Motosport General discussion tread --- Formula1, MotoGP, WTCC, ETCC, DTM.....

[retreat]

https://www.si.com/fannation/racing/f1briefings/rumours/f1-rumour-owners-of-formula-one-to-buy-motogp-dorna-ceo-speaks-out-sj4

There are rumors that Liberty Media, which is the owner of the F1 license, is currently interested in buying the commercial rights to MotoGP. Liberty Media said that they are interested in becoming the commercial rights holder for MotoGP and if that is realized they will have 2 commercial rights for the best world-class car and motorbike races. And not only Liberty Media, Amazon, Disney and Netflix are also interested in buying the MotoGP commercial license.

I don't really follow MotoGP, the last time I watched it was when Rossi raced, shortly after that I didn't watch it again. However, from what I hear, MotoGP is no longer as exciting as it was a few seasons ago, and the audience continues to decline. Is that the reason why Dorna wants to sell the MotoGP commercial license to another company?

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[Davian144]

https://www.si.com/fannation/racing/f1briefings/rumours/f1-rumour-owners-of-formula-one-to-buy-motogp-dorna-ceo-speaks-out-sj4

I don't really follow MotoGP, the last time I watched it was when Rossi raced, shortly after that I didn't watch it again. However, from what I hear, MotoGP is no longer as exciting as it was a few seasons ago, and the audience continues to decline. Is that the reason why Dorna wants to sell the MotoGP commercial license to another company?

Dorna is still trying to increase the number of spectators at MotoGP, even though last season there was a slight increase from the previous season at certain circuits only. And from what you have heard, it is true that after Valentino Rossi's retirement, the number of spectators continued to decrease and there were no hot duels like what happened during Rossi's time, so that is what caused some MotoGP fans to disappear and even be more willing to enjoy WSBK and F1.

At the end of last week the first round of WSBK took place in Australia, namely at the Phillip Island circuit and the battle was really exciting. Moreover, in the opening event in the first Race1, Iannone, who was able to return to racing this season, immediately got three podiums and continued to compete closely with Petrucci in Race2. This made me remember when they competed in MotoGP when they were young and now they meet again in the WSBK race with different teams.

[Distraction]

I don't know why but it's there.  Go look it up.  Both Horner and Newey both have the same clause to protect each other.  And it looks like Newey doesn't want to work with any other team principal other than Christian Horner.    So if he goes, Newey goes...  To Ferrari.  Lmaooo.  They both will help Lewis Hamilton get his next drivers championship and finally break Schumacher's record.

Poor Leclerc.  He's gonna play second fiddle again.

If Adrian Newey joins Ferrari it would make tremendous impact in Formula 1.    He must be like the best designer this sport have now. With his new designs for Ferrari they can upset the balances a lot. But Ferrari would still need a better crew to make sure of not making simple mistakes in pit especially.    The thing that has been dragging them down the most so far is the unbelievable mistakes the crew have made.

Yeah in that case Hamilton would really like to achieve his 8th championship to break the record. But considering Ferrari don't have a main driver policy they might still want to let Leclerc and Hamilton fight against each other. In that case Leclerc can still do his best. 

[moneystery]

....

I don't really follow MotoGP, the last time I watched it was when Rossi raced, shortly after that I didn't watch it again. However, from what I hear, MotoGP is no longer as exciting as it was a few seasons ago, and the audience continues to decline. Is that the reason why Dorna wants to sell the MotoGP commercial license to another company?

but that is just speculation, it might not come true, considering that this is not the first time the f1 commercial license owner wants to buy a motogp commercial license, some time ago there was a similar action but the european commission thwarted the agreement because it could lead to a business monopoly, and perhaps of course something similar will happen to this agreement.

moreover, there are still many motogp fans all over the world, and dorna just needs to collaborate better with various parties and maybe they will be able to provide a better experience in motogp racing to increase the audience globally.

[FanEagle]

It seems like Horner situation will get to be a thing that will take a while, it won't be all that easy and should be something that may hurt the team as well. Not that I think it is going to be all that quick to judge yet, like maybe they will do fine, but that doesn't mean that we are going to end up with much worse result unless they change something. We should be considering the situation to be different, we can't really assume the situation to be changing eventually one way or another.

