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

[Davian144]

At least we are going to have some action from MotoGP now that F1 is officially on holiday until the end of August so most Sundays I assumed will be boring and I had forgoten about MotoGP,luckily this weekend action will be held on a very nice track for bikes,it is more technical than for cars from what I have seen.Even Bezzechi is on ride to have a look for fighting for the Championship beside the usual guys and he is running for the official scuderia of Valentino Rossi,a legend of MotoGP.I wonder what Marquez can do here but probably not much because of bike limitation.

Marquez will still make adjustments to his Honda motorbike because previously he often complained about his motorbike so he still often fell during races. I also can't wait to see all the MotoGp riders on the Silverstone track riding their respective motorbikes because apart from the addition to the regulations, there will also be changes to their actions on the motorbike at the end of this week. Hopefully the other manufacturers can be close enough to the factory Ducati, especially in terms of speed and balance of the bike.

[boltz]

The rumour is said to be like Leclerc has signed a deal of 2+3 years with Ferrari. There is more to that rumour also. Sainz is also reported to be after a similar deal with Ferrari.

I wouldn't be surprised with Leclerc's signing a contract extension truthfully. But I don't think Sainz will extend his contract that long. I also expect him to go to Audi when they enter the sport officially. Sainz's current contract expires at the end of 2024 while Audi are said to be entering Formula 1 by 2026. For only the time between Sainz would continue at Ferrari I think.

He can also leave Ferrari and join Mercedes or RBR in the time, both Lewis and Perez will not have so many races with the respective team.

I also think that Sainz won't be with Ferrari for a long period from now on but who will replace Sainz ? I know there are a lot of talented drivers on the grid right now and a lot more to come from F2 but I don't think Ferrari will go again with a pair of young drivers without real experience behind them so maybe targeting Lewis will do them good right ? There aren't many drivers left on the grid who have A LOT of experience behind them so maybe ...Ferrari do think to keep Sainz for at least 2 more years.

[Pulsar77]

I also think that Sainz won't be with Ferrari for a long period from now on but who will replace Sainz ? I know there are a lot of talented drivers on the grid right now and a lot more to come from F2 but I don't think Ferrari will go again with a pair of young drivers without real experience behind them so maybe targeting Lewis will do them good right ? There aren't many drivers left on the grid who have A LOT of experience behind them so maybe ...Ferrari do think to keep Sainz for at least 2 more years.

It is a thing that I wonder as well. Norris was speculated with the position but I don't think so. He must be happy at McLaren right now. They have got much faster and they have been in a better condition than Ferrari recently. Besides Norris is the main driver there. If he becomes Leclerc's teammate there won't be any hierarchy. I don't know if Norris would like to give up on his being the main driver of McLaren for no reason. I'm saying no reason because Ferrari are still far away from the point they should be at.

Maybe Albon would think of this formula. He believes in Williams' development for now but maybe he might change his mind if he gets an offer from Ferrari.

[retreat]

-snip-
I also think that Sainz won't be with Ferrari for a long period from now on but who will replace Sainz ? I know there are a lot of talented drivers on the grid right now and a lot more to come from F2 but I don't think Ferrari will go again with a pair of young drivers without real experience behind them so maybe targeting Lewis will do them good right ? There aren't many drivers left on the grid who have A LOT of experience behind them so maybe ...Ferrari do think to keep Sainz for at least 2 more years.

Rumor has it that Albon is one of the candidates considered by Ferrari to be able to replace Sainz, who seems to be joining the Audi team. Albon I think is a pretty good driver, did pretty well with William and maybe it will suit Ferrari. But of course Vasseur has the best option to replace Sainz as the second driver, whatever choice it might be for the best.

[Distraction]

The rumour is said to be like Leclerc has signed a deal of 2+3 years with Ferrari. There is more to that rumour also. Sainz is also reported to be after a similar deal with Ferrari.

I wouldn't be surprised with Leclerc's signing a contract extension truthfully. But I don't think Sainz will extend his contract that long. I also expect him to go to Audi when they enter the sport officially. Sainz's current contract expires at the end of 2024 while Audi are said to be entering Formula 1 by 2026. For only the time between Sainz would continue at Ferrari I think.

He can also leave Ferrari and join Mercedes or RBR in the time, both Lewis and Perez will not have so many races with the respective team.

As far as I know Hamilton has stated before that he wants to race for five more years in Formula 1. But this still doesn't guarantee one thing that Hamilton will continue and end his career at Mercedes. He has also been linked with rumours like he might join Ferrari. They are just entering this news on some websites regularly.

On the other hand Hamilton refuted these rumours before by saying that he was in talks with Mercedes for a contract extension already.

