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2026 Barcelona MotoGP Race Result: When Everything That Can Go Wrong Does Go Wrong *UPDATED*

By Zara Daniela |

Resilience was the word of the day for the premier class after two red flags, two trips to the hospital and too many aches and bruises, in a pained effort to get the Catalan GP to the chequered flag. Despite getting his arm whacked by a flying tyre in one of several incidents, Fabio Di Giannantonio bounced back from the pain and the shock to mount a victory challenge in the final 12-lap sprint and secure his first win of the season. At the third attempt to run this race, the podium roulette randomly stopped on Joan Mir and Fermin Aldeguer, although the Honda rider was still uncertain of keeping his second place trophy as he was under investigation for tyre pressure issues while he was popping prosecco on the podium. 

UPDATE: Mir was eventually sanctioned with a 16-second penalty that lost him the podium and promoted Bagnaia to third. 

The first time the lights went out, poleman Pedro Acosta got the holeshot while Alex Marquez and Raul Fernandez demoted Franco Morbidelli from the front row line-up - the Spanish duo going on to repeatedly swap places over the opening lap. Meanwhile, Morbidelli lost further positions to a fast-starting Jorge Martin, as well as Johann Zarco by the end of lap 1, with Di Giannantonio, Marco Bezzecchi, Fabio Quartararo and Luca Marini in the rest of the top 10. Ai Ogura had climbed to 12th from 18th on the grid and Pecco Bagnaia dropped a couple of places to 15th, while Binder had to start from pitlane after encountering some bike issues on the grid.

The early feistiness between Fernandez, Marquez, Martin and Zarco helped Acosta extend a seven-tenth gap at the front, while the quartet continued their tango. However, once Fernandez deposed Marquez at turn 1, he posted a rapid lap 3 that allowed him to reel in Acosta and drop the rest of the group behind. The Trackhouse rider wasted no time in attacking Acosta to take the lead at the start of lap 5, while Marquez deposed Martin of 3rd in the same place to take over the pursuit, but already found himself 1.2 seconds behind the victory battle. The chase also included Zarco and Di Giannantonio, while Morbidelli fronted the next group, a second and a half down the road, with Mir, Marini and Aldeguer for company. The struggles continued for the Italian duo of Bagnaia and Bezzecchi - the Ducati man struggling to break into the top 10, while the Aprilia rider made a couple of early mistakes that dropped him to a distant 12th position. 

Back at the front, Acosta tested the waters occasionally but could not make a move stick on Fernandez, while Marquez was starting to steadily close back in and distance the Martin-Di Giannantonio-Zarco triumvirate by one second. As the quickest man on track at that early stage, Marquez made it a three-way victory battle by lap 9, and that rushed Acosta into reclaiming the lead at turn 1. Marquez further demoted Fernandez next time into the first corner, but bided his time before showing Acosta a wheel. Marquez hinted at an attempt at the start of lap 12, pulling alongside Acosta on the start-finish straight but the KTM rider wasn’t keen to give that up easily and Alex had to blink first and let his compatriot stay ahead.

However, complete disaster struck by the time they arrived at turn 10, when Acosta’s KTM seemed to suddenly cut out on the back straight, leaving Marquez with no time to react, the Ducati tagging the KTM at high speed and sending Marquez tumbling through gravel and grass along the sidewall. If that wasn’t bad enough, parts were flying off the Ducati and showering the track, hitting several riders who were close behind the incident, including Di Giannantonio, Fernandez and Zarco.

Once the track was cleared, a conscious Marquez was sent to the hospital for checks and some questions were asked of KTM - after 3 of their machines had encountered technical issues in those first 12 laps - a new 13-lap race got underway with Acosta, Fernandez and Martin on the front row. Although several riders looked in some discomfort, only Marquez and Enea Bastianini failed to make the restart - the Italian having retired with technical issues on lap 10. 

Acosta made a solid start at the second attempt, ahead of Mir and Martin, but before the sprint could really get going, another red flag came out after Zarco crashed at the first corner and took Bagnaia and Marini out into the gravel with him. After yet another break in proceedings, a third attempt was made to run this odd race, with everyone bar Zarco lining up for a 12-lap sprint - the Frenchman on his way to the hospital for further investigations on his leg. 

