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2021 MotoGP Round 4: Gran Premio Red Bull de España


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#1 Risil

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Posted 29 April 2021 - 20:56

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Spring is upon us, above us, all around us! The fourth round of the MotoGP season has us back into the familiar rhythm: Jerez at the start of May, Mugello at the end, Le Mans in between. The MotoGP convoy crawls along the Atlantic coast from the Algarve into Andalusia to set up at the traditional Jerez circuit, with its twisty corners, short straights and very tempting but inadvisable final hairpin. We had two of these last year in the height of summer, which may or may not be relevant, but it presumably is relevant that they were both total Yamaha benefits, with a Quartararo-Vinales 1-2 in round 1, and a Fabio-Maverick-Valentino 1-2-3 in round 2. Things went downhill from there for the Hamamatsu team. Debut wins are normally the most memorable thing that can happen at a Grand Prix but in this particular case Fabio was upstaged(?) by an injury to the only guy who could live with the pace of the Yamahas, 2018 and 2019 Grand Prix winner Marc Marquez. Marc is back, albeit some way short of full fitness, and came away from a gruelling weekend with 9 points from 7th place, and the distinction of being Honda's highest finisher. Maybe it's unrealistic to expect Marquez to battle the Yamahas this weekend, but...

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What else happened last week? Fabio Quartararo made it two wins from three and has the makings of a solid championship lead. Heard that before. He led home Pecco Bagnaia, who is establishing himself as top Ducati guy, and Joan Mir. The very much improved Franco Morbidelli and Brad Binder rounded out the top 5. That's four makes of bike in the top five! Six in the top seven, when you consider Aleix Espargaro's sixth-place for Aprilia and Marquez's seventh for Honda. A lot of riders of riders crashed, most consequentially Jorge Martin in FP3, medium consequentially Oliveira, Zarco, Rins and Miller, and least consequentially an unhappy Valentino Rossi. Martin, who started his career in the senior class very promisingly in Qatar, broke several bones after falling and bouncing across the gravel at Portimao's Turn 7. He'll miss at least this race and the French Grand Prix while he recovers from surgery. Tito Rabat, until now without a ride in 2021, is lined up to replace him at Pramac Ducati. Switching to pain of a psychic variety, Maverick Vinales qualified 12th, and despite all that carnage and opera bouffe in front of him, wobbled round to finish 11th and hopefully didn't think too much about his teammate's 5-second lead at the front.

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Raul Fernandez won in Moto2 to set up what's tentatively looking like a three-way championship battle between himself, his teammate at Marc VDS Sam Lowes, and Ajo's Remy Gardner. 16-year-old phenom Pedro Acosta won again for Ajo KTM in Moto3 and while inner critics everywhere are discreetly sharpening their knives waiting for signs of weakness, Acosta is yet to give them an opening. They'll all be on track again this weekend, as will the MotoE Cup, in which a strange mix of riders, plus Jordi Torres, ride round on roadworthy, but heavy and not very powerful electric bikes. Imagine Formula E but minus two wheels and all the gimmicks.

 

Anyway, here's your weekend schedule. Local Jerez time, so take away an hour to get the UK session times.

 

Friday, 30 April

9am: Moto3 FP1
9.55: MotoGP FP1
10.55: Moto2 FP1
11.50: MotoE FP1
1.15pm: Moto3 FP2
2.10: MotoGP FP2
3.10: Moto2 FP2
4.50: MotoE FP2

 

Saturday, 1 May
9am: Moto3 FP3
9.55: MotoGP FP3
10.55: Moto2 FP3
11.50: MotoE FP3
12.35pm: Moto3 qualifying
1.30: MotoGP FP4
2.10: MotoGP qualifying
3.10: Moto2 qualifying
4.05: MotoE qualifying

 

Sunday, 2 May
8.20: Moto3 warm-up
8.50: Moto2 warm-up
9.20: MotoGP warm-up
10.05: MotoE race
11: Moto3 race
12.20pm: Moto2 race
2pm: MotoGP race

 

There we go. Enjoy!



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#2 Singularity

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Posted 29 April 2021 - 21:11

Pedro Acosta will be very interesting to follow and I am fairly sure he will be collecting many titles in the future if he can stay safe. I don't think I have seen anything like that and I'm old enough to have seen Rossi's debut in 125 eons ago. 

For the MotoGP I must admit that I have enjoyed Marquez absence, he was just too good and that was unfortunate since I cannot like him. I have tried, but I cannot. Now the situation is different, he is coming back from injuries that I wish no one and I hope he will be racing for victories again soon. I have given up on Vinales, but Quartararo is good and he, or his team, really threw away the title last year. All in all, I think MotoGP is better than... I don't know since when, but we had too many years dominated by two teams. And one rider.

For some reason, Moto2 has always been the least interesting for me. 
 



