With the racing in 2025 being rather predictable – or, at least, the results are predictable – we really need something to offer alternative entertainment over the course of a Grand Prix weekend. No one, however, wanted the farce that played out in the Sprint race.
The tyre pressure rule has never been anything other than controversial, and it has already derailed one rider’s achievements this season, when Maverick Viñales was denied a stunning podium in Qatar with a post-race penalty for running under pressure for too long.
But that pales into insignificance in light of the ridiculous situation we saw in the Brno Sprint race, both factory Ducatis slowing dramatically, their riders sitting up and allowing the rider behind to pass, in order to follow that rider closely and get some heat back into their front tyres to avoid a penalty. Marquez was able to recover to win, but Bagnaia’s race was completely ruined.
Cheating – perhaps it’s better to call it “creative interpretation of the rules” – has been part and parcel of motor racing since the very dawn of the sport. Some have got away with it, others haven’t. But it’s part of the fabric of motorsport and, even if you cannot condone it, you can’t deny that it adds colour and intrigue.
Running under pressure in a MotoGP race is not cheating; however, it’s a lottery surrounding getting the calculations right before a wheel has turned in the race, trying to guess what position your rider will be riding in, and therefore the temperature the front tyre will be subjected to. It’s a thankless task for both riders and engineers, none of whom have a crystal ball. Too low pressure and there’s a penalty; too high and there’s dangerously reduced grip, the rider either plummeting down the order or crashing with who-knows-what consequences, often for other, innocent, riders sharing the same piece of tarmac.
The tyre-pressure rule is the enemy of clever strategy and interesting racing; it is merely rolling the dice and seeing if the gamble pays off. Maverick Viñales’ stunning result in Qatar was exactly what the season needed; the subsequent penalty was the complete opposite.
There is another factor in the dissatisfaction. It’s disgusting that race results can be decided after a race, and after the podium has been celebrated. Not only does it deny the fans a definitive result, but it also denies the racers themselves the opportunity of standing on what could possibly be their only podium in their career; a retrospective podium is meaningless and also disrespectful to the rider himself.
It’s easy to point the finger of blame at Michelin, whose fears about the safety of its front tyre under increased downforce-induced loads were a factor in the introduction of the minimum tyre pressure. But the teams also had a say. There always was a minimum tyre pressure rule, but it was never enforced; teams were suspected of running very soft front pressures, but no one complained, and the MotoGP world was a happy place. But obviously, there was some behind-closed-doors dissatisfaction within some teams, who possibly drove the tyre pressure initiative more than other teams. That is, of course, conjecture, but not entirely implausible.
What is inexcusable is that Michelin has failed to come up with a tyre solution that would negate the need for pressure monitoring in the face of concerns about safety. Now, with the company due to bow out of MotoGP at the end of the 2026 season to make way for Pirelli, there is little or no incentive to invest time and money in creating a new front tyre that will be obsolete in 18 months’ time.
And so, we live with a sword of Damocles hanging over each race result. Through luck, not judgement, there have been no race victories taken away through low tyre pressure, although the 2024 championship title finale was marred slightly when the two protagonists – Bagnaia and Martin – went into the final championship-deciding round with a penalty apiece; one more infringement from either would have resulted in a time penalty and the title outcome being decided in a board room, not on the race track. Pathetic.
There is one possible positive outcome of the Sprint race debacle, and that is that the new majority owner of MotoGP, Liberty Media, will not at all like the negativity around the issue, in which case we’re likely to see the back of it sooner rather than later. MotoGP is shooting itself in the foot, and something is needed to put it off its aim. The 2027-on reduction in aero will go some way to doing that.
In the meantime, there were two races over the weekend, and Marc Marquez had to work harder for the double than for a long time. The main takeaways from the whole weekend, outside of Marquez’ fifth double in a row – the first time Ducati has won five GPs in a row – were the performances of the KTMs and the Aprilias, Acosta and Bastiannini taking second and third for a double KTM podium in the Sprint and then Bezzecchi (Aprilia) and Acosta second and third in the Main race.
Bagnaia took an impressive pole position after suffering the indignity of having to go through Q1, and managed to lead into turn one, but Marquez soon disposed of him, and that was that. Marquez was pulling away before we had the bizarre sight of both Bagnaia and Marquez allowing other riders to pass. If Acosta thought all his Christmases had come at once, then it was clear that Marquez was simply biding his time, a point he duly proved with an easy overtake for the lead on the penultimate lap.
While Marquez had performed the let-by task with precision, Bagnaia wasn’t so lucky and managed to be passed by Quartararo and Bastiannini as well, after which he was powerless to do anything and would finish an angry seventh.
Bagnaia repeated his quick start in the Main race and actually managed to lead lap one, despite a passing attempt by Marquez, but at the start of lap two, Bezzecchi passed Bagnaia, as did Marc Marquez and Acosta. Meanwhile, Alex Marquez wasn’t doing his championship hopes any good by crashing out, taking the unfortunate Joan Mir with him.
Bastiannini was looking good as he passed Bagnaia for fourth, but then he crashed out, while Marquez got past Bezzecchi for the lead and simply sailed off into the distance, lapping so much quicker than his rivals that it was a bit of a joke, really. Bagnaia wasn’t letting up on Acosta, but just couldn’t get close enough to make a pass. And that’s how it ran out: Marc Marquez, Bezzecchi, Acosta, Bagnaia, Fernandez, Quartararo, Martin, Aldeguer, with Binder and Pol Espargaro rounding out the top ten.
With all the hoo-ha going on at the front, Jorge Martin made a quiet but still impressive return to the grid, having seemingly patched things up with Aprilia to the point where he has committed to seeing out his contract with the team to the end of 2026. Eleventh in the Sprint and seventh in the Main race are results not to be sniffed at after such a long lay-off; lap times that were 0.6 seconds a lap slower than Marquez were also nothing to be ashamed of, given the amount of track time he’s had this year.
Of more concern was the plight of Brad Binder. Qualifying 19th, finishing behind the KTM test rider Pol Espargaro in the Sprint (10th) and then one place ahead of Espargaro in the Main race (8th) was nothing to write home about. When other KTMs are finishing in the top three, it’s just not good enough. Yes, there will be mitigating circumstances for Binder’s performance, but it can’t go on forever; he has to either make the bike work for him or alter his riding style to suit the bike’s strengths, of which there may be few, but they are there. Contracted to the end of 2026, he may be, but a future on the grid beyond that isn’t built on mediocre results, no matter if they are the bike’s fault. Of course, the paddock insiders will know the real story – the KTM’s faults and Binder’s strengths – but any professional sport is always looking for the Next Big Thing, and it is the weakest performers – for whatever reason – that will make way.
We head into the mid-season three-week break with a Marc Marquez title all but confirmed; 120 points ahead of his brother, 168 points ahead of his teammate in third. In reality, it is only Marquez himself who can lose the championship now. If he can hold his concentration and not make any mistakes, then the title is his. As he all too well knows, however, one slip and it’s all over; at this age, that means really all over, not just taking a year or two to recover. The big question that remains is, can he defend that title successfully in 2026 and overtake Valentino Rossi’s tally of seven MotoGP championships? As usual, who’s willing to bet against it?
