Nizer

Fixed it for you.

Matt Romanowski

That's not a fix. That is a mistake.

ProCoach

Wasn't so long ago that Ferrari had the same swing and a miss on testing correlation failures on their car. McLaren, too.

Fred has done wonders. Now, if he can just keep everyone focused and shielded from the national and press pressure in Italia...

thebishman

Dorna just agreed to be purchased by Liberty Media. If the deal is approved it would be incredible to have MotoGP and F1 running on the same weekends, or something close to that.

multi21

Id just be happy to have MotoGP broadcast on a regular network! It used to be broadcast on BEIN (mostly soccer channel) then CNBC business channel and this year on some obscure cable channel called TruTV.

A joint weekend will probably be in the works and cross promotion ideal. If it’s one thing Liberty does well is promoting their product.

skl

Pumped for this weekend- love Suzuka though it does seem a little weird to have it so early in the season.

(a few of us always got together to watch it live back in Iowa when it was on in the middle of the night...)

500

Suzuka is my #1 favorite current F1 track, very closely followed by Spa...

I'm also excited to see how MotoGP evolves under Liberty. Dorna has done a good job in a lot of areas, but, under Carmelo Ezpeleta, the series has become heavily Spanish-focused. However, it seems Carmelo will retain the CEO role, and the HQ will still be in Madrid, so not sure how much or fast change will be.

rsabeebe

the big plus with TruTV is that the sprint races are now televised also. every year you have to figure out how and where to watch MotoGP. at least now, we get 2 races each weekend.

StoogeMoe

Now if they could bring back rally cars too, my life would be complete.

gbuff

I watch March Madness every year on tru, had no idea they carried MotoGP, will look out for it.

gbuff

MavTV carries Dakar and other types of racing as well as the can't-miss Monster Jam
https://www.mavtv.com/

multi21

Correct. This is the first year in many that we can see the Saturday sprint race and Sunday main event. The pre race coverage has more of an F1 feel too than the BEIN or CNBC coverage.

That being said, if I try to watch highlights on a social media platform or YouTube, I have to sign up and register, give my email etc to MotoGP. That’s a turn off and hassle! From a purely marketing standpoint you want as many eyeballs watching from various mediums with minimal restrictions. Hopefully Liberty can add that to the MotoGP experience because the ontrack racing, as compared to F1 is much better.

sdg1871

Yes Fred is doing great. I believe he was a very strong pick for Ferrari. Scuderia Ferrari seems to be at its best when an outsider, rather than a Ferrari lifer, is running it.

multi21

Coming off the euphoria of a Ferrari 1-2 in Australia, it's time to come back down to earth. Although I really believe Carlos could have challenged Max down under if Max didn't have the DNF, we'll just never know.

Suzuka will be the real test to see if Ferrari are truly back and can contend for at least a few wins this year. Tire deg in OZ was a non issue primarily because the surface at Albert Park is not abrasive and Pirelli brought their softest compound. Other teams found graining issues, but Ferrari did not. Suzuka will see the extreme opposite with a surface much like Bahrain that is very abrasive and Pirelli bring their hardest compound in the line up of tires. If Max doesn't win by 20+ seconds, then we'll have some competition this year.

There hasn't been a race in Suzuka in Spring for as long as I can remember if not ever.... temps look to be cool and overcast with highs only in the mid-60s. There is a chance of showers on Sunday afternoon, which will surely bring drama to the race.

My Podium finish for the Japanese GP:

1. Max
2. Checo
3. Piastri

ProCoach

I disagree. Suzuka should suit the Ferraris very well.