Let's Talk MotoGP: Andrea Iannone Just (Maybe) Revealed MotoGP's Biggest Problem

You may not have missed it, but Andrea Iannone was at the start of the MotoGP Malaysian Grand Prix, his first since the end of 2019. Well, his weekend was okay overall considering his lack of preparation. But it's not his results that interest us today; no, it's what he said after the second day of racing. Having not touched MotoGP for five years, his point of view was quite relevant to evoke what has changed, and above all, what is specific to MotoGP compared to the Superbike championship in which he is currently competing.

 

Aerodynamic load, the real enemy?

 

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To sum up, he was talking about the physical difficulty involved in piloting a MotoGP also supported. At first glance, this statement is quite banal, because we know that our favorite sport requires perfect preparation of body and mind. But on reflection, he may hold the key to bringing the spectacle back to MotoGP.. Let me explain.

 

 

Let's not lie to ourselves: the races of this 2024 season are pretty flat. Most of the time, the winner (read Martin or Bagnaia) escapes and wins the race by a wide margin. Okay, Ducati dominates, no other brand comes close to it over twenty Grands Prix. But still, it's strange, especially since we went from competitive seasons to this in just a few years.

And what if the air was responsible for this lack of spectacle, or rather, for the appearance of this season in particular? Granted, many of you hate these rather crude appendages, but the argument that came up most often was related to the air disturbance caused by said appendages. The "dirty air" phenomenon is easy to understand: if you are following a motorcycle or a car that has a high aerodynamic load, you will have very little downforce in the corners, but a lot of suction in the straights. The air in front of you is totally disturbed because it is further dispersed in all directions by the competitor you are following. This is the theory that was repeated to me every time the lack of overtaking was mentioned, but this is easily refuted.

 

 

Martin and Bagnaia, in Malaysia, proved to us that it was perfectly possible to follow each other very closely, without losing grip, or seeing your tires heat up to the point that following a competitor becomes untenable (if you encounter less fresh air, everything heats up). Of course, this can happen in the event of a prolonged battle or in extreme conditions exactly like in Malaysia. Marco Bezzecchi complained about it, for example, but the joust between the first two at the finish was quite long and proved to us that there could still be a spectacle. And then, There are plenty of examples of major battles that have lasted a long time in recent years. : Sachsenring, Jerez and Buriram in 2023, for example. To a lesser extent, Jerez 2024.

But the advanced aerodynamics of today's machines could be responsible of another phenomenon that I had not thought of, and which makes perfect sense when studying the profile of the two leaders of the general.

 

Risks and rewards

 

Andrea Iannone did not talk so much about the difficulty of following a competitor. The Italian spoke more about the physical aspect of such developments. He said, for example, that everything is exhausting, that the bikes become as heavy as possible, especially during braking phases. Also, you had to do everything possible to constantly generate support, otherwise you could fall.

But wait. Who is taking the biggest risks this year? Which riders are crashing out of a position to score big points because they are the only ones constantly playing up front? Who are these men who, on this grid, never calculate anything, are always at full speed? Martin and Bagnaia. Finally, isn't the apparent gap in level between them and the rest of the grid explained in this way? Many think that they often fall when they are first or second because of their position, but isn't it because they attack more than everyone else at any point in the race that they fall – and therefore, according to Iannone, get tired more quickly, try to make the most of their aerodynamics – Basically, isn’t the question being asked the wrong way?

 

 

I now think so, and it's a problem on two levels. First, because the aerodynamic escalation in MotoGP is destined to make this famous dirty air phenomenon appear for good. If it continues, the riders will no longer be able to follow each other (which is not the case at the moment, I should point out). Second, because the bikes are going faster and faster, and it will be even easier to get caught out because you're not attacking enough. The heats would become a kind of "attack race", a series of twenty-six qualifying laps'. Note, this is somewhat the case at present. And the race must remain the race, with its own science.

 

Conclusion

 

I hope I was clear., but to sum up, Bagnaia and Martin are the best because they are the ones who apply the philosophy that the era requires. We are in the era of attackers, we knew that, but isn't it the bikes that impose that more than the appearance of phenomena like Bastianini, Martin and Bagnaia? Bikes need to be pushed to the maximum to work in the best way, a bit like a virtuous circle, and the two - who also have similar qualities and an almost identical approach - are the ones who give themselves the most to the handlebars.

This is a phenomenon to watch closely, and one that I will try to keep an eye on in 2025. A posteriori, this would explain many past events: for example, Would Fabio Di Giannantonio not have “simply” increased his commitment to the handlebars at the end of 2023, totally freed up because forced to perform ? Wasn't this his key to unlocking performance, rather than a linear progression or on more precise points? As a result, wouldn't confidence become the most formidable weapon a driver can have? Aren't we heading towards the disappearance of the science of racing, in favor of intