'23 Argentina GP

FP2 just ended. The two official Aprilias topped the session with Aleix being the spearhead, and Maverick led the first practice. Seems like the past year was no fluke and the bike is really well suited for this track. Quartararo in 14th will have to go through Q1, with Morbidelli ahead of him in 9th (!). It's weird seeing only 18 riders out there, with none of the absentees being replaced by anyone.

No doubt Yamaha will want to wipe the egg off their faces, but will they actually be able to? It seems there are no answers. Something is not right there, but what is it?

Whatever it is seems to be good for Franky.

Good to see Aprilia top the time sheets. We’ll see how it shakes out tomorrow.

Why MotoGP runs a supposedly world class event at a track that is mostly unused and therefore has very low grip is a question. That probably has money somewhere in the answer.

I’m really starting to regret paying Dorna yet again for the year’s overage.

But I’ll probably watch!

Could it be that inline fours are simply out powered these days? It’s hard to believe that more power can’t be found w/o going to V4s.

Fabio is saying he can't get the corner speed. doesn't sound like a power problem.

Ah I forgot that Q2 qualifying was limited to the first 2 sessions. What bounces out at me is who made it to 8th, 9th and 10th, perhaps assisted by 4 missing riders

I'm going to go for A Marquez and Miller to make it thru Q1

And Márquez takes the pole! Alex, that is. Three Ducatis went out with slicks in mixed conditions and reaped the rewards. Morbidelli starts in 4th with his slower teammate (heh) in 10th. Mir dead last.

Masterful sprint race by Binder. From 15th to 1st!

Quartararo running out of excuses.

MichaelBolton said:

Masterful sprint race by Binder. From 15th to 1st!

Quartararo running out of excuses.

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Binder was the class of the field today for sure, not sure what happened to Miller though.

Morbidelli had the Yamaha on song, not sure what is going on with Fabio ???

These Sprint races are very hectic, I keep getting this feeling that someone is gonna get hurt badly, I sure hope not.

I am not sure what I hate more the sprint races or the that they are good. Mir must be rethinking his choice to go to Honda. That bike is basically a rodeo bull.

DavidSim said:

Binder was the class of the field today for sure, not sure what happened to Miller though.

Morbidelli had the Yamaha on song, not sure what is going on with Fabio ???

These Sprint races are very hectic, I keep getting this feeling that someone is gonna get hurt badly, I sure hope not.

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Let's not forget the Mooney VR46 boys. They had a heck of a race as well. I hope this is a sign of things to come for Frankie. Me thinks Fabio is in for a very long season. Don't know what's going on with him. I found myself rooting hard for Alex Marquez and he rode a great race. He is not at all like his brother. Glad he clipped Pecco at the end for 5th. Binder's start was legend. Can't see him duplicating that start tomorrow. I'm thinking Bez may be the man to beat.

MichaelBolton said:

Quartararo running out of excuses.

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I didn’t hear any excuses from Fabio.

Did I miss something?

MdubSTYLIE said:

Mir must be rethinking his choice to go to Honda. That bike is basically a rodeo bull.

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I don’t think it makes any difference which bike he rides. His finishing position is pretty much the same.

Bern1 said:

I didn’t hear any excuses from Fabio.

Did I miss something?

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After Portimao he was complaining about the bike not being enough to match the competition again (reminder that he was singing praises about the bike in the last day of testing in Portimao) which was his main narrative during the second half of the previous season. I feel like he uses this argument too often to hide the lackadaisical performances he tends to have. And to be fair, the narrative has worked because of how bad the other Yamahas have been. I don't think Morbidelli will regain his 2020 form overnight but I praise his will to fight and his determination against faster bikes in the recent race; something I sorely miss from Fabio, who seems to be like a more extreme and moodier Lorenzo, extremely fast when things go his way but completely anonymous when there's a tiny nitpick bothering him. Thing is, he's been having too many cases of the later for a while.

MichaelBolton said:

After Portimao he was complaining about the bike not being enough to match the competition again (reminder that he was singing praises about the bike in the last day of testing in Portimao) which was his main narrative during the second half of the previous season. I feel like he uses this argument too often to hide the lackadaisical performances he tends to have. And to be fair, the narrative has worked because of how bad the other Yamahas have been. I don't think Morbidelli will regain his 2020 form overnight but I praise his will to fight and his determination against faster bikes in the recent race; something I sorely miss from Fabio, who seems to be like a more extreme and moodier Lorenzo, extremely fast when things go his way but completely anonymous when there's a tiny nitpick bothering him. Thing is, he's been having too many cases of the later for a while.

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From what I've read, Fabio is now saying they don't have the corner speed in which they have relied on in the past and they don't know why. He's been saying it doesn't even feel like his bike any more. I dunno, I really do wish for him to regain his form. He's never been good in the wet and especially the sketchy conditions during qualifying yesterday. Kudos to Ducati for having the balls to mount slicks on some of their bikes. Got them the first row of the grid.

The Yamaha's aren't working in a predictable way. I'm sure if you ask Morbidelli what's happening with Argentina, he'll tell you he doesn't know, but if the bike is working well there with him on it, then he'll take it. I wouldn't be surprised to see if it's business as usual come the next venue. I doubt Fabio is out of form.... it's just the bike that he has to deal with.

Bern1 said:

I don’t think it makes any difference which bike he rides. His finishing position is pretty much the same.

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Finishing is the new goal for Mir. He hasn't had enough track time to make a single tiktok.

Love the sprint. As said before, hope it doesn't lead to injuries that affect the main event. Honestly, the sprint race is more my idea of racing. It separates the balls-out riders from the tacticians. The only reason the main event race is really necessary, is that Dorna needs to have ..... in seats long enough to justify the cost of entry and the sale of advertising space. How many MotoGp races have we watched where there was little-to-no passing, leaving us trying to come up with reasons why we thought the race wasn't boring?

Don't know what hair got up Morbid Delicatessen's ..., but it sure was fun to watch. Not expecting any repeats further on.

Binder = Total Class.

By end of season, Joan, will be known as Schmeer.

Well, the sprints continue to produce entertainment and unexpected results. Compared to the old days of stalking an opponent and slowly upping the pace is still the best mix of sport and entertainment, but given the action of the last couple of seasons, sprints are about all fans can cling to for excitement. I do wonder if any riders will be left in one piece after this season. The injury rate has been staggering.

Sprints but Dorna in a conundrum because they could fix the sport from an entertainment standpoint without involving the manufacturers by moving more toward a sprint format. It’s an alluring prospect for a company that always seems to play the tech regs incorrectly, but the manufacturers will probably adapt and find a way to reassert themselves. Anyway, someone else can mess with the impossibility of that situation.

Binder was awesome. The VR46 Ducatis were amazing as well, though I get the feeling that Marini is flying too close to the sun with some of the moves he makes. Subtle partial-overtakes that lead to near calamity on every lap. Stewards can have fun with that one. Morbidelli rode well considering his dismal season last year and Yamaha’s fruitless attempt to find more pace this season. Maybe Frankie has found something. Surprised by Aprilia again. They don’t appear to have the sprint code deciphered yet. Could be that the bike is not particularly adaptable. They said last year that they want a stable base setting so they start the weekend searching for hundredths rather than tenths. Maybe this doesn’t work for sprinting.

So that was it for the full race. Bezzechi was strong all weekend long and won with a very commanding lead on wet. Pecco reverting to his old self, crashing while riding alone. Ducati filled the top 3 with 3 different teams, we're gonna see this a lot during the year. Morbidelli very commendable with a 4th again. Fabio shutting me up after being hacked by Nakagami (funny how you can do this as long as you're not named Marc), great race, this is the attitude I want to see. The Aprilias nowhere near their potential, maybe the bike isn't suited for wet?

A popular win there for Bezzecchi. He rode very well to get that win. Pecco .... oh Pecco. Anyway, he's the only one on the grid who is consistently fighting at the front. The others much less so.