbike-only Riders tier on Patreon for our Revisited series, ad-free listening and more! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Development work and access to Pirelli tyres are at the centre of a genuine row between Yamaha and its Honda-bound MotoGP factory rider Fabio Quartararo.But does Quartararo have a point, or is he simply being petulant?The Race MotoGP Podcast crew of Matt Beer, Val Khorounzhiy and Simon Patterson discuss the merits of Quartararo's gripe - and talk about other seasons by riders on their way out, like Brad Binder, Jack Miller and Pecco Bagnaia.Then they give a preview of the championship run-in.Join The Race Members' Club: Sign up to our motorbike-only Riders tier on Patreon for our 2015 revisited series, ad-free listening and more! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Marc Marquez made a massive stride forward in the MotoGP title fight by winning both races at Aragon, but his 2027 Ducati team-mate Pedro Acosta gave him a few unexpected headaches along the way.At a track where the other KTMs were miles behind, Acosta’s hassling of Marquez felt a little like a prelude to next season. But was Marquez just playing with him?Val Khorounzhiy, Simon Patterson and Matt Beer debate that on The Race MotoGP Podcast, plus whether Marquez is having to rely too much on his specialist circuits and, if so, whether he has enough of them left to beat the Aprilias to the title.Join The Race Members' Club: Sign up to our motorbike-only Riders tier on Patreon for our 2015 revisited series, ad-free listening and more! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Who has been the best MotoGP rider of the 2026 season so far? Val Khorounzhiy ranks every rider after each MotoGP race weekend, and he's compiled a worst-to-best ranking by awarding points to each rider for their placement every weekend. He presents the list unedited - so it purely reflects where each rider has placed in his rankings each week (and Matt Beer's for Assen) - so he, Matt and Simon Patterson can discuss it on the latest episode of The Race MotoGP Podcast.Make sure you're signed up to The Race Members' Club to get exclusive MotoGP bonus content, ask questions for the podcast and ask about Val's rider rankings in the second half of 2026.Check it out here: https://www.patreon.com/cw/TheRace/membership Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Aprilia was everyone's pick to prevail in MotoGP's British Grand Prix, and did so in style - locking out the podium in both races, as Jorge Martin reinforced his championship lead.But is Martin the new title favourite? And was Marc Marquez, who still sounds quite gloomy about his physical condition, further adrift than expected?Megan White and Simon Patterson report from Silverstone, while also touching on Pecco Bagnaia's dreadful weekend, another Joan Mir crash and more.Join The Race Members' Club: Sign up to our motorbike-only Riders tier on Patreon for our 2015 revisited series, ad-free listening and more! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

MotoGP has a proud history in the UK, but the British Grand Prix has struggled to attract the requisite crowds as of late - despite Silverstone's knack for producing great racing and the roaring success of its F1 events.So what's going on? Host Matt Beer is joined by Simon Patterson, Megan White and Oliver Card to discuss what Silverstone and MotoGP need to do to recharge the British GP experience - and whether there's a risk of this coming with a feared 'F1-ification' of MotoGP.But before all that, a check-in on Maverick Vinales, who has denied a report that KTM is looking to suspend his MotoGP season - which would likely end his MotoGP career even earlier than expected.Join The Race Members' Club: Sign up to our motorbike-only Riders tier on Patreon for our 2015 revisited series, ad-free listening and more! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A lot has changed at Honda since the departure of Marc Marquez at the end of the 2023 season. MotoGP’s most successful brand has went through a turbulent period since then, things have improved but maybe not at the rate they'd have hoped for - as this era of MotoGP comes to an end.For 2027, they’ve got the big name signing of Fabio Quartararo from Yamaha, but will the expectation from the Frenchmen match the ambition of Honda as the 850cc era in MotoGP begins.Also, who will be his teammate next season? Will it be current MotoGP rookie Diogo Moreira or Moto2 star David Alonso?Jordan Moreland, Valentin Khorounzhiy and Simon Patterson discuss it all in the latest episode of The Race MotoGP podcast.Join The Race Members' Club: Sign up to our motorbike-only Riders tier on Patreon for our 2015 revisited series, ad-free listening and more! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A fresh injury to former points leader Marco Bezzecchi coupled with a perfect weekend from Sachsenring master Marc Marquez means the MotoGP title picture has now flipped completely from a few months back.Is Marquez's eighth crown now inevitable? Which rider in the Aprilia camp stands the best chance at challenging him from here on? And why has the Aprilia factory team collapsed so dramatically - while satellite team Trackhouse is achieving its best-ever results?All this, plus an extensive conversation about Maverick Vinales's likely MotoGP exit and legacy in the championship, in the German Grand Prix episode, featuring Val Khorounzhiy and Simon Patterson on site at the Sachsenring.Join The Race Members' Club: Sign up to our motorbike-only Riders tier on Patreon for our 2015 revisited series, ad-free listening and more! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.