Acosta once again made a solid launch off the line, while the early squabble for second between Martin and Fernandez ended in the gravel at turn 5, after the Trackhouse rider rushed an overtake and tagged his compatriot. That left Mir in an unexpected second place, with a fast-starting and rather lucky Bagana in 3rd. An underwhelming getaway had lost Di Giannantonio some ground early on but the incident promoted him back to fourth, with Quartararo in the top five ahead of Ogura, Aldeguer, Bezzecchi, Moreira and Marini in the early top 10. 

Victory seemed set to fall into Acosta’s lap with Mir as his main challenger, although the Spaniard stayed glued to the KTM’s rear wheel early on - a group of 4 escaping at the front, also including Bagnaia and Di Giannantonio. Meanwhile, Aldeguer was left in charge of the chase, one second behind the leading quartet and with a big group in tow, but the Gresini rider soon closed in on Bagnaia, as the Italian struggled to keep the leaders’ pace after the first handful of laps on a medium rear tyre. Aldeguer eventually made his move at turn 4 of lap 7, and was a second off the podium positions. Bagnaia’s next threat was Ogura, the Japanese rider breezing past next time into turn 1, but then the Italian had one second in hand to defend 6th from compatriot Bezzecchi.

Back at the front, Acosta continued to lead the way but by the end of lap 8, Di Giannantonio had become his main threat, demoting Mir and leaving him as bait for Aldeguer and Ogura, who were the quickest men on track in those final handful of laps. Di Giannantonio made the decisive move at turn 10 of lap 10, and although Acosta tried to hang in there initially, the Italian had the inside line for turn 12 and stayed ahead. Acosta did not seem to have an answer to that, immediately surrendering a whole second to the Italian over the next lap. Suddenly, the podium did not seem secure either, as Mir relegated Acosta at the start of the final lap and Aldeguer did not need an invitation to go through at turn 4. 

While Di Giannantonio, Mir and Aldeguer cruised to the finish line, Ogura left it until the final corner to make his move but nudged Acosta into a crash and got a three-second penalty for the incident, dropping him from 4th to 9th on the timesheets. After spending the final handful of laps fending off Bezzecchi, Bagnaia inherited 4th - but even that looked uncertain as both him and Mir were immediately under investigation for possible tyre pressure infringements, giving hopes at a podium to Bezzecchi, who had crossed the finish line 6th. Quartararo, Marini and Binder also benefitted from Ogura’s penalty, while Moreira completed the top 10 positions. 

A furious Martin pulled into pitlane before completing the final lap, fully aware of the costly Sunday that leaves him 15 points behind Bezzecchi in the championship. Di Giannantonio reclaimed 3rd from Acosta - now 26 points behind the leader, Acosta dropping to 4th, 50 points back. He is followed by the unfortunate Trackhouse duo and Alex Marquez, while Bagnaia jumps ahead of Marc Marquez in 8th - the reigning world champion now 85 points down, while still recovering from surgery.

UPDATE: 16 second penalties were handed out to Mir, Alex Rins, Jack Miller, Toprak Razgatlioglu and Raul Fernandez for tyre pressure infringements, while Bagnaia was cleared. That promoted the Italian to the podium and Bezzecchi up to 4th, while Mir dropped to 13th, ahead of Rins and Miller in the final point-scoring positions. 

Results:

Pos No. Rider Bike Time/Diff
1 49 Fabio Di Giannantonio Ducati 20:06.243
2 54 Fermin Aldeguer Ducati 1.466
3 63 Francesco Bagnaia Ducati 4.320
4 72 Marco Bezzecchi Aprilia 4.679
5 20 Fabio Quartararo Yamaha 4.876
6 10 Luca Marini Honda 4.971
7 33 Brad Binder KTM 5.137
8 79 Ai Ogura Aprilia 5.377
9 11 Diogo Moreira Honda 6.839
10 21 Franco Morbidelli Ducati 7.160
11 12 Maverick Viñales KTM 10.147
12 47 Augusto Fernandez Yamaha 16.245
13 36 Joan Mir Honda 17.250
14 42 Alex Rins Yamaha 22.916
15 43 Jack Miller Yamaha 26.452
16 7 Toprak Razgatlioglu Yamaha 27.808
17 25 Raul Fernandez Aprilia 31.066
Not Classified
  89 Jorge Martin Aprilia 21:04.835
  37 Pedro Acosta KTM 18:26.874
  5 Johann Zarco Honda  
  73 Alex Marquez Ducati  
  23 Enea Bastianini KTM  
2026
6
MotoGP
Barcelona, Catalunya, Spain
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Comments

Are you not entertained ?