I believe that we are going to end up with something that may cause Horner to end up with some trouble if this keeps up, seems like even his family life could be in trouble at this point and this is why I believe that it will become a bit more harder to handle.

[joniboini]

However, from what I hear, MotoGP is no longer as exciting as it was a few seasons ago, and the audience continues to decline. Is that the reason why Dorna wants to sell the MotoGP commercial license to another company?

Where is this audience data coming from? From what they posted on their website, they claim there is a YoY growth[1]. Even if that were true, are there data that suggest it is no longer profitable for Dorna? I'm pretty sure their income doesn't come only from tickets or global viewership, merc sales or promotion deals are there too. Even if they want to sell it, I don't see it happening if the government blocks them again due to fear of monopoly.

I'm not sure about being not exciting anymore, sometimes it feels like people talk from their tinted glasses and focus too much on nostalgia when Rossi still races. It is still enjoyable for me even though I don't root for anyone. I guess that's the plus side if you don't have any expectations and just want to watch some race on the weekend.

[1] https://www.motogp.com/en/news/2023/10/02/motogp-global-audiences-sustain-20-growth/479472

[tokeweed]

I don't know why but it's there.  Go look it up.  Both Horner and Newey both have the same clause to protect each other.  And it looks like Newey doesn't want to work with any other team principal other than Christian Horner.    So if he goes, Newey goes...  To Ferrari.  Lmaooo.  They both will help Lewis Hamilton get his next drivers championship and finally break Schumacher's record.

Poor Leclerc.  He's gonna play second fiddle again.

If Adrian Newey joins Ferrari it would make tremendous impact in Formula 1.    He must be like the best designer this sport have now. With his new designs for Ferrari they can upset the balances a lot. But Ferrari would still need a better crew to make sure of not making simple mistakes in pit especially.    The thing that has been dragging them down the most so far is the unbelievable mistakes the crew have made.

Yeah in that case Hamilton would really like to achieve his 8th championship to break the record. But considering Ferrari don't have a main driver policy they might still want to let Leclerc and Hamilton fight against each other. In that case Leclerc can still do his best.  

Oh def be a huuuge impact!  And here's the thing, I think Newey won't work with anybody else except Horner as the tema principal.  So if they really want Newey, the gotta get Horner too and it's also the other way around...  If they want Horner, they have no choice but to get Newey too.  And you know what?  I'm not a Ferrari fan but I'd like to see it happen just to get a new look for 2025.  

Anyway here's the schedule for the race this weekend.

2024 F1 Bahrain GP Schedule
Track:  Bahrain International Circuit



Feb 29:  Practice 1  14:30 - 15:30
Feb 29:  Practice 2  18:00 - 19:00
March 1:  Practice 3  15:30 - 16:30
March 1:  Qualifying  19:00 - 20:00
March 2:  Race  18:00

[swogerino]

I think that at Ferrari with a driver like Hamilton they are finally going to have that driver that will surely give them 101% out of the car which most likely will give both sides mutual benefits.I am sure that if Ferrari manages to give Hamilton a car like they have given to Alonso and Vettel which they did not win any Championship,Hamilton is going to win one,I think that is what Ferrari is aiming with the move that signed them Hamilton.

[coinlocket$]

Its time.
The question is, how many races will Verstappen wins 2024?

Alonso said all , Lecrecr said he wants to win 5 races...


I guess he will win 15 races.

[Distraction]

Oh def be a huuuge impact!  And here's the thing, I think Newey won't work with anybody else except Horner as the tema principal.  So if they really want Newey, the gotta get Horner too and it's also the other way around...  If they want Horner, they have no choice but to get Newey too.  And you know what?  I'm not a Ferrari fan but I'd like to see it happen just to get a new look for 2025.  

..

I agree. If Newey was okay to work with another team principal then he wouldn't have put a clause about Horner in the first place. By the way it looks like Horner isn't going anywhere. I read some news like Horner he has been cleaned from the charges against him like he treated a worker inappropriately.

