Sunday at the Red Bull Grand Prix of San Marino certainly got us all talking. A sprinkling of rain injected a large dose of drama to the MotoGP™ race, as Jorge Martin’s (Prima Pramac Racing) tyre change gamble failed to pay off – as Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) pounced to beat home hero Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team).
Below are some of the talking points from the San Marino GP:
“Maybe that’s why I stopped”
Debriefing after the race, Championship leader Martin admitted that he and the team didn’t speak about the potential of rain hitting during the race, something that may have changed the outcome of the race. However, the Spaniard is pinning 100% of the decision on himself.
“No, we didn’t speak about it and I didn’t know what was coming. Maybe that’s why I stopped. Really important to communicate with the team and maybe this time we missed a bit of understanding between us but this was 100% my fault but it is always useful to have feedback and more information before the race. I took the chance.”
“Stay out as long as possible was the plan”
On the other hand, Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) shared that he and his side of the box discussed a plan and why he didn’t choose to dive into the pitlane to swap machines.
“It had to get heavier, I mean. It was like I said before to Miguel, it wasn't the whole track that was raining and I was watching my lap times pretty precisely and still lapping in like 36 to 38s. You're not going to go any quicker than that with a wet tyre including a pit stop. So it was one of those things where you just sort of trying to do maths in my head. I'm not really good at maths but I worked that one out!
“The boys, obviously I told them just tell me - I'm assuming they knew the numbers more. So tell me to stay out as long as possible was the plan basically. So call me in as late as possible and I'll try and wobble around the best I can.”
“In terms of weather forecast, never believe Davide!”
The same topic – about speaking to the team about the weather before the race – was also pitched to Bagnaia and Marc Marquez in the post-race Press Conference.
“In my case, yes. I watched the radar and I was quite sure that the rain was not arriving. Davide before the race said it will not rain. So… Never believe Davide, in terms of forecast. It’s incredible. Every time he is saying a thing, it’s the opposite,” joked the reigning World Champion.
“I asked my team, to Frankie, in before the start of the race and he said the forecast says no, but maybe can arrive something,” said Marquez. “When they say can arrive something means light rain, but you never know in those conditions, because it’s only a bit more or a bit less. You see Franco in turn one, he lost the front. Was quite wet. But as I said, it was not a joke. I followed the local guys and said they know better than me.”
“I never thought that they were out of the Championship”
With Marquez winning two Sunday races on the spin, the #93 and Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team) are 53 and 62 points shy of the title race summit. Bagnaia had his say on whether he thinks the duo are still in the 2024 Championship equation.
“Yeah, but you never know. For example, yesterday I was 26 points behind and today I’m 7 points behind. It’s very easy to make a mistake, to crash, to take points, to gain a lot of points. I feel that mathematically it’s possible. You need to believe and you need to consider that other riders are there to fight for the championship, like Marc and Enea who always have great potential.
“We saw that Enea in the race is always super fast. Marc today won, and the second win in a row. I never thought that they were out of the championship. I know the potential of both. I know the potential of the bike. I know that they can fight for the Championship until Valencia.”
A weekend off awaits before we head back to the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli for the Emilia-Romagna GP. It's the start of the triple-header as we get ready for the season to really ramp up.