Crikey.

Bullet, mortar, and missile dodged !

Alex made the save of the decade, enough degrees to miss the wall. Zarco yoga is trending. DiGi nearly lost it all. 

Bertie said we could tell Zarco wasn't making it a hundred metres before. I'll have to rewatch but I saw Zarco doing fine until another Honda zipped past on his left. Zarco caught that air, front locked, and then no chance.

When the investigations were announced, and there were so many (have there ever been six before?), my first thought was that after three race starts perhaps the tires were worn and over stressed enough that the pressure wouldn’t set properly.  

Seems a shame that the riders are punished for something they can’t control.  

I’d love to learn more about this, if anyone has thoughts on the subject.  Thanks!

It seems to me that perhaps 3 seconds (or a long lap penalty) isn’t enough of a penalty for causing a crash, and 16 seconds is too harsh for a tire pressure penalty.  I’m still more than a little annoyed (pissed?) that Mir lost his podium and ended up 13th for something he couldn’t control.  Ogura did cause Pedro to crash (in the last corner - wiping out all Pedro’s points for the three stressful races!) and his penalty seems mild in comparison to Mir’s (and the others).  

IMHO the logic behind these two penalties needs review.   

If the team decided to give Mir a few more cc without telling him, that would also be out of his control. As naff as the tyre pressure thing is, they are all under the same rule. Lower pressure gave an advantage. Look at it from a different angle, such as from the riders Mir finished ahead of. They started the race and ran the entire race with pressures higher than Mir's. If his tyres were a lot lower than the likit, is 0.5s penalty per lap fair ? Would that represent the advantage ? 

But I imagine there are many, many different kinds of advantages from bike to bike. I don’t think tire pressure is the be all end all of advantages. If that were true, we would have to negate the results of many of the past championship seasons, prior to these ridiculous rules and penalties. The real reason for the rules is not safety, nor rider advantage; it is simply about Michelin protecting its brand image.

The whole point is that everybody is operating under the same rule set. Anything within those rules is ok. If there was no tyre pressure rule they could do what they liked. In any given race, it doesn't matter if the rules were introduced for safety or accidentally copy pasted from facebook. I might think it's a nonsense, but I cannot ignore it when others are following it. Performance advantages, within the rules, are allowed.

But, since following these rules seems to boil down to luck, I certainly am not going to accept the outcome of the rules. The fact that Mir followed closely behind Acosta for much of the race and still had the tire pressure issue, says all that needs to be said about the nature of the rules. The fact that four other riders also had the problem, suggests something was drastically off with the second restart. The rules should have been scrapped for this very reason. Many reputable journalists and most MotoGP fans seem to think likewise. Mir P2.

Hey, I hate that rule too, but the vast majority manage to avoid falling foul of it. The fact that Mir stayed behind Acosta for so long and still got the penalty might be a small hint at, a) why he was running at the front, and b) how low his tyre pressure was. Safety issue ? No idea, zero, don't know. Do you remember when the rule was enforced ? The riders said it would be impossible to ride, dangerous, crazy. The ladies doth protested too much, methinks. When less crashes came after the rule than before, it was a huge hint at the performance difference.

Fabio, Fermin, Pecco ? They had more pressure.

This rule is one of those things that we could all discuss to death from every possible angle and never really get anywhere. Ultimately, it doesn’t pass the smell test. Everyone hates it, and most know it’s not about increasing safety or reducing rider advantage. By that logic there would be many other changes made to the sport. 

No, it’s about protecting Michelin’s brand image. They can’t risk the headline exposure of a tire blowout. That doesn’t make the rule Michelin’s fault. They have the right to protect their image. Maybe it’s the manufacturer’s fault with all the aero and other tech stuff (darn you Gigi!). Maybe it’s MotoGP or FIM’s fault for not clamping down on the tech advances. I honestly don’t know.

But I’ve hated this rule and have railed against it since its inception. I remember being livid when Diggia got demoted after the race where he came in second, sometime after scoring his breakthrough victory in Qatar. I remember being pissed off when Quartararo got demoted from third and hilariously presented his trophy to Pedrosa.