In short things are really complicated now as there are rumours saying different things everywhere. 

[FanEagle]

I also think that Sainz won't be with Ferrari for a long period from now on but who will replace Sainz ? I know there are a lot of talented drivers on the grid right now and a lot more to come from F2 but I don't think Ferrari will go again with a pair of young drivers without real experience behind them so maybe targeting Lewis will do them good right ? There aren't many drivers left on the grid who have A LOT of experience behind them so maybe ...Ferrari do think to keep Sainz for at least 2 more years.

Sainz already signed the deal with Audi basically, not officially because it can't officially be done, but verbally it's done. So the longest period he could stay at Ferrari will be 2026 season at which he will leave, we know that. Will he stay at ferrari until then? We do not know that much, that's going to be just a guessing work.

I would guess that since they are Ferrari, they could get anyone they want, and Haas is their minor team, so they could definitely check the drivers there, so far there isn't one that goes up and I feel like there is a serious amount of situation where it's going to take some time for them to find someone. But right now the youngest and most fierce looking driver is Oscar Piastri. He could be a great replacement if offered a good amount of money.

[coinlocket$]

As far as I know Hamilton has stated before that he wants to race for five more years in Formula 1. But this still doesn't guarantee one thing that Hamilton will continue and end his career at Mercedes. He has also been linked with rumours like he might join Ferrari. They are just entering this news on some websites regularly.

On the other hand Hamilton refuted these rumours before by saying that he was in talks with Mercedes for a contract extension already.

In short things are really complicated now as there are rumours saying different things everywhere. 

5 more years?

Well, I guess in this sport you have a longer longevity, especially if you have a good car I guess you can still win at 45 years old.

Look at Alonso, he was very competitive this year when Aston Martin was decent.

[Davian144]

P3 for Moto2 is in progress and the track conditions are now wet, it looks like there will be a lot of riders crashing today because today's track conditions are very different from yesterday's track conditions at Silverstone. Especially for today's MotoGP class there will also be a qualification along with the Sprint Race so the show might be more exciting than usual, but personally I hope the race can take place in dry conditions tomorrow.

[swogerino]

As far as I know Hamilton has stated before that he wants to race for five more years in Formula 1. But this still doesn't guarantee one thing that Hamilton will continue and end his career at Mercedes. He has also been linked with rumours like he might join Ferrari. They are just entering this news on some websites regularly.

On the other hand Hamilton refuted these rumours before by saying that he was in talks with Mercedes for a contract extension already.

In short things are really complicated now as there are rumours saying different things everywhere. 

5 more years?

Well, I guess in this sport you have a longer longevity, especially if you have a good car I guess you can still win at 45 years old.

Look at Alonso, he was very competitive this year when Aston Martin was decent.

Yes in this sport despite the reflexes coming down dramatically with the age moving forward you can still have some chances when the car that you drive is one of the best or better the best of the grid which can also give you chances to win races.I don't think though that Hamilton will win any race at 45 year old even if he has the best car,the driving skills come down dramatically as I said but during the time when he will be 40 next year until 43 he may have good chances though to win a race.

Alonso unfortunately I don't know if it is because Aston got down in performance or because of him not finding anymore motivation but I believe to be Aston down on performance as also Stroll suffers right now.

[jakdanyel]

I don't think that would be a good move for Charles to renew with Ferrari after so many failures from both him as a driver and his errors which honestly are quite a few compared to the horrendous errors that Ferrari has made against him in the pit or race strategies.I think he would be better thinking of joining Mercedes to have a chance when Hamilton leaves rather than settling with Ferrari,of course I can understand that when no other options are available then his only choice is to renew with them and hope for the better.

Leclerc so-called wants to play a big role in Ferrari to return to their old days. But is this really worth the risk of not being champions in his career for many more years? But on the other hand I'm trying to understand his choice as well. Because currently the only place in which he could have a chance to be competitive for the title is Red Bull.

But would Red Bull like to have Leclerc while in presence of Verstappen? I don't think so. Red Bull just want a second driver who can comply with the team well and who doesn't fall too far behind their first driver. Leclerc can't fit that description as he wants to be competitive for the title.

If he leaves Ferrari he needs to go to a team that he will be cared about as much as the other driver of that team.

[Davian144]

In fact, I think it will be more exciting on the wet track because many things cannot be predicted or surprises happen, as happened in P3 for Moto2 and also for Moto GP.
Currently P3 Moto Gp is underway, many racers who are not in the top have managed to record good times at this time, it's all because of the wet track conditions, so personally I hope that tomorrow it will rain again so that the race will be even more exciting.

