Author: Ian Dobson

02 May 2023

10 things we learned from the 2023 MotoGP Spanish Grand Prix

Francesco Bagnaia bounced back to prove critics wrong with victory in the MotoGP Spanish Grand Prix. Back-to-back grand prix crashes for Bagnaia had resumed doubts about his ability to handle pressure, but the Ducati rider brushed those aside at Jerez with his second main race victory of the season. He now leads the championship again […]

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01 May 2023

Alpine’s Baku F1 weekend like nothing I’ve experienced before, says Permane

The French car manufacturer’s sporting director saw first-hand the challenges that Alpine faced as its weekend “snowballed out of control” following a fire on Pierre Gasly’s car on Friday. At an event where the team had hoped to have a trouble-free run to evaluate a new floor update, it encountered engine swaps, crash repairs, setup […]

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01 May 2023

Pedrosa “almost crying” before first home MotoGP since 2018

Pedrosa made the second wildcard appearance of his time as a KTM test rider since retiring from full-time competition at the end of 2018 last weekend at Jerez. Despite not having taken part in a grand prix weekend since 2021, Pedrosa topped FP1 at Jerez, ended Friday third overall, qualified sixth and finished there in […]

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01 May 2023

McLaren feared sick Piastri would miss Baku F1 track action

The Italian acknowledged that at one stage there was a possibility that the Australian might have missed some of Saturday’s sprint day track action in order to focus on being fit for Sunday’s main event. In the end Piastri greatly impressed the team by not only completing the weekend but also finishing a respectable 11th […]

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01 May 2023

Bezzecchi fastest in post-race Jerez MotoGP test

Monday’s eight-hour session at Jerez is one of two scheduled in-season tests in 2023, with factories rolling out a number of notable updates to try. The early part of the test saw three riders – Fabio Quartararo, Aleix Espargaro and Jonas Folger – try a radio system where race direction warnings were fed to them. […]

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01 May 2023

10 things we learned from the 2023 F1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix

Sergio Perez’s latest street track victory has raised his hopes of really taking on Max Verstappen for the 2023 world title. That and the Mexican driver’s victory in the tweaked sprint format, along with his team-mate’s George Russell clashes, meant Perez left the Baku weekend nine points closer in the points standings. He is now […]

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01 May 2023

MotoGP experimenting with rider radio system in Jerez test

This project, still at an embryonic stage and with a lot of development ahead, is initially born with the spirit of playing in favour of safety, although other practical applications are not being ruled out depending on the outcome of future tests of the system. The idea is that Race Direction can communicate with the […]

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01 May 2023

Aston Martin seeks permanent F1 DRS solution after lubricant fix in Baku

Drivers Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll were reckoned to have lost 0.2s on the main straight in Baku during the Friday practice run and both the grand prix and sprint race qualifying sessions. The malfunction was primarily caused by an aerodynamic characteristic of the new low-drag wing specification, which meant the overtaking device was oscillating […]

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01 May 2023

Bastianini pulls out of MotoGP Spanish GP weekend with injury

The four-time MotoGP race winner suffered a broken shoulder blade after Luca Marini collided with him in the sprint race at the Portuguese GP in March. Though Bastianini didn’t require surgery on the injury, it forced him to miss the Argentina GP the week after Portugal and the third round in America. Bastianini completed a […]

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01 May 2023

FIA investigating “crazy” Ocon near-miss in Baku F1 pitlane

Alongside Haas’ Nico Hulkenberg, Alpine driver Ocon had completed the entire race on the hard tyre, hoping for a late red flag to give him a free, mandatory swap to a different compound. When that red flag didn’t arrive, Ocon waited until the start of the final lap to dive into the pits and pick […]

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