So now it’s happened to my favorite rider Mir, and I’m pissed off all over again. At least he was in good spirits when I saw him after the race, even though he already knew he lost his P2 and trophy.

This is not the way to run a championship. As I said, it doesn’t pass the smell test. It stinks.

It's the wings, without the wings, enforcing of rule vanishes overnight.

It is about safety. 

Michelin were worried about what they saw. They were asked to put a number on it. They gave a number certain to keep things safe within all reason because if wrong and something did happen, it falls on them.

Test new tyre ? They wouldn't.

Get rid of the wings ? I wonder who was loudest with the 'no'.

It reminds me of the space shuttle Challenger. O-rings had suffered issues. They knew it, but they went with the logic that because nothing bad had happened in the past as a result of these issues, nothing bad would happen in the future. Failed.

Everyone races for brand reputation…EVERYONE. Riders to increase their worth to Factories/teams, manufacturers to sell bikes, independent teams to sell exposure for advertisers, sponsors to sell products.

What you say as an insult is literally how the racing world turns. It’s the highest, most corporate, form of motorcycle racing on the planet, I’m not sure why you would expect any different?

And it’s not like Michelin are an outlier with tyre problems, Bridgestone had their fair share of problems: Phillip Island 2013 ring a bell? Nakano’s 190mph tyre failure/crash at Mugello? The latter is EXACTLY what Michelin are trying to avoid.

Now, I realise Mir is your favourite rider but we just need to acknowledge that he was actually in the most favourable of circumstances to maintain pressure and he STILL failed to meet the criteria. He was basically in the wake of a 300hp heat pump the WHOLE race, he was NOT out in clear air. If he couldn't meet the minimum pressure under those circumstances then when? Sorry mate, it’s not Mir’s fault, but his team screwed up big time.

But at the end of the day tyre pressures are a symptom, not the cause. Why argue over the best way to handle a headache when we could simply stop beating our head against a wall?

Ride height devices increase the speeds reached, which must be dissipated = extra load on the front tyre. Aero reduces wheelie which also increases speeds which must be dissipated, which also increases the load on the front tyre. Aero also increases the load on the tyre as the bike pitches under braking.

None of it is remotely relevant to road bike development and none of the independent teams give a shit about it, yet it is the cause of pretty much all that is wrong with Motogp, including the overloaded front tyre. Dorna/Smeg have done NOTHING to protect riders all piling into the first corner with no separation thanks to all having near perfect launches, so tightly bunched with ride height devices that often fail to reset: it’s an accident waiting to happen.

It’s nuts. Stop quibbling over tyre pressures: TREAT THE CAUSE NOT THE SYMPTOM.

I’m not even sure that your lengthy response addresses things I brought up in my post. But whatever. I hate the rule, and I do not blame the teams or riders for failing to live up to it. And in this particular race (three races!!!), I definitely don’t blame the teams or the riders.

Exactly as I was thinking but could not write, thanks.

I'd add, does anyone remember how long some Williams peeps were the subject of manslaughter charges over the death of Senna ? Michelin were asked to give numbers. Operate outside of those numbers, not Michelin's problem. Inside, different story. As you point out, it's an international series. That also means many different jurisdictions, many different laws. 

Oh, I definitely have thoughts about Michelin never bringing the new front tire they were promising since 2021 until last year when even they admitted they wouldn't bother. For safety.

Hopefully WSBK survives the coming onslaught of front end crashes and tire pressure penalties changing race results 3 hours after the actual race has ended. It'll probably be fine.

I'm not just angry. I'm also disappointed.

I was there, in the MotoGP Premier lounge right above the track where the horrific Alex Marquez crash occurred. I saw it all from both sides. I saw something happen to Acosta’s bike, while the riders headed towards my over-the-track lounge, that caused something to come off his bike. At least one rider started waving his arms as pieces of something flew around the track. 

Then I ran to the opposite window, only to see Alex’s bike disintegrating. Then I saw a track employee run to the side of a rider. I honestly didn’t know whose bike disintegrated, so I didn’t know it was Alex until I asked someone. A very  harrowing and ugly thing to watch.

I am deeply relieved and thankful that both Alex and Johann will be okay. Wishing them both a very speedy recovery.

As for Mir’s tire pressure penalty. Well I’m pissed. I’m not even going to get into my feelings about these rules or the way MotoGP handles these situations. I’m just going to say that it is plain cruel to do this to a rider. I’ve felt this from the moment these rules were established. It tarnishes this sports and makes MotoGP appear to be completely inept at running the championship. Absolutely shameful.

I am also grateful both riders are getting good care and expected to recover.  It was horrible and frightening to watch.  It seems a lot to ask of riders (humans) to restart after two red flags (with riders taken away by ambulance).  Perhaps after one red flag, with injuries, the race could just be called 'complete'.  

With respect to the tire pressure situation, isn't it correct that the team sets the pressure before the race starts?  If there is an issue with it, and a penalty must be issued, why doesn't the penalty go to the team score and not impact the riders?  

I literally had my fingers crossed that Mir's podium would not be taken away.  IMHO, this just shouldn't happen.

That’s an interesting idea regarding penalizing the team and not the rider. I just think it’s especially cruel what this rule did to Mir. However, I do know that his team absolutely considers it a P2, regardless of the demotion. Even when they knew the outcome of the investigation, they still were celebrating in the garage as if it had never happened.

Safety. 
It’s a word often spoken during a race weekend. Every rider knows the risks but they compartmentalise and push it to the back of their mind, they have to. And so do us fans to a certain degree, until the brutal truth of the danger shatters the illusion of safety and is brought home with devastating reality. So I’m immensely glad and relieved to hear Alex and Johan are relatively ok - horrific crashes that could have been so much worse. 

Safety - so the tyre pressure rule for safety is a good thing isn’t it?

But in all the years Michelin has been the spec tyre supplier to MotoGP I can only recall one issue related to tyre pressure with Scott Reddings rear tyre deflating. There may be have been more incidents but I can’t recall any. Some might say that justifies the rule and that it works. 

Does this excuse the farcical tyre situation MotoGP finds itself in?

Every season we see multiple accidents when the track temperatures are too cool for the tyres Michelin have brought because their tyre design has such a narrow operating window. All weekend in Barcelona we saw riders face planting the deck without warning because the tyre allocation was not suitable for the cooler conditions, and the track surface is desperately short on grip. 

What was done about that? 

The riders just had to do their best and accept the risk of riding on a low grip surface on tyres that are not ideal. Yet the tyre pressure rule that riders have no real control or influence over is rigidly enforced.

Little wonder that after the chaos of three race starts some teams may have misjudged their starting pressures especially as the day drew on due to the delays and track temperatures cooled.

Hypocrisy.

So in the same logic should the riders / teams be prevented from going out on circuit until the ambient and track surface temperatures reach the Michelins operating range, and should race direction red flag a session if temperatures sufficiently drop like they did in the PI race years ago?

Or, should the tyre allocation be increased to allow more tyres and compounds to be added? 

That seems to be the obvious solution. Instead supply and shipping costs take precedence over rider safety and to stop teams from pushing the pressure limits in search of grip that they would otherwise find with more tyre choices, or track surfaces that are up to standard, we end up with a ridiculous tyre pressure rule. 

Hypocrisy.

As Matt Oxley points out the riders need to get organised for their own good because the change to Pirelli won’t change the organisers attitude when safety has the potential to stop “the show” or cost too much. 

Didn't all four KTM's have mechanicals this weekend?

Prior to the 2nd re-start I was wondering if race control would let any KTM race. The shots of Acosta in the box made me wonder if he really wanted to get back on that bike.

At least their tire pressure was within limits.

Ouch, that was some hard watching.  That we can discuss it without it being in the shadow of a much worse outcome says a lot for their protective gear and quite frankly, just a lot of luck.  In Zarco's case especially, the way he was tangled up with the cartwheeling bike... just horrendous.

I am not one for the nanny-state solution to everything, however I do think it's time to do something about Turn1's in general and particularly here.  The absurd height of the rear of the bike to allow for the detestable arse-squatters is a factor.  Taka Nakagami was also hoovered up into the rear wheel area of a bike (possibly also Pecco's?) in the same corner a couple of years ago, in that case supremely lucky not to have his neck snapped as his head was rotated between tyre and ducktail.

