What we learned from MotoGP's first 2024 test

MotoGP begins the European leg of its 2024 season at Jerez this weekend, and that's often when the championship takes on its defining shape. But several riders arrive in Spain fighting for their future and several teams fighting to salvage their season already. On this week's episode of The Race MotoGP Podcast, Matt Beer invites Simon Patterson and Valentin Khorounzhiy to nominate the riders or teams they think are in most trouble after the opening three rounds - and to assess the extent of their plight on a 1 to 5 ranking where 1 equals 'will be fine by Mugello in June' and 5 equals 'may as well write the rest of 2024 off'. Join The Race Members Club and have a free month on us! Click here to sign up Follow the new Race Moto channel on Instagram and Twitter Check out our latest videos on YouTube Download our app on iOS or Android Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Have we been wrong about Maverick Vinales all along? The man with the reputation for going backwards in MotoGP races won from 11th place at Austin with a supreme performance in an absolutely epic race. Regular Vinales defender Valentin Khorounzhiy and regular Vinales sceptics Simon Patterson and Matt Beer therefore have plenty to debate in The Race MotoGP Podcast as they assess what Vinales achieved in the Grand Prix of the Americas, why it hasn't happened more often and whether it can keep on happening. What Marc Marquez's season looks like from here after a crash from the lead that leaves him a distant eighth in the championship, what Pedro Acosta's latest insanely good performance means for not just the other KTMs but everyone else on the grid, Jorge Martin's title credentials and Pecco Bagnaia's odd lack of form are also delved into. And does a race like Austin's Sunday event show modern MotoGP isn't as bad as aero critics and detractors suggest?  Join The Race Members Club and have a free month on us! Click here to sign up Follow the new Race Moto channel on Instagram and Twitter Check out our latest videos on YouTube Download our app on iOS or Android Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Has Fabio Quartararo made the right decision by keeping faith with Yamaha for his MotoGP future despite all the frustrations he's endured? Is this just a case of the money being too good to turn down or is Yamaha definitely a better prospect than Aprilia for the next phase of the 2021 world champion's career? That's what Simon Patterson, Valentin Khorounzhiy and Matt Beer debate in part one of the latest episode of The Race MotoGP Podcast. But that's only half the episode, as we also have an exclusive interview with MotoGP sporting director Carlos Ezpeleta about the championship's future and upcoming new rules era. Join The Race Members Club and have a free month on us! Click here to sign up Follow the new Race Moto channel on Instagram and Twitter Check out our latest videos on YouTube Download our app on iOS or Android Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Davide Brivio - architect of Yamaha's Valentino Rossi glory years and Suzuki' shock 2020 title - is back in MotoGP after his truncated Formula 1 detour, but he's not in the part of the field you might expect. In an exclusive chat with The Race MotoGP Podcast, Brivio explains why he picked newcomer Trackhouse Racing for his return to the motorcycle racing world, and what he hopes this NASCAR-to-MotoGP wildcard can achieve in both 2024 and beyond. And he also opens up for the first time on exactly why he thinks his switch to F1 with Alpine didn't work out. Join The Race Members Club and have a free month on us! Click here to sign up Follow the new Race Moto channel on Instagram and Twitter Check out our latest videos on YouTube Download our app on iOS or Android Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Should motorcycle racing fans be delighted or worried that a deal's in place for Formula 1 owner Liberty Media to buy MotoGP promoter Dorna? In an extra episode, the Race MotoGP Podcast delves into what the Liberty news mean for MotoGP, as Simon Patterson, Valentin Khorounzhiy and Matt Beer look at what it's likely to mean in terms of practical reality, and address some of the concerns motorcycle fans might have based on some the F1 world's least positive impressions of Liberty. They also outline what they want to see from the new ownership, and explain why Liberty is confident this deal can go ahead despite the fact that the last time MotoGP and F1 nearly came under the same ownership the process rapidly turned into MotoGP being sold off. Join The Race Members Club and have a free month on us! Click here to sign up Follow the new Race Moto channel on Instagram and Twitter Check out our latest videos on YouTube Download our app on iOS or Android Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The first big flashpoint of Marc Marquez's Ducati career came in just his second MotoGP race weekend with his new employer, as he and reigning champion stablemate Pecco Bagnaia collided in the Portuguese Grand Prix. Who was most at fault? And what does it mean for the title fight and Ducati internal relations? Simon Patterson, Valentin Khorounzhiy and Matt Beer debate that in The Race MotoGP Podcast. We also get into Pedro