It didn't surprise me truthfully. Red Bull couldn't have run the risk of losing Horner and Newey both at the beginning of the season above all else. 


The season is finally about to start! It is so exciting to be back in action. Even though we all know how dominant Verstappen and Red Bull will be, watching F1 is making my weekends much better. 

[coinlocket$]

Pos   Driver   Nat.   Team   Time
1   Daniel Ricciardo   AUS   Visa Cash App RB F1 Team   1m32.869s
2   Lando Norris   GBR   McLaren F1 Team   1m32.901s
3   Oscar Piastri   AUS   McLaren F1 Team   1m33.113s
4   Yuki Tsunoda   JPN   Visa Cash App RB F1 Team   1m33.183s
5   Fernando Alonso   ESP   Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team   1m33.193s
6   Max Verstappen   NED   Oracle Red Bull Racing   1m33.238s
7   George Russell   GBR   Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team   1m33.251s
8   Charles Leclerc   MON   Scuderia Ferrari   1m33.268s
9   Lewis Hamilton   GBR   Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team   1m33.302s
10   Valtteri Bottas   FIN   Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber   1m33.354s
11   Carlos Sainz   ESP   Scuderia Ferrari   1m33.385s
12   Sergio Perez   MEX   Oracle Red Bull Racing   1m33.413s
13   Alex Albon   THA   Williams Racing   1m33.583s
14   Lance Stroll   CAN   Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team   1m33.868s
15   Zhou Guanyu   CHN   Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber   1m33.923s
16   Logan Sargeant   USA   Williams Racing   1m34.213s
17   Esteban Ocon   FRA   BWT Alpine F1 Team   1m34.807s
18   Pierre Gasly   FRA   BWT Alpine F1 Team   1m35.144s
19   Kevin Magnussen   DEN   MoneyGram Haas F1 Team   1m37.477s
20   Nico Hulkenberg   GER   MoneyGram Haas F1 Team   1m37.938s

1st hour has been completer.

Timers are still high since pole position last year was around 1.29

Source: https://www.crash.net/f1/results/1044784/1/2024-f1-bahrain-grand-prix-free-practice-results

[tokeweed]

Mercedes and Red Bull were sand bagging at FP1 then Mercedes showing their real speed at FP2 while Red Bull is still sand bagging...    I think we'll see all these guys show how fast they are by FP3.  By quali it's gonna be Mercedes and Red Bull at Q3 going at each other. 

At least that's what I wanna see. 

Anyway here's the results for second practice...

2024 F1 Bahrain GP FP2 Results

Lewis Hamilton   1:30.374
George Russell   1:30.580   +0.206s
Fernando Alonso  1:30.660   +0.286s
Carlos Sainz  1:30.769   +0.395s
Oscar Piastri  1:30.784   +0.410s
Max Verstappen  1:30.851   +0.477s
Nico Hulkenberg    1:30.884   +0.510s
Lance Stroll  1:30.891   +0.517s   
Charles Leclerc  1:31.113   +0.739s   
Sergio Perez  1:31.115   +0.741s   
Alexander Albon  1:31.333   +0.959s   
Daniel Ricciardo  1:31.516   +1.142s   
Logan Sargeant  1:31.715   +1.341s   
Kevin Magnussen  1:31.764  +1.390s   
Yuki Tsunoda  1:31.881   +1.507s   
Pierre Gasly  1:31.951   +1.577s
Valtteri Bottas  1:32.001   +1.627s   
Esteban Ocon  1:32.027   +1.653s   
Zhou Guanyu  1:32.048   +1.674s   
Lando Norris  1:32.608   +2.234s   

[coinlocket$]

According to simulations timers

Verstappen was the fastest

Half second behind, Leclerc and Perez with Mercedes but Merdeces were getting some random drops in some laps.

Sainz behind them.

[Distraction]

I think we will have more realistic times in FP3 today. Because it is the session right before qualifying and I guess the drivers would like to set better laps as a warm-up.

Truthfully it is quite challenging to predict the qualifying and race results. Because it is only the beginning of the season. I'm just waiting and hoping for a surprise at Red Bull side.    It would be nice to see the season starting with a different race winner. If it happens I would like to see Leclerc making it because of having a really disappointing season the last time.

The schedule ahead is like this:

[tokeweed]

According to simulations timers

Verstappen was the fastest

Half second behind, Leclerc and Perez with Mercedes but Merdeces were getting some random drops in some laps.

Sainz behind them.

But it doesn't look like it in FP3.  Let's see how Red Bull reacts at quali after they get more data from FP3.  But to me it doesn't look good.  They were not sand bagging all along.  They're really a tad slow this weekend.  But then again, are they leveling everybody by sand bagging at FP3? 

Here are the results for FP3.

2024 F1 Bahrain GP FP3 Results

Carlos Sainz  1:30.824      
Fernando Alonso  1:30.965   +0.141s   
Max Verstappen  1:31.062   +0.238s   
Charles Leclerc  1:31.094   +0.270s   
Lando Norris  1:31.118   +0.294s   
George Russell  1:31.190   +0.366s   
Oscar Piastri  1:31.210   +0.386s   
Sergio Perez  1:31.248   +0.424s   
Nico Hulkenberg  1:31.278   +0.454s   
Lance Stroll  1:31.396   +0.572s   
Daniel Ricciardo  1:31.449   +0.625s   
Lewis Hamilton  1:31.452   +0.628s   
Yuki Tsunoda  1:31.631   +0.807s   
Kevin Magnussen  1:31.671   +0.847s   
Alexander Albon  1:31.965   +1.141s   
Zhou Guanyu  1:32.000   +1.176s   
Valtteri Bottas  1:32.096   +1.272s   
Esteban Ocon  1:32.124   +1.300s   
Logan Sargeant  1:32.125   +1.301s   
Pierre Gasly  1:32.382   +1.558s   

[coinlocket$]

they are still hiding, the predicted time from SkyTV for the poleposition is 1.28.5/1.29

They are still at 90% of the engine or less

[swogerino]

they are still hiding, the predicted time from SkyTV for the poleposition is 1.28.5/1.29

They are still at 90% of the engine or less

In fact it showed that they were hiding,the true pace was 1.29.175 for Verstappen who again made a difference because of his driving skills as Perez was not able to beat the Ferraris for example.On another note the Ferrari has always performed well in this track and has always fought for victory in here.I am a bit shocked with McLaren results as they are much weaker than they were in the last season ending and I think they have not worked in the right way,it is a shame not being able to capitalize on their last season ending performance and also Mercedes was weak.Let's see the race of tomorrow to get a better understanding where the cars really are as just one lap is not enough to get a clear view.

[coinlocket$]

Pole position for Verstappen without the fastest time.
Lecrler was able to be faster but it was Q2, he did the perfect lap 5 minutes before but it do not count.

[karabiber]

Ferrari can challenge Red Bull in single lap performance, just as they did last year. However, last year Ferrari ran out of tires too early and the races were lackluster. If they can overcome this problem this year, the season will be exciting. The race pace shows that the tire performance is also better than last year. Leclerc and Ferrari may surprise us this year, unlike in previous years. Leclerc would have taken pole if he had done his best for the second sector on the last lap.

It doesn't take a soothsayer to know that Verstappen will be champion again. Their car is excellent and they will make good improvements during the year. The perfect car, perfect driver combination is irresistible. I hope this season will be as competitive as possible.

[Captain Corporate]

I do not think that they can even do that. Ferrari is of course better than Perez, Charles is doing great and Sainz is there too, Perez is not even a problem for them, which is why I am still shocked that Red Bull is still working with Perez, same car that Max has but nowhere near the performance, nobody can show the same performance as Max of course, but Perez is not even close. Aside from that, if we are talking about Max, ferrari can't get even close, sure they did better at Q2 when you think about it, but that's mainly because Max does what he needs to do, we have see this dude run perfect lap better than what even a computer imagined could be done. I believe that pole position is quite important, but also at races he can start 10th and still finish first, so its not really that much of a deal for him neither.