Some of it will resolve itself a bit next year with the long-overdue removal of said devices, but I fear the same principle will worm it's way back in somehow.  Removing all electronic assistance over starts (clutch, revs, torque, everything!) would also appear a simple way to spread the field a bit more at Turn1.  Maybe also at tracks like here and Balaton drop it to two bikes per row, or double the row spacing, or some other measure?

Back when I started watching this malarkey they were actually still push-starting, but by 87 and the clutch starts they were five-wide on the grid, all in a line across the track, row spacing of only a couple of bike lengths, and yet due to the variety of starts they went into Turn1 with far more spread than these days.

Put the whole thing under computer control and give them an actual session to dial in the start control settings perfectly and you get the expected result - everyone into Turn1 at the same time.  The 'devices' only increase the speed.

OTOH, as MotoGP fans, we have to accept that the danger is part of the appeal.  While watching a human master something so incredibly difficult, dancing with the physics of it all, riding the razor's edge extracting everything from a device that only a few in the world can master, machine-destroying crashes are also part of the spectacle.  When it can happen and everybody walks away or comes away with minimal injuries then well, we are entertained! It is our own desire to watch an inherently risky sport that feeds the machine.  A throwback to the colleseum or something.  Removing the risk altogether, having everyone forming an orderly line 100m apart through turn 1.... not the result we want either is it?

Wasn't the whole tyre issue a result of Scott Redding's delamination in 2016. yes, 10 years ago. Then once again in 2018, again with Redding.

Redding was listed as 78kg and had some further issues with overheating tyres.So let's ban all riders over 80kg? Because Michelin claimed it was the combination of rider weight and track conditions that were the problems.

Since then,[Scott departing], nothing further that I could find. 

A pathetic reason for continuing to penalize riders who give their all only to find their temperatures are too low, under 1.68bar, [24psi] rear,1.8 front.

Especially considering some of the Dunlop slicks[kr451] had 1.58 to1.7 recommended.

I'll be glad to see Michelin go.

 

 

The epic Rossi/Hayden season was largely decided by tyre delaminations/chunking.

It seems entirely understandable Michelin have no wish to revisit that scenario, especially given teams have refused to test improved tyres while concurrently increasing the load on the front tyre.

And no, a tyre pressure penalty is not “decided by tyres” it is decided by teams pushing the limits and riders ignoring the warning on their dash, No different to a rider/team squirrelling away extra illegal fuel capacity Smokey Yunick-style at a fuel heavy track.

For reference:

“Valentino Rossi suffered several high-profile Michelin front tire delaminations and tread "chunking" issues during the 2006 MotoGP season. The most famous failure occurred at the Shanghai circuit, forcing him into a costly early retirement and impacting his championship campaign. 
 
The 2006 Tire Failures
  • Shanghai (China): During the Chinese Grand Prix in May 2006, Rossi was charging from 13th and battling for a podium spot. On lap 16, a large piece of tread violently detached from his front tire, destroying his front fender and forcing him to pit. Michelin later investigated and officially apologized for the structural failure.
  • Laguna Seca (USA): Later in the season, Rossi experienced a similar loss of grip and tread degradation during the US Grand Prix, which resulted in a massive loss of pace.
  • Assen (Netherlands) & Istanbul (Turkey): Rossi also struggled with severe, race-ruining vibration and tread decay during races at Assen and Turkey, which ultimately cost him valuable points in his closely contested title fight with Nicky Hayden.”

 

I respectfully disagree with you. Under normal circumstances you make some very good points. However, Sunday’s race was anything but normal. I am also not convinced that the riders always get a clear message regarding their tire pressure. Additionally, based on how Mir raced, his tire pressure issue doesn’t really make sense. It shouldn’t have happened. Add to that an obscenely unfair penalty, and you have the recipe for a very disenchanted fan of the sport. 

A side note… this is most definitely not primarily about safety. It is Michelin protecting its image, manufacturers not willing to bend on all the tech developments and MotoGP not knowing how to run a championship. 

One final note… placing the onus on the team to figure out the perfect tire pressure, with so many variables at play, is really kind of ridiculous. And expecting a rider in the heat of battle in a shortened race to give up places in order to achieve the desired tire pressure is equally absurd.