Acosta's incredible podium in only his second MotoGP race weekend. Are his performances more impressive than even Marquez's (eventually title winning) rookie season? One of our panel reckons so. Maverick Vinales' breakthrough win and weird grand prix exit, whether sprint wins really count, Jorge Martin's new maturity and title chance and Ducati's growing 2025 rider headache also feature. Join The Race Members Club and have a free month on us! Click here to sign up Follow the new Race Moto channel on Instagram and Twitter Check out our latest videos on YouTube Download our app on iOS or Android Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Might KTM want Pedro Acosta in its factory line-up sooner rather than later, and if his Tech3 team-mate Augusto Fernandez's struggles continue is there a danger of him not seeing out the season? Simon Patterson, Valentin Khorounzhiy and Matt Beer tackle those plus questions on whether a rotation system could be used to trim the calendar, how Moto2's Pirelli switch has changed the series and whether it's a good or bad thing, MotoGP's next-generation regulations and how we'd define 'natural talent' in motorcycle racers.  And with a major piece of rider market news having broken with the announcement that Ducati is definitely promoting Fermin Aldeguer into MotoGP 2025, we also explain why Ducati has so much faith in the Spanish teenager and why it can't yet say which of its teams he'll be riding for. Click here to take our quick survey about your podcast habits and you could win £/$100 worth of Amazon vouchers Join The Race Members Club and have a free month on us! Click here to sign up Follow the new Race Moto channel on Instagram and Twitter Check out our latest videos on YouTube Download our app on iOS or Android Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pecco Bagnaia showed exactly what he's a double MotoGP world champion by controlling the Qatar Grand Prix despite a slightly shaky qualifying and sprint. But will this race really be remembered for the debut of another champion? Though it only resulted in ninth place in the end, Pedro Acosta's swashbuckling style on and off the track made a huge impression on The Race MotoGP Podcast panel Simon Patterson, Valentin Khorounzhiy and Matt Beer - who debate how long it'll take Acosta to win races, and whether KTM can wait to get him into its main team. KTM and Aprilia's chances of challenging Ducati this year, how Marc Marquez's title prospects look after his Ducati race debut, and miserable weekends for a 2023 title contender and fallen giants Honda and Yamaha also come in for plenty of discussion. Join The Race Members Club and have a free month on us! Click here to sign up Follow the new Race Moto channel on Instagram and Twitter Check out our latest videos on YouTube Download our app on iOS or Android Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Marc Marquez's move to Gresini Ducati is a huge curveball for the 2024 MotoGP season, but will he actually be a title contender? Or will this be a repeat of last year's epic Pecco Bagnaia versus Jorge Martin battle? And either way, who'll come out on top? The Race MotoGP Podcast gathers Simon Patterson, Valentin Khorounzhiy and Matt Beer to predict the 2024 championship order - and argue over each other's choices. As well as plenty of debate about Marquez, Bagnaia and Martin, we also discuss whether how far up the title fight pecking order Enea Bastianini's winter progress might take him, and why Marco Bezzecchi seems set for a much tougher season. There's also plenty of chat about who's best placed among the non-Ducatis - and who we really don't expect to get anywhere near the top championship placings. Join The Race's GridRival league and you could win $5000. Free to join. Free to play. Click here to sign up. FEBRUARY IS FREE! Join The Race Members Club and have a free month on us! Click here to sign up Follow The Race on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook Check out our latest videos on YouTube Download our app on iOS or Android Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With 18 of the 22 riders on the grid out of contract at the end of the year, multiple past champions either unhappy with their current machinery or clearly in stopgap mode with their 2024 teams, and uncertainty over which brand some satellite teams will actually be with next season and what that'll mean for their line-ups, the 2025 MotoGP rider market is set to be a wild one. But can The Race MotoGP Podcast accurately predict how it will turn out. Simon Patterson and Val Khorounzhiy pitch their cases for Matt Beer to adjudicate on as our panel attempt to improve on the 50% success rate they had last time they tried to predict a full grid rider line-up a whole year in advance. Who'll be on the move? Who'll reluctantly sit tight due to a lack of options? Who's heading out of MotoGP, and who's usurping them from the grid? How much will Simon and Val disagree on? Listen to find out. FEBRUARY IS FREE! Join The Race Members Club and have a free month on us! Click here to sign up Follow The Race on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook Check out our latest videos on YouTube Download our app on iOS or Android Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices