Метка: Spanish GP

Miller «struggling» to get luck turning his way after Spain MotoGP exit

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


While both team-mate Brad Binder and GasGas Tech3 rookie Pedro Acosta have finished on the podium this year, Miller has only managed one finish inside the top five in the opening four rounds of the season.

Miller was running in 11th position on the factory KTM on lap 17 in Sunday’s grand prix at Jerez when Pramac rival Morbidelli made a futile overtaking attempt going into Turn 5, sending both riders on the ground.

The collision brought a premature end to what had been a trying weekend for the Australian, who also suffered a first-lap crash in the sprint, returning empty-handed from Spain.

Asked to explain the clash with Morbidelli, the four-time grand prix winner said he was closely following KTM stablemate Acosta when the Italian launched an attack on him.

“When Pedro [Acosta] came past, I tried to hook the claws in him, just to understand what he is doing differently, try and learn as much as possible,” said the 29-year-old.

“Unfortunately that got cut short when Franky decided he wanted to make a gap when there was no room.

“It resulted in us both having an early shower. So not the way we wanted to end the day.

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

“I don’t know if I’ve run over a black cat or we fell under a ladder or something at the minute, but we are struggling to get the bloody thing luck turning our way. But we will stick with it, we’ll keep on the programme.”

A verbal altercation followed between Miller and Morbidelli after they both went down at Turn 5, with the KTM rider gesticulating at his rival during their heated conversation.

Miller revealed he did have to go to the race control in the aftermath of their crash, but no action was taken against either as the stewards deemed it to be a racing incident.

“I didn’t really get a telling off,” he said. “I got a telling off more for my actions afterward. But I didn’t hit him, I didn’t punch him or anything like that.

“I was obviously crashed [into] and then Franky told me in the gravel what I do to him yesterday [Saturday].

“I was quite dumbfounded because I said, ‘look, I crashed out of the f*****g first lap yesterday so I don’t know what I could have done. I don’t know if he had me confused with somebody else.

“Anyway, it’s not what we wanted.”

For his part, Morbidelli explained that he wasn’t attempting to overtake Miller into Turn 5 and their contact was a result of their lines merging into the corner.

“It was an unfortunate race incident,” he said. “Jack was doing a different line. It was at the end of the race, but I was quite a bit faster than him. But I couldn’t pass him because Jack was braking very fast.

“In that corner, I didn’t even want to pass him, but the way he made the line…I thought I would go on for mine. In the end, we had contact. It was a shame

Asked if he cleared the air with Miller later, the Italian replied: “The race was not going well for either of us, after you end up on the gravel it’s okay to be angry.”

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Why it’s time to embrace Jerez as MotoGP’s Monaco

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


As the day’s sunlight has barely crept up on the horizon, the banks surrounding the Angel Nieto Turn 8 and Peluqui Turn 9 are already buzzing with life. It can only be MotoGP Sunday at Jerez.

MotoGP visits a lot of iconic venues where so much of the series’ 75-year storied history has been told. But few seem to elicit the same emotional response for so many as Jerez. Speak to many in the paddock about the Andalucian venue – which hosted MotoGP on and off from 1987 before permanently becoming the home of the Spanish Grand Prix in 1989 – and they’ll all bring up how atmospheric the place is.

On MotoGP Sundays, the former circuit announcer used to play Pink Floyd’s Shine On You Crazy Diamond as the mist slowly lifted from the hills to reveal the legion of bike-mad Spaniards awaiting something special. That part has sadly disappeared from the Jerez experience, but the fans remain.

Something special is par for the course at Jerez. Whether it was Valentino Rossi versus Sete Gibernau at the last corner in 2005, or Marc Marquez replicating this on Jorge Lorenzo in 2013, or any other countless dramatic moment, Jerez has made itself such a vital part of the calendar. That it staged the opening two rounds of the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign is as much a testament to its importance to MotoGP as it was a logistically convenient place to keep motorsport alive in an odd world.

Last weekend’s 25-lap Spanish GP is another special moment etched into the fabric of Jerez’s history. The battle between Marc Marquez and Francesco Bagnaia for the win dripped with tension, as the pair had already come together controversially in Portugal. The pair’s skill to stay aboard when they connected at Turn 10 on lap 21 and, subsequently, reigning world champion Bagnaia’s skill to still take the lead, defend it next time around and then cement it with a new race lap record two from home in a statement ride, showed why MotoGP is a series worth investing in.

That it came in front of a MotoGP weekend attendance record of 296,741 people – taking the title away from Le Mans set in 2023 at 278,805 – further highlighted just how integral a stop Jerez (whose current contract with Dorna expires after next year, but will almost certainly be renewed) is on the calendar.

“Jerez is impressive,” Bagnaia, winner of the last three Spanish GPs, said. “All the track… but corners nine and 10 is something that makes you speechless. It’s incredible. Already when you do the sighting lap and around, you see people over at the trees. It’s something incredible and it’s difficult to see something like this, because Mugello is very big, has a lot of places too [for fans] and is impressive. But here, looking at corners nine and 10 is something that gives a lot of motivation to me. It’s fantastic and I love to race in Jerez for this. For me, yes, it’s one of the most characteristic races of the calendar. It’s one of the nicest. The battles here are always great. It’s one of the best.”

Bagnaia was full of praise for the Jerez crowd

Bagnaia was full of praise for the Jerez crowd

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Marquez, who celebrated a first Ducati grand prix podium in front of a rampant home audience, added: “It’s not because I’m Spanish, it’s just because already at 6:30 in the morning that Turn 9, 10 was full. I mean, for me it’s the best race of the season. Sometimes my friends ask to me ‘where can we go, we want to have a good race’. Jerez. It’s the best one and it’s something special, in the city, in the circuit. I’m proud. I’m proud because it’s the Spanish GP and it’s one of the best GPs on the calendar in terms of the fans.”

Jerez has generally been one of the calendar’s best-attended events but hasn’t cracked 200,000 for a weekend since 2015. This year’s Spanish GP saw the biggest attendance since 2009, back in the middle of what many will have you believe was MotoGP’s heyday.

What the 2024 Spanish GP has done is given incoming series owners Liberty Media a blueprint for what it needs to do to get people through the door. The cheapest weekend ticket started at €99 and was reduced to €79. That was for general admission only, but those were the areas of the track that had the liveliest atmosphere. Indeed, on the cooldown lap, the riders celebrated with the fans in those areas around Turns 9 and 10, while the sprint podium was staged there on Saturday afternoon.

Monaco isn’t the best track on the F1 calendar, nor does it often turn up exciting races. But even on a calendar overstuffed with street venues, the Monaco GP remains a unique moment of the year

Other events, to their credit – such as the French GP – are nailing the fan experience. But MotoGP needs a calendar jewel.

As brilliant as Le Mans is, MotoGP making the French GP its flagship event will never work. MotoGP won’t ever be the most famous event staged at Le Mans and it shouldn’t try to be. Assen has a strong claim to that crown, but the Assen circuit in use now – while still brilliant – is a shade of the iconic layout it used to be pre-2006.

Jerez, by contrast, has actually improved over its life. It got rid of the naff right-left-right section that comprised Turns 6-8 and opened up the circuit to connect Turns 5 and 6 by a downhill blast into a key action zone in 1992: During the first lap of last Sunday’s MotoGP race, Bagnaia executed a double overtake on the brakes on the outside of the track down into Turn 6 on Marco Bezzecchi and Jorge Martin for second that justifies this change alone.

Phillip Island deserves a mention as possibly one of the best tracks on Earth. But its location – while spectacular – doesn’t lend itself to rammed tracksides and certainly comes nowhere near Jerez for atmosphere. Mugello is another wonderful track in a stunning location, but crowd figures (according to data provided by Dorna Sports dating back to 2006) have very rarely come close to Jerez’s numbers. 

Marquez and Bagnaia's Spanish GP duel sent Jerez' stadium section into a frenzy

Marquez and Bagnaia’s Spanish GP duel sent Jerez’ stadium section into a frenzy

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

And that, when it comes to defining an event, is the most important thing. Monaco isn’t the best track on the F1 calendar, nor does it often turn up exciting races. But even on a calendar overstuffed with street venues, the Monaco GP remains a unique moment of the year. The Circuit de la Sarthe where the 24 Hours of Le Mans is staged also couldn’t claim to be the most exciting of tracks. But it doesn’t matter because it’s Le Mans! Just those two words alone send racing fans into a fervour.

The 2024 Spanish GP wasn’t perfect, and it offered up some other lessons for Liberty to take heed of when it begins to shape MotoGP’s future.

Saturday’s sprint race, in which 15 riders suffered crashes across 12 laps owing mostly to damp patches they couldn’t see, made the series look silly. MotoGP’s biggest USP over almost every other type of world-class motorsport is that its racing is unrivalled. Demolition derbies do nothing to promote this.

The solution wasn’t clear-cut. Aprilia’s Maverick Vinales, who fell at Turn 5 a lap after Alex Marquez, Enea Bastianini and Brad Binder slid off at the same place while fighting for the podium – thus gifting Vinales third – felt the sprint should have been red-flagged to at least make sure the track was actually safe. Team-mate Aleix Espargaro questioned whether the sprint should have started at 3pm at all rather than delayed while the problem areas were dried out.

The right answer here is a matter of opinion, but lessons do need to be learned from this for the future given Jerez is notorious for having issues with slow-drying damp patches when it has rained.

All of this led to a second moment of lunacy that MotoGP has been warned about even before the rule was implemented. The chaos of the sprint meant Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo, who was already running ninth before a spate of late crashes having qualified a career-worst 23rd, found himself in third for the final laps.

Fending off KTM wildcard Dani Pedrosa, Quartararo celebrated a well-earned and unlikely podium given Yamaha’s current form. Taking to the podium in front of the packed banks of Turns 9 and 10, he was part of a special moment for those fans… until he was later hit with an eight-second penalty for contravening the minimum tyre pressure rule.

Quartararo enjoyed the highs and endured the lows at Jerez

Quartararo enjoyed the highs and endured the lows at Jerez

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

With Yamaha setting his tyre pressures in the anticipation that he’d be mired in the pack, the Red Sea parting threw this strategy in the bin and there wasn’t anything the 2021 world champion could do to counter this. A great ride wasted by a bad rule.

He wasn’t the only one: Trackhouse Racing’s Miguel Oliveira telling the media on Sunday that the tyre pressure rule – like in full wet conditions – shouldn’t be enforced when a track is damp because a slight discrepancy in pressure isn’t the thing that will keep you from crashing. Of course, Liberty won’t be writing any regulations, but that shouldn’t stop it from engaging in constructive discussions with the FIM, the teams and manufacturers, and — in this case — tyre supplier Michelin on matters detrimental to MotoGP’s growth as a sporting product.

MotoGP now must start the build-up to the 2025 Spanish GP at Jerez by repositioning it as the series’ showpiece

However, neither of these issues ultimately overshadowed MotoGP’s best weekend in a long time, in a 2024 season that has genuinely been box office from the get-go.

While the rest of the season ahead will no doubt throw up more thrillers, MotoGP must now start the build-up to the 2025 Spanish GP at Jerez by repositioning it as the series’ showpiece.

Oh, and make Sunday morning Pink Floyd a mandatory part of the Jerez experience again…

A crown jewel? MotoGP's Monaco? What will Liberty Media decide?

A crown jewel? MotoGP’s Monaco? What will Liberty Media decide?

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images



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Zarco slams MotoGP chief steward Spencer as «not good for this job»

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


LCR Honda’s Zarco and Aprilia’s Espargaro were battling at the outer reaches of the points in Sunday’s grand prix at Jerez when they collided at Turn 5 on lap 10.

The incident was placed under investigation by the FIM stewards panel, but no further action has been taken following a hearing involving both riders.

However, Zarco says double 500cc world champion Spencer – who has helmed the FIM stewards panel since 2019, which was created in the wake of the infamous Sepang clash between Valentino Rossi and Marc Marquez to take penalty judging out of the race director’s hands – is not fit for his position.

In a lengthy attack, the Frenchman said at Jerez: «Me, in my opinion, because I went to the race direction and Freddie Spencer was watching the action with us.

«And it seems he was looking at me like he wanted to know what I wanted. He wanted for me to complain about Aleix.

«I said ‘I will not complain’ but I said to him he is not good for this job because he doesn’t take the right decision in the right moments.

«So, ‘don’t ask me what you have to do’.»

Aleix Espargaro, Aprilia Racing Team, Johann Zarco, Team LCR Honda crash

Aleix Espargaro, Aprilia Racing Team, Johann Zarco, Team LCR Honda crash

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

When it was put to him it sounded like Spencer was waiting for Zarco to decide what should be done, he added: «It seems it is like this. I went to the race direction and he was looking at us, because I was with Aleix, like we are two children and they want to do a moral lesson.

«But ‘no Freddie, maybe you have a lot of passion but you don’t take the right decisions. You are not in the right place’, and we need to move things on because the action of Brad [Binder] yesterday [in the sprint] – if there is not [Marco] Bezzecchi [on the outside] – can happen because Pecco [Bagnaia] was surprised by Brad, he picked up the bike and he hit Bezzecchi.

«So, in that moment there is an opportunity for Brad because also Brad could take into consideration that [overtaking] three can be tricky.

«So, accept this and control. And at this moment Aleix agreed with me.

«Anyway, the riders are working to have this group together to have the right to speak and then get the right people to make the decisions.

«Aleix today, it’s just a pity that we crashed and just everything after was wrong. And I repeat Freddie Spencer is not the right guy in this place.»

Zarco says he was «kicked out» of race direction for his outburst.

For Espargaro’s part, he says that he locked the front wheel at Turn 5 which sent him down and into Zarco – but was unhappy with the battle with the Frenchman up to that point.

Johann Zarco, Team LCR Honda

Johann Zarco, Team LCR Honda

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

«I was very unhappy because I said to Johann, we are in P14, he hit me three or four times, you need to have more respect,» he said.

«He said it’s my way of riding, overtaking like this. Okay, it’s not my way of riding. This is why to avoid the contact I locked the front and I crashed.

«Because the easy thing for me at that corner was to touch him a little bit. We saw that yesterday no penalty coming in this. But it’s not my riding style.

«I don’t want to do that. I locked the front to avoid the contact.

«This is what I said to Johann. And he said, okay, I understand you, but then Johann was really angry with all the race direction panel for other actions of yesterday and he doesn’t hide the emotions.»

Inconsistency in the application of penalties was a key complaint amongst riders last year, while others – most notably Cal Crutchlow – have since 2019 been extremely vocal in their dislike of the job Spencer has been doing.

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Bagnaia says his contact with Marquez in Jerez MotoGP battle «was smart»

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


Bagnaia and Marquez locked horns with each other in the latter stages of Sunday’s 25-lap grand prix at Jerez after early leader Jorge Martin crashed out.

Marquez chopped down a 1.2-second advantage Bagnaia held on lap 14 to get within striking range on the 21st tour.

As Marquez threw his Gresini Ducati up the inside of Bagnaia, he ran slightly wide and on the cutback into Turn 10 the pair rubbed against each other.

Bagnaia came out on top and defended another overtake attempt on lap 22 to hold on for the victory.

Despite the pair colliding at the Portuguese GP last month, Bagnaia says he enjoyed his battle with Marquez and felt the contact they made was done «in a smart way».

«I enjoyed the fight a lot,» he told motogp.com’s After the Flag. «For sure, you know when you fight Marc you have to put your elbows up because the fight is intense.

«Honestly, it was the only place I was able to defend because I was knowing perfectly that he was very strong in corner seven and eight and I was hearing every lap that he was closing the gap.

«But I was really strong in the entrance of corner nine. So, I was saying to myself ‘OK, I won’t take a risk in corner eight but I will break so hard in corner nine to have a little advantage’.

Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team

Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

«And I knew that if I was braking this hard, he was for sure going to go a bit wide. And I just used this thing to close the line and be in front again.

«When you fight like this, you put it on the list that you can have this contact. I thought it was quite smooth and smart, because I was on the inside.

«He just tried to go around me, but as soon as we arrived to the apex we touched.

«He picked up [the bike] a bit; I just leant more because if I picked up too, I was going on the other side. So, it was contact but in a smart way.»

Prior to Martin’s crash, Bagnaia was set to fall 47 points behind his Pramac rival but is now just 17 adrift.

And during his battle with Marquez, he admits he had no thoughts of settling for second in order to minimise a points loss.

«It’s too soon to start thinking about it [the title], and as soon as Jorge crashed I felt better with the bike and I started to push and I dropped the lap times a bit,» he added.

«So, no, I never thought about giving up and taking second position. I’m not a guy who in this kind of moment likes to give up.»

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MotoGP points leader Martin has no answer for «strange» Spanish GP crash

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


Pramac rider Martin had seized the early advantage at the Jerez circuit on Sunday, having passed both polesitter Marc Marquez and factory Ducati rider Francesco Bagnaia in the opening two laps of the grand prix.

Circulating almost a second clear of the chasing pack led by his 2023 title rival Bagnaia on the 11th lap, Martin suddenly lost the front of his Ducati GP24 under braking for Turn 6 and hit the ground, suffering his first retirement of 2024.

The DNF shrunk his championship lead to just 17 points, as Bagnaia capitalised on the mistake to clinch his first victory since the Qatar opener and move up to second in the championship.

Speaking afterwards with the media, Martin was perplexed by a crash that came without warning while he was managing his pace at the front of the field.

«For sure [it was] a strange crash,» he said. «I will look a little bit into it. I was exactly at the same speed and I braked at the same point [as previous laps].

«So it’s a bit strange, we need to understand a bit more on the details.

«I was trying to be constant on that pace, 1m37.9, 38.0. It was a decent pace to keep the lead at that point of the race, trying to save a bit the rear tyre for the end. I was focused and confident.

«For sure, I didn’t expect to crash in that pace because I was really early into the corner, I was really straight. We need to understand to not repeat it again.»

Jorge Martin, Pramac Racing

Jorge Martin, Pramac Racing

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

He added: «Maybe there was some corners where I was risking a bit more, but corner six wasn’t one of them. I was trying to be constant, I was braking always at the same point. So we need to understand where and improve for the future.»

Several riders were penalised for running lower tyre pressures in Saturday’s sprint, which was won by Martin.

But the Spanish rider doesn’t think tyre pressure had anything to do with his crash in the grand prix, as he and Pramac continue to chase answers for the «strange» incident.

«We went a bit higher than yesterday so I was already in on the second lap. I’ve been in front. I think it wasn’t a thing of the pressure. I still didn’t understand the crash.»

Martin’s exit elevated Bagnaia to the lead of the race, with the factory Ducati rider resisting immense pressure from Gresini’s Marquez in the final laps to take an epic win in his rival’s home ground.

Bagnaia set a best time of 1m37.449s en route to his third successive MotoGP win at Jerez, having also won at the Spanish track in 2022 and ’23.

Martin hinted that he wouldn’t have been able to match the pace of Bagnaia had he made it to finish in the 25-lap contest.

«I saw 0.2 on the pitboard and I saw he was struggling a little bit,» said the 26-year-old. «But I was trying to always keep the same pace. It’s not that I pushed a bit more.

«But today Pecco was, I saw afterwards at the track, he was outstanding. His pace was amazing. I didn’t feel like I had [1m]37.4, maybe 37.6, 37.7. I could do it, but not 37.4, that’s for sure.»

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Marquez’s Jerez MotoGP duel with Bagnaia «like old times»

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


The Gresini rider qualified on pole for the first time on a Ducati before going on to score his first grand prix podium after a thrilling 25-lap race at Jerez on Sunday.

Marquez locked horns with Bagnaia in the latter stages of the grand prix, with the pair engaging twice at Turn 9 on laps 21 and 22.

On the first attempt, Marquez launched his bike up the inside of Bagnaia’s at Turn 9, before the latter retaliated at Turn 10 as the pair ended up making contact.

Both survived this and Bagnaia came through into the lead, defending a second attempt from Marquez on the following tour.

Marquez ultimately lost out on the win by 0.372s to Bagnaia and admitted he was «a bit stiff» in the early laps having crashed out of the lead of the Americas GP and the Jerez sprint.

«It was an important race – a super important race,» he said.

«In the beginning, I was a little bit stiff because I crashed in Austin, I crashed yesterday and in the beginning with the full [fuel] tank I was stiff and I lost some positions.

Marc Marquez, Gresini Racing

Marc Marquez, Gresini Racing

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

«But the speed was there to come back, the speed was there to fight with Bagnaia.

«It was a tight fight, even like old times. This is good, it’s racing. I tried to close the door, but he was inside and this is something that happens in the racing.

«On the last lap, he was super good, he pushed, and he did the fastest lap of the race. And then I tried to follow him but he had a bit more.

«But I’m super happy for this first [grand prix] podium. As you see, it doesn’t matter what happened in the past – just I fight until the end.»

Second at Jerez marked Marquez’s first grand prix podium since the wet Japanese GP last year, a few days after which he informed Honda he would be leaving the team at the end of 2023.

Not since the 2022 Australian GP has Marquez stood on a grand prix podium in the dry.

He now sits sixth in the standings on 60 points, 32 behind championship leader Jorge Martin after the Pramac rider crashed out of the Spanish GP while leading on lap 11.

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2024 MotoGP Spanish Grand Prix – How to watch, session times & more

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO



Pramac’s Jorge Martin leads the championship on 80 points as MotoGP makes its first visit of 2024 to Spain, with Ducati rider Enea Bastianini his closest rival on 59 points.

Victory in the Americas Grand Prix has promoted Aprilia’s Maverick Vinales to third in the standings, 24 points behind Martin.

2024 MotoGP Spanish Grand Prix session timings

Session

GMT

BST 

CEST

ET

PT

AEST

JST

IST

FP1

08:45

09:45

10:45

04:45

01:45

18:45

17:45

14:15

FP2

13:00

14:00

 15:00

09:00

06:00

23:00

22:00

 18:30

FP3

08:10

 09:10 10:10

04:10

01:10

 18:10

17:10

 13:40

Qualifying

08:50

 09:50 10:50

04:50

01:50

18:50

17:50

 14:20

Sprint

13:00

 14:00 15:00

09:00

06:00

23:00

22:00

18:30

Warm up

07:40

08:40

 09:40

03:40

 00:40

17:40

23:40

13:10

Race

12:00

13:00

14:00

08:00

 05:00

22:00

21:00

 17:30

2024 MotoGP Spanish Grand Prix session timings in the UK and Portugal

Friday 26th April 2024

  • Free Practice 1: 09:45 — 10:30 BST
  • Free Practice 2: 14:00 — 15:00 BST

Saturday 27th April 2024

  • Free Practice 3: 09:10 — 09:40 BST
  • Qualifying: 09:50 — 10:30 BST
  • Sprint: 14:00 BST

Sunday 28th April 2024

  • Warm up: 08:40 — 08:50 BST
  • Race: 13:00 BST

2024 MotoGP Spanish Grand Prix session timings in Europe 

Friday 26th April 2024

  • Free Practice 1: 10:45 — 11:30 CEST
  • Free Practice 2: 15:00 — 16:00 CEST

Saturday 27th April 2024

  • Free Practice 3: 10:10 — 10:40 CEST
  • Qualifying: 10:50 — 11:30 CEST
  • Sprint: 15:00 CEST

Sunday 28th April 2024

  • Warm up: 09:40 — 09:50 CEST
  • Race: 14:00 CEST

2024 MotoGP Spanish Grand Prix session timings in the US

Friday 26th April 2024

  • Free Practice 1:  04:45 — 05:30 ET / 01:45 — 02:30 PT
  • Free Practice 2:  09:00 — 10:00 ET / 06:00 — 07:00 PT

Saturday 27th April 2024

  • Free Practice 3: 04:10 — 04:40 ET / 01:10 — 01:40 PT
  • Qualifying: 04:50 — 05:30 ET / 01:50 — 02:30 PT
  • Sprint: 09:00 ET / 06:00 PT

Sunday 28th April 2024

  • Warm-up: 03:40 — 03:50 ET / 00:40 — 00:50 PT
  • Race:  08:00 ET / 05:00 PT

2024 MotoGP Spanish Grand Prix session timings in Australia

Friday 26th April 2024

  • Free Practice 1: 18:45 — 19:30 AEST
  • Free Practice 2: 23:00 — 00:00 AEST

Saturday 27th April 2024

  • Free Practice 3: 18:10 — 18:40 AEST
  • Qualifying: 18:50 — 19:30 AEST
  • Sprint: 23:00 AEST

Sunday 28th April 2024

  • Warm-up: 17:40 — 17:50 AEST
  • Race: 22:00 AEST

2024 MotoGP Spanish Grand Prix session timings in Japan

Friday 26th April 2024

  • Free Practice 1: 17:45 — 18:30 JST 
  • Free Practice 2: 22:00 — 23:00 JST 

Saturday 27th April 2024

  • Free Practice 3: 17:10 — 17:40 JST 
  • Qualifying: 17:50 — 18:30 JST
  • Sprint: 22:00 JST

Sunday 28th April 2024

  • Warm-up: 16:40 — 16:50 JST
  • Race: 21:00 JST

2024 MotoGP Spanish Grand Prix session timings in India

Friday 26th April 2024

  • Free Practice 1: 14:15 — 15:00 IST 
  • Free Practice 2: 18:30 — 19:30 IST

Saturday 27th April 2024

  • Free Practice 3: 13:40 — 14:10 IST 
  • Qualifying: 14:20 — 15:00 IST
  • Sprint: 18:30 IST

Sunday 28th April 2024

  • Warm-up: 13:10 — 13:20 IST
  • Race: 17:30 IST

Can’t find your country or region in the list? Check the MotoGP schedule page for the broadcast times in your local timezone.

Can I stream the Spanish MotoGP?

MotoGP has its own on-demand streaming service, offering live broadcast of practice, qualifying and the Sprint, as well as highlights. The MotoGP Video pass is available for an annual fee of 139.99 euros. Several local broadcasters also stream MotoGP races on their official websites.

Spanish MotoGP — Starting grid:



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Bagnaia critical of “no plan” MotoGP sprint races

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


The reigning world champion was taken out of the 12-lap sprint at Jerez on Saturday when he got sandwiched between Marco Bezzecchi on the outside and Brad Binder on his inside.

It has put Bagnaia 42 points back on Pramac’s Jorge Martin, who won the chaotic sprint.

The incident was placed under investigation by the FIM stewards but no further action was deemed to have been warranted, which Bagnaia hinted that he didn’t agree with.

«Racing incident,» he said when asked about the collision. «This is the decision by the race direction and it’s their job. It’s like this.

«For me, to overtake two riders on the kerb is not the correct line. But I’m not here to penalise someone.»

While not directly taking aim at Binder, Bagnaia said the fault lay at the feet of «the guy on the inside», but was also critical of how little thought he reckons is put into overtakes in sprint races sometimes.

«For sure it was caused by the guy on the inside, but we have to say that it was quite crazy,» he added.

«I just did two laps and a half corner and I saw four, five contacts in this first two laps.

«I have to say that the sprint race sometimes is like no plan overtakes – just let the bike go in and if you touch the rider on the other side it doesn’t matter.

Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team

Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

«Just try to overtake. This is why we saw many contacts during the race.»

Binder – who crashed out late on while battling for the podium — says the incident started when he lost the rear of his KTM exiting the final corner at the end of lap two, which allowed the factory Ducati of Bagnaia and the VR46 Ducati of Binder to flank him on the run into Turn 1.

As Bezzecchi tried to outbrake Binder, the Italian ran deep himself and Bagnaia was taken slightly wide too – opening the door for the KTM to make a move.

«I was on the normal line,» Binder said. «Well, on the entry. I saw the video and at the centre it was tighter than normal for sure.

«But I had a little highside coming out of the last corner and they [Bagnaia and Bezzecchi] split me.

«One went left, one went right and I thought there was chaos coming before there when the bike on the inside [Bezzecchi] looked like it was going straight to me… well, to be honest I thought both were going straight, so I turned in on my normal line and it looked like to me he just got sandwiched between the two bikes.»

