Tank Slappers Podcast: Who is in the best shape after MotoGP testing?
The 2021 MotoGP pre-season has come to a close with Ducati’s Jack Miller fastest on the combined timesheets after five days of running.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, testing was limited to just five days at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar ahead of the opening round of the season on 28 March.
The final day of testing was disrupted by windy conditions, and featured very limited running.
Miller set an unofficial lap record on Wednesday ahead of his maiden season on the factory Ducati, while Pol Espargaro at Honda and Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha) also made their test bows ahead of important seasons for their respective new outfits.
PLUS: What we learned from MotoGP pre-season testing in 2021
In the latest Tank Slappers Podcast, Autosport’s Lewis Duncan and Motorsport.com’s Oriol Puigdemont discuss whether Yamaha’s form is signs of a genuine step forward, and ponder whether Ducati really is the title favourite.
They also discuss KTM’s strange test, whether Suzuki’s mixed outing is indicative of where it is for the start of the season and just how impressive Espargaro’s Honda debut has been.
What we learned from MotoGP pre-season testing in 2021
Miller ‘enjoying’ being tagged as MotoGP title favourite
How Quartararo is evoking an absent MotoGP great in 2022
OPINION: Fabio Quartararo has seized control of the 2022 MotoGP world standings after another dominant victory as his nearest rivals faltered. And he is very much heading towards a second championship echoing how the dominator of the last decade achieved much of his success
The human importance of Marquez’s latest enforced MotoGP absence
OPINION: Marc Marquez will likely sit out the remainder of the 2022 MotoGP season to undergo a fourth major operation on the right arm he badly broke in 2020. It is hoped it will return him to his brilliant best after a tough start to the season without a podium to his name. But it’s the human victory that will far outweigh any future on-track success he may go on to have
Why Ducati holds all the power in its MotoGP rider dilemma
OPINION: The French Grand Prix looks to have made Ducati’s decision on its factory team line-up simpler, as Enea Bastianini stormed to his third win of the campaign and Jorge Martin crashed out for a fifth time in 2022. But, as Ducati suggests to Autosport, it remains in the strongest position in a wild rider market
The seismic aftershock left by Suzuki's decision to leave MotoGP
Suzuki's sudden decision to leave the MotoGP World Championship at the end of the season has acted as a stirring element in a market that had already erupted. Autosport analyses what this means for the grid going into 2023
How the real Ducati began to emerge in MotoGP’s Spanish GP
Ducati’s 2022 MotoGP bike has had a tough start to life and the expected early-season title charge from Francesco Bagnaia did not materialise. But the Spanish Grand Prix signalled a turning point for both the GP22 and Bagnaia, as the 2021 runner-up belatedly got his season underway after a straight fight with Fabio Quartararo
How Honda's praise for its 2022 MotoGP bike has turned into doubt
In a little over two months, Honda has gone from setting the pace in MotoGP testing with its new RC213V prototype to being at a crossroads - caused by the discrepancy in its riders' feedback. After a Portuguese GP that underwhelmed, serious questions are now being asked of Honda in 2022
Why Quartararo's Portugal win wasn't only vital for his MotoGP title hopes
Fabio Quartararo got his MotoGP title defence off the ground in the Portuguese Grand Prix as a dominant first win of 2022 rocketed him to the top of the standings. While a significant result in terms of his title hopes, it has come at an even more important time in terms of his 2023 contract negotiations
How a MotoGP legend is preparing for an unexpected comeback at Goodwood
Wayne Rainey, who’s paralysed from the chest down, will ride his 1992 500cc world championship-winning bike again at this year's Goodwood Festival of Speed. The American motorcycle legend explains how he's preparing to thrill on his first visit to the famed hillclimb