#3 Yamamoto

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Posted 29 April 2021 - 21:27

Very difficult to look past Quartararo this weekend. Question is whether Maverick can hook it up and how good will Suzuki be. I was over-optimistic with Marquez last time so I'll conservatively say fifth for him.



#4 KinoNoNo

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Posted 30 April 2021 - 10:07

Ah the new thread smell.

 

I've given up predicting and just going to lie back and enjoy the show.



#5 Ali623

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Posted 30 April 2021 - 10:19

Quartararo to win again I reckon, Vinales should be at least top 5. Marquez to fight for the podium.



#6 ehagar

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Posted 30 April 2021 - 12:59

Ugh... Savadori faster than Rossi. Not a good look.



#7 OvDrone

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Posted 30 April 2021 - 15:23

Ugh... Savadori faster than Rossi. Not a good look.

I still don't even know who Savadori is lol.



#8 manmower

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Posted 01 May 2021 - 08:41

Dang, Márquez just torpedoed the air fence in FP3.

Seems a bit winded but fine though.



#9 thegamer23

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Posted 01 May 2021 - 08:43

Hard crash for Marquez!!

In the same corner as last year, he flew into the air fences.

Looked a little bit shocked, but he walked away: hopefully no injures.

#10 thegamer23

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Posted 01 May 2021 - 09:01



#11 Stephane

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Posted 01 May 2021 - 09:04

Spectacular, but the air fence doing its job apparently.

And no vertical fall. He should be pretty much OK.

#12 registered

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Posted 01 May 2021 - 11:15

The Moto3 guys never learn, do they?

#13 Disgrace

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Posted 01 May 2021 - 11:55

They're dropping like flies in FP4, four crashes in the space of two minutes or so.



#14 krapmeister

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Posted 01 May 2021 - 12:24

Geez Rossi getting towed by Morbidelli and still 1 sec slower

#15 thegamer23

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Posted 01 May 2021 - 12:26

Marquez out of Q2

#16 thegamer23

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Posted 01 May 2021 - 12:52

Quartararo
Morbido
Miller
Bagnaia
Nakagami

The top 5!

#17 krapmeister

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Posted 01 May 2021 - 12:53

Good job by Miller - he really needs a decent result here but I would be very surprised if he finished the race in the top 5


Edited by krapmeister, 01 May 2021 - 12:53.


#18 thegamer23

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Posted 01 May 2021 - 12:56

Morbidelli second with a 2 year old Yamaha.
This men deserves a factory bike.

I think Miller only did that time beacause he was in the slipstream of bagnaia tbh

#19 FLB

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Posted 01 May 2021 - 13:04

Marquez out of Q2

He's complaining of any pain, but he's been taken to hospital for precautionary checks:

 

https://www.formulap...ita-562953.html (in italiano)

 

Edit: He's been declared fit to ride: https://www.motorspo...utm_content=www


Edited by FLB, 01 May 2021 - 13:23.


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#20 tourister46a

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Posted 01 May 2021 - 15:14

At this rate, Rossi shouldn't even see out the season. The lap times come easy for the other 3 Yamahas, but he is always mired in P17-P20, over a second back. What use is 20 years of experience and all the pre-season testing, if you cannot fix the setup in 3 races? It's not the setup, it's not the rear tyre. It's a lack of speed and the overridding to compensate for it, which shows itself as lack of rear tyre grip.



#21 ArrowsLivery

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Posted 01 May 2021 - 15:58

At this rate, Rossi shouldn't even see out the season. The lap times come easy for the other 3 Yamahas, but he is always mired in P17-P20, over a second back. What use is 20 years of experience and all the pre-season testing, if you cannot fix the setup in 3 races? It's not the setup, it's not the rear tyre. It's a lack of speed and the overridding to compensate for it, which shows itself as lack of rear tyre grip.


2021 is a new low for Rossi. Even last year he had comparable pace to the other Yamahas when he wasn’t falling off.

I doubt he’ll end his career halfway through the season, but if SRT can’t find a good setup for him, I really hope he doesn’t continue for next year.

#22 dissident

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Posted 01 May 2021 - 19:15

Love watching these bikes around here.

 

Don't think anyone has the pace to live with the Yamahas (well, two of them at least), they are effortless quick.

 

KTM started the weekend well, but they seemed to have reverted back to being the slowest factory, don't they?



#23 Risil

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Posted 02 May 2021 - 08:31

Vinales fastest in warm-up, with Zarco getting in between him and the other factory Yamaha. Binder fourth, so I wouldn't count out KTM yet. Lots of crashes, including Marc Marquez, bit looks like no one was injured.

Moto3 in half in hour! :cool:

#24 krapmeister

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Posted 02 May 2021 - 08:32

Gardner on pole in Moto2 👍

#25 Jellyfishcake

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Posted 02 May 2021 - 09:03

Meanwhile John Mcphee is on the floor again 



#26 Disgrace

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Posted 02 May 2021 - 09:41

Acosta.  :eek: This guy reminds me of MM93.



#27 registered

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Posted 02 May 2021 - 09:42

This was never going to work for Oncu

#28 Disgrace

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Posted 02 May 2021 - 09:45

This was never going to work for Oncu

 

The move, or running for his bike before looking for it?  :D



#29 registered

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Posted 02 May 2021 - 09:49

The move, or running for his bike before looking for it? :D

I was thinking of the move, looking at the angle where he came from

#30 DS27

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Posted 02 May 2021 - 09:55

Acosta's last couple of laps after that slight mistake were amazing. This kid looks so special.

 

I love that he was given advice to bring it home in the points if he couldn't win, because the points could make all the difference at the end of the year. At this rate, I don't think he need worry.


Edited by DS27, 02 May 2021 - 10:15.


#31 P0inters

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Posted 02 May 2021 - 09:59

Acosta. :eek: This guy reminds me of MM93.


More like Rossi to me. His racecraft is next level. Right now he looks better than either of them were in 125s but still a long way to go.

Edited by P0inters, 02 May 2021 - 10:00.


#32 DS27

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Posted 02 May 2021 - 10:00

Meanwhile John Mcphee is on the floor again 

 

He's had some bad luck this year, but the way BT Sport keep banging on about him deserving a top Moto 2 ride is a bit bizarre. I have seen nothing to think he would do well in Moto 2, when he struggles so often in Moto 3 despite all his experience.



#33 Risil

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Posted 02 May 2021 - 10:03

Acosta. :eek: This guy reminds me of MM93.


Moto3 is so random, anyone can win! :D

#34 DS27

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Posted 02 May 2021 - 10:05

I actually enjoyed this Moto 3 race much more than some of the other mega-slip-streaming races where it can all feel a bit of a lucky-dip as to who comes out on top.



#35 Risil

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Posted 02 May 2021 - 10:10

I actually enjoyed this Moto 3 race much more than some of the other mega-slip-streaming races where it can all feel a bit of a lucky-dip as to who comes out on top.

Moto3 could really benefit from visiting some smaller tracks. Imagine this lot round Brands Hatch.

I know it's not going to happen while they're following the MotoGP calendar though!

#36 DS27

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Posted 02 May 2021 - 10:12

Moto3 could really benefit from visiting some smaller tracks. Imagine this lot round Brands Hatch.
 

 

 

I would pay to see that - especially as it's on my door-step!



#37 registered

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Posted 02 May 2021 - 10:32

Rather high crash rate so far in Moto2

#38 OvDrone

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Posted 02 May 2021 - 11:02

Gresini WINS! Beautiful.

 

Moto2 championship starting to look delish.



#39 thegamer23

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Posted 02 May 2021 - 11:25

Very meaningful win by Gresini, such a dominant ride by Di Giannantonio.

- 35 min to MOTOGP

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#40 Risil

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Posted 02 May 2021 - 11:28

Very nice win from Di Giannantonio + Gresini. Kinda static at the front but I guess that's what you'd expect when everyone has the same machinery. Beaubier is about where he needs to be on his not-quite-rookie year in GPs. Upper midfield and not crashing.

 

One day I will learn the difference between Raul and Augusto Fernandez. :blush:



#41 DS27

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Posted 02 May 2021 - 11:32

Tech 3 KTM have the easiest choice in the world to make right now and to boot out Petrucci and Lecuona and bring in Fernandez and Gardener for next year.



#42 DS27

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Posted 02 May 2021 - 11:33

One day I will learn the difference between Raul and Augusto Fernandez. :blush:

 

 

It's easy. Raul is the one with a future   :lol:



#43 realracer200

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Posted 02 May 2021 - 11:45

Compared to Moto3 and MotoGP i found Moto2 a bit boring to be honest.



#44 thegamer23

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Posted 02 May 2021 - 11:49

Morbidelli is my pick for the race win!

#45 OvDrone

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Posted 02 May 2021 - 11:55

Another intense journey into the unknown awaits. I'm so ready.



#46 Pete_f1

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Posted 02 May 2021 - 11:57

Three double taps of the helmet from the saftey car driver.

#47 thegamer23

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Posted 02 May 2021 - 11:58

Will Miller crash?

#48 OvDrone

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Posted 02 May 2021 - 11:59

Stefan Bradl is the Nico Hulkenberg of MotoGP.



#49 Risil

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Posted 02 May 2021 - 12:03

Quartararo is trying everything to get past Bagnaia early! The race could end up between Miller and Morbidelli if Fabio doesn't make something happen.



#50 MrMonaco

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Posted 02 May 2021 - 12:04

Will Miller crash?

That's a safe bet