Bezzecchi – who also crashed out later — says he felt he could still complete the overtake despite running wide because «if you go wide [at Turn 1] you have the big kerb and there is not much space to make an overtake back».

He says Bagnaia «could do nothing to avoid me» but refused to lay blame on Binder, stating: «I don’t want to express myself because every time [I do] people break my balls».

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Jerez MotoGP sprint should have been red-flagged amid crash chaos

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


In total, 15 riders of the 25 starters suffered falls across the 12-lap sprint, with 10 of those tumbles occurring in about 10 minutes between lap seven and the end.

At Turn 5, Vinales fell on lap 10 having inherited third when Alex Marquez, Brad Binder and Enea Bastianini all had identical front-end crashes the tour before.

Moments after they did this, Marc Marquez crashed out of the lead at Turn 9, while Luca Marini, Stefan Bradl, Johann Zarco and Marco Bezzecchi slid off soon after.

The race was not stopped despite the sudden spate of falls, with Pramac’s Jorge Martin going on to win from Pedro Acosta and Fabio Quartararo before the latter was hit with a tyre pressure penalty.

Most riders noted that there were damp patches in several key places, with Vinales noting that the one he crashed on at Turn 5 was impossible to see.

Asked about what happened, the Aprilia rider felt the race should have been stopped as so the circuit could be inspected.

«At the end it [the track] was 95% dry and the 5% that was wet was completely in the middle of the line,» he said.

«And especially at Turn 5 you could not see with your eyes that it was wet. For example, on the warm-up lap I passed Turn 5 and I just looked back to see where was wet and all the corner looked dry.

Marc Marquez, Gresini Racing crash

Marc Marquez, Gresini Racing crash

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

«So, was impossible to see. Also, last corner it was impossible to see [the damp patches].

«I think after the crash of Binder and all the guys, I think race direction should understand that the track was not rideable for these kinds of bikes.

«I just passed maybe on the same line and then I crashed without any warning. So, we need to really be careful when the track is on these conditions because it’s so easy to make a big crash.»

He added: «I don’t think it’s about luck. It’s about the track, the conditions of the track.

«For sure if I’m in a test I don’t go out with these conditions. I wait till it’s dry. Obviously, it was completely in the middle of the line, so that’s why I say race direction should understand that if we are 20 [riders] – or something like that – and 14 riders crash, it’s because of something. Put a red flag and check the conditions.»

Vinales also noted that riders have been asking for ways to be able to communicate from the bike to race direction to signal if there is a problem on track for it to investigate, but nothing has come of that so far.

Alex Marquez noted that Jerez being slow to dry in places is «typical» of the asphalt there, but says since the track was resurfaced in 2019 Turn 5 has been a bigger issue.

«Yeah, it’s typical, but also for many years it’s been the same problem,» he added.

«So, we need to make something to avoid these things because it’s something there… I think they resurfaced there, I don’t remember the year, but from that point we’ve had this issue.

«So, we need to do something to avoid this because for sure for the spectators it was really fun and was a spectacular race. But for the riders… it was good, but not the things we want to ride.»

Binder says his crash at Turn 5 was a result of him reacting to Alex Marquez falling in front, and in checking up he touched the damp patch.

Brad Binder, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing

Brad Binder, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Aleix Espargaro, Vinales’s team-mate – who crashed on lap one – doesn’t believe halting that race was the correct solution, but questioned whether it should have gotten underway when it did.

«I mean, yeah, you guys all saw the track conditions,» he said.

«I don’t think the red flag was the solution. Once you start the race, if the track is not getting worse for some circumstances and the track was not worse on the last lap than the first one.

«But the question mark is whether we should have started that race or not. It’s difficult really to have a fully agreed decision between all riders.»

Asked if the race should have been delayed and the track dried out, he added: «I spoke to Loris this morning and he said ‘yes, we are going in corner two and five every time to try to dry up before the sessions, but there was not time enough’.

«So, for me it’s very dangerous to have these super powerful bikes to go out on the slicks when there are some wet patches.

«But it’s difficult also for race direction because how you control that one rider doesn’t put on the slicks at the end of Q2 and risk? It’s too difficult, really.»



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