The track conditions have improved slightly even though it is still wet and the Sprint race looks like it will be more exciting because when the track is wet many unique things are possible to happen. It's a shame for Fabio Quartararo who has to start on the bottom of the grid in the Sprint Race and also for tomorrow because he didn't have the courage when the track was in wet conditions. And I'm really looking forward to seeing the Sprint Race today which kicks off in a bit.

[coinlocket$]

Results of the sprint race for Moto GP.

Pos   Rider   Nat   Team   Time/Diff
1   Alex Marquez   SPA   Gresini Ducati (GP22)   21m 52.317s
2   Marco Bezzecchi   ITA   Mooney VR46 Ducati (GP22)   +0.366s
3   Maverick Viñales   SPA   Aprilia Racing (RS-GP23)   +3.374s
4   Johann Zarco   FRA   Pramac Ducati (GP23)   +5.671s
5   Aleix Espargaro   SPA   Aprilia Racing (RS-GP23)   +6.068s
6   Jorge Martin   SPA   Pramac Ducati (GP23)   +7.294s
7   Jack Miller   AUS   Red Bull KTM (RC16)   +9.415s
8   Augusto Fernandez   SPA   Tech3 GASGAS (RC16)*   +9.850s
9   Brad Binder   RSA   Red Bull KTM (RC16)   +10.435s
10   Miguel Oliveira   POR   RNF Aprilia (RS-GP22)   +11.247s
11   Luca Marini   ITA   Mooney VR46 Ducati (GP22)   +17.365s
12   Fabio Di Giannantonio   ITA   Gresini Ducati (GP22)   +20.063s
13   Enea Bastianini   ITA   Ducati Lenovo (GP23)   +24.352s
14   Francesco Bagnaia   ITA   Ducati Lenovo (GP23)   +25.527s
15   Franco Morbidelli   ITA   Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1)   +27.191s
16   Pol Espargaro   SPA   Tech3 GASGAS (RC16)   +27.693s
17   Joan Mir   SPA   Repsol Honda (RC213V)   +29.062s
18   Marc Marquez   SPA   Repsol Honda (RC213V)   +29.326s
19   Raul Fernandez   SPA   RNF Aprilia (RS-GP22)   +29.627s
20   Takaaki Nakagami   JPN   LCR Honda (RC213V)   +29.909s
21   Fabio Quartararo   FRA   Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1)   +30.326s

Source: https://www.crash.net/motogp/results/1032894/1/british-motogp-silverstone-sprint-race-results


Not so great result for Bagnaia today

[ILuckyGuyI]

It looks like Audi want to enter Formula 1 really strongly. The speculations say that Sainz already signed a pre-contract with Audi even a long time ago. If he is really going to join Audi in the future I wonder who will be Audi's second driver. That should also be a skilled driver I guess after agreeing with a really good one like Sainz.

As the cars are likely to change quite much by 2026 season I wonder where Audi will be able to place themselves also.

I think that it is lucky of Audi that all teams will need to work really hard on their car after the expected changes in that season. If Audi build a strong car then maybe they can be one of top teams in Formula 1.

[swogerino]

Results of the sprint race for Moto GP.

Pos   Rider   Nat   Team   Time/Diff
1   Alex Marquez   SPA   Gresini Ducati (GP22)   21m 52.317s
2   Marco Bezzecchi   ITA   Mooney VR46 Ducati (GP22)   +0.366s
3   Maverick Viñales   SPA   Aprilia Racing (RS-GP23)   +3.374s
4   Johann Zarco   FRA   Pramac Ducati (GP23)   +5.671s
5   Aleix Espargaro   SPA   Aprilia Racing (RS-GP23)   +6.068s
6   Jorge Martin   SPA   Pramac Ducati (GP23)   +7.294s
7   Jack Miller   AUS   Red Bull KTM (RC16)   +9.415s
8   Augusto Fernandez   SPA   Tech3 GASGAS (RC16)*   +9.850s
9   Brad Binder   RSA   Red Bull KTM (RC16)   +10.435s
10   Miguel Oliveira   POR   RNF Aprilia (RS-GP22)   +11.247s
11   Luca Marini   ITA   Mooney VR46 Ducati (GP22)   +17.365s
12   Fabio Di Giannantonio   ITA   Gresini Ducati (GP22)   +20.063s
13   Enea Bastianini   ITA   Ducati Lenovo (GP23)   +24.352s
14   Francesco Bagnaia   ITA   Ducati Lenovo (GP23)   +25.527s
15   Franco Morbidelli   ITA   Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1)   +27.191s
16   Pol Espargaro   SPA   Tech3 GASGAS (RC16)   +27.693s
17   Joan Mir   SPA   Repsol Honda (RC213V)   +29.062s
18   Marc Marquez   SPA   Repsol Honda (RC213V)   +29.326s
19   Raul Fernandez   SPA   RNF Aprilia (RS-GP22)   +29.627s
20   Takaaki Nakagami   JPN   LCR Honda (RC213V)   +29.909s
21   Fabio Quartararo   FRA   Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1)   +30.326s