If I recall correctly, 2006 was the last year Michelin was able to make one-off compound tires, specific to Rossi for the next day's race and overnighted to him. Hard to believe a tire manufacturer would risk a gamble like that. Even a tire with a known compound formula could very likely be flawed during such a rushed fabrication.

When MotoGP ended that practice, in 2007, Stoner took the championship on Bridgestones (and again, if I recall correctly, Rossi switched to Bridgestone in 2008).  

The rule always existed and was never enforced. Then aero got serious around 2020. Brembo brakes started struggling. Bigger discs with bigger fins clamped by bigger calipers with bonus added extra fins. For brembo to struggle, there must be the grip. That grip under braking came from having small barn doors attached to the front fairing doing 360k down a straight. More load -> more grip, until the tyre collapses. The front tyre can't take much more of it at these pressures captain ! We need a new tyre, Michelin brought it, nobody would test it. Answer, we need more pressure. Voilà.

We don't know. We cannot know what would have happened without the rule. Somebody made a best guess. 

Are of the most extraordinary quality. I have changed my conclusion on just about every issue raised, and then gone back again. Ultimately i have too wonder how reasonable it is to strictly apply a business as usual in tyre pressure rule in circumstances that are SO weird as this race. But then again the reason for the rule is safety and that was the reasons for the red flags. And I can't imagine that Michelin are sticking to their position without any cause. 

Over the weekend I was preparing to bake a large humble pie for my critique of the KTM efforts. It started pretty well... . By the end of the weekend - not so much. Vinales in the Sprint, Binder, Bestia and Acosta in the Sunday race - all with technical problems and the Acosta fault landing Alex M in the hospital. I am sorry but that's Grande level '...something not easily defined but not capable of being immediately assessed as happenstance'. If I am race direction there is no way I would be strolling into that box and politely enquiring if Acosta was good to go and the cause of all the faults was fully understood. If a team has a fault that causes another rider to crash they should sit out the restart out - IMHO. When that team has 4 separate technical faults, two of which involved sudden loss of power, in one weekend, I am not prepared to accept any 'don't worry be happy. assurances for the restart from that team. 

I’ve learned a lot by reading the comments on this site (and of course from David too!) my opinions have very much been shaped by the knowledge I’ve gained from Motomatters. :-)

This is also Massimo Rivola’s position ie that Acosta should have not been given the go ahead to take part in the second race as it was his bike malfunction to cause the mayhem and consequent red flag. This pains me because Pedro was great yesterday and oh what a dumb move by Ogura on the last lap. 

MM93 must be happy with that, just a further 12 points dropped and only to Bezz is a bit of a result.  

Respect to all those here including Dave, Adam and Neil that spotted AM73 AS A FINAL ACT managed to turn his bike back to the left as he crashed.  It literally saved his life....he would have been killed because there was no air, no sky to fly off into.  Just the end of a building.  

All Bezz's points are dead lucky this weekend.  he was on his way to zero Sunday and EB23 gave him his one Saturday point.  We have to remember his lucky days.  

Dave mentioned Digi was hit by a tyre, I think when it is still on the wheel with a fork leg it goes down as "Digi was hit by a front end!".  Lucky boy all in all!  

Worth pointing out that it would take no real effort to landscape the side of the track into something smoother which is vital on the straights.  As someone who's done this ride, it leaves a memory in the underpants!  

I note that AM73 was blessed with falling and skidding next to the wall.  His brother had a similar accident at Mugello on the home straight, both brothers were going along with their heads nearest the hard wall.  brrrr! gives me the shivers!!!! 

I thought Ai Ogua's overtake was fair!  Pedro Acosta left a huge gap but when he went in he was totally committed and thus the hook up.  Pedro hangs off so far, he can't alter back in anyway his steering.  This is also true of Jorge's, it looked to me less like 'cornering' and more like blocking but JM89 - like pedro - is so far off that actually, there is no saving it.  I don't think Raul deserves what he got.  

I've noticed that since these frames started being made to 'give' laterally, they just totally disintegrate now and more easily than in recent days going back less than a decade.  

MotoGP dodged a bullet today, just like it did in 2020 at Austria when Morbidelli and was it Zarco's bikes whizzed passed Rossi's head.  

And they want street circuits?  Nobody has taken Mike Trimby's place.  They're just interested in themselves and with these new American owners, they are going to regret it.  There will be a price to pay.