Source: https://www.crash.net/motogp/results/1032894/1/british-motogp-silverstone-sprint-race-results


Not so great result for Bagnaia today

Bezzechi sounds like he is serious in his Championship contender fight this year as he is trying really hard to get on top.I like that honestly as it is a team who is run by Valentino Rossi a legend of the MotoGp and the rain will only make the race much more beautiful.This will also make us see a winner like we have not seen before,I remember the years where Jack Miller was a great guy winning a couple of races in the rain while no one of us before that happening took him seriously,for most of us he was just a normal rider like many others,after we saw him in the rain we saw how great rider he was.Let's hope for some great action tomorrow.

[FanEagle]

Leclerc so-called wants to play a big role in Ferrari to return to their old days. But is this really worth the risk of not being champions in his career for many more years? But on the other hand I'm trying to understand his choice as well. Because currently the only place in which he could have a chance to be competitive for the title is Red Bull.

But would Red Bull like to have Leclerc while in presence of Verstappen? I don't think so. Red Bull just want a second driver who can comply with the team well and who doesn't fall too far behind their first driver. Leclerc can't fit that description as he wants to be competitive for the title.

If he leaves Ferrari he needs to go to a team that he will be cared about as much as the other driver of that team.

People are reacting as if he has a choice. The only team that has a big chance to win the title is Red Bull right now, that is very much obvious and they have Max as their first driver who gets the wins, the best chance Charles would have could be becoming the second driver and takes Checos place, do you think Charles would give up first seat at Ferrari and go be the second driver at Red Bull?

Mclaren got better only recently, Aston Martin started great became worse, Mercedes does alright but not that much better than Ferrari right now, there isn2t a team that Charles could leave and start winning. This is literally his best position right now, there is no offer on the table for him to go to and start winning.

[swogerino]

Leclerc so-called wants to play a big role in Ferrari to return to their old days. But is this really worth the risk of not being champions in his career for many more years? But on the other hand I'm trying to understand his choice as well. Because currently the only place in which he could have a chance to be competitive for the title is Red Bull.

But would Red Bull like to have Leclerc while in presence of Verstappen? I don't think so. Red Bull just want a second driver who can comply with the team well and who doesn't fall too far behind their first driver. Leclerc can't fit that description as he wants to be competitive for the title.

If he leaves Ferrari he needs to go to a team that he will be cared about as much as the other driver of that team.

People are reacting as if he has a choice. The only team that has a big chance to win the title is Red Bull right now, that is very much obvious and they have Max as their first driver who gets the wins, the best chance Charles would have could be becoming the second driver and takes Checos place, do you think Charles would give up first seat at Ferrari and go be the second driver at Red Bull?

Mclaren got better only recently, Aston Martin started great became worse, Mercedes does alright but not that much better than Ferrari right now, there isn2t a team that Charles could leave and start winning. This is literally his best position right now, there is no offer on the table for him to go to and start winning.

That may look like that as if the choice is dictated by the situation.The fact though is that Redbull would have no real reason as why to stop Leclerc,Leclerc is not Perez and as soon as he will have the possibility he is going to win races with Redbull but I agree though,most likely he won't go there and fight with Max.

McLaren if it continues like that,only upgrading and performing better and better from now and even next year then it may be a good choice for Leclerc to try and win a title hopefully with another legendary team,he had his time at Ferrari and it did not go well,he deserve a winning car and I hope he joins one team who will give him the chance to win races and why not a title.

[1miau]

McLaren if it continues like that,only upgrading and performing better and better from now and even next year then it may be a good choice for Leclerc to try and win a title hopefully with another legendary team,he had his time at Ferrari and it did not go well,he deserve a winning car and I hope he joins one team who will give him the chance to win races and why not a title.

McLaren is a decent team and I'm sure McLaren will continue to be a Top 5 car (out of 10 constructors) but somehow, McLaren always screws up the first few races of a season:
2023: We can still remember how disastrous McLaren started in Bahrain and Jeddah; after 8 races (Canada) McLaren only had 17 constructor points (vs. 103 points right now after 12 races) and struggling to keep up the good result from late 2022. So McLaren scored 17 points in their first 8 races but almost 90 points in the following 4 races.
2022: 6 points in the first 2 races, 159 points after 22 races, struggling to keep up the good result from late 2021.
2021: 275 points after 22 races.

McLaren is clearly struggling to have a good season start by having difficulties to transfer strong performance from the end of the previous season to the next ones and if it can't solve these issues, getting a title will be very difficult for McLaren.
It won't surprise me so see McLaren way behind RedBull, Ferrari and Mercedes again, when next season starts.

[dothebeats]

Leclerc so-called wants to play a big role in Ferrari to return to their old days. But is this really worth the risk of not being champions in his career for many more years? But on the other hand I'm trying to understand his choice as well. Because currently the only place in which he could have a chance to be competitive for the title is Red Bull.

But would Red Bull like to have Leclerc while in presence of Verstappen? I don't think so. Red Bull just want a second driver who can comply with the team well and who doesn't fall too far behind their first driver. Leclerc can't fit that description as he wants to be competitive for the title.

If he leaves Ferrari he needs to go to a team that he will be cared about as much as the other driver of that team.

People are reacting as if he has a choice. The only team that has a big chance to win the title is Red Bull right now, that is very much obvious and they have Max as their first driver who gets the wins, the best chance Charles would have could be becoming the second driver and takes Checos place, do you think Charles would give up first seat at Ferrari and go be the second driver at Red Bull?

Mclaren got better only recently, Aston Martin started great became worse, Mercedes does alright but not that much better than Ferrari right now, there isn2t a team that Charles could leave and start winning. This is literally his best position right now, there is no offer on the table for him to go to and start winning.

Every other team that is in the top 5 constructors doesn't have a seat to offer Leclerc and that's a fact. Ferrari wouldn't budge either because they know that Charles got no places to go. I guess, the best position Charles can take right now is ride out the storm, suggest ideas that could help the team win, and don't take shit against the management but be firm on his stance. Ferrari doesn't have any better choice other than Charles right now, either, so it's a stalemate between the two parties.

The guy wouldn't also be comfortable being a second driver, too. He's aggressive, so competitive, and wants to win championships.

[Davian144]

Bezzechi sounds like he is serious in his Championship contender fight this year as he is trying really hard to get on top.I like that honestly as it is a team who is run by Valentino Rossi a legend of the MotoGp and the rain will only make the race much more beautiful.This will also make us see a winner like we have not seen before,I remember the years where Jack Miller was a great guy winning a couple of races in the rain while no one of us before that happening took him seriously,for most of us he was just a normal rider like many others,after we saw him in the rain we saw how great rider he was.Let's hope for some great action tomorrow.

After I saw the WUP session for MotoGp today, the sun was briefly visible around the Silverstone circuit so that made the weather conditions even better although I hoped that today's race could be very different from what happened in the Sprint Race yesterday. Because yesterday I saw all the Asian manufacturers suffering so much that the riders riding the motorbikes from the Asian manufacturers had to finish the Sprint race at the back, including Marc Marquez. Today Marco Bezzechi will probably give his full effort in the race to get a win in order to be able to close the gap in points that still exist with Bagnaia in the temporary standings.

[jakdanyel]

Leclerc so-called wants to play a big role in Ferrari to return to their old days. But is this really worth the risk of not being champions in his career for many more years? But on the other hand I'm trying to understand his choice as well. Because currently the only place in which he could have a chance to be competitive for the title is Red Bull.

But would Red Bull like to have Leclerc while in presence of Verstappen? I don't think so. Red Bull just want a second driver who can comply with the team well and who doesn't fall too far behind their first driver. Leclerc can't fit that description as he wants to be competitive for the title.

If he leaves Ferrari he needs to go to a team that he will be cared about as much as the other driver of that team.

People are reacting as if he has a choice. The only team that has a big chance to win the title is Red Bull right now, that is very much obvious and they have Max as their first driver who gets the wins, the best chance Charles would have could be becoming the second driver and takes Checos place, do you think Charles would give up first seat at Ferrari and go be the second driver at Red Bull?

Mclaren got better only recently, Aston Martin started great became worse, Mercedes does alright but not that much better than Ferrari right now, there isn2t a team that Charles could leave and start winning. This is literally his best position right now, there is no offer on the table for him to go to and start winning.

I also think the same as you already. Because Leclerc wouldn't be okay for acting like Perez when he takes his place at Red Bull. This isn't what Red Bull want clearly otherwise they wouldn't make most of their investments in Verstappen's success. They can't take the risk of Verstappen's leaving the team after such action.

Leclerc can only race for teams in which he will be the first driver or have the same status with the other driver - just as he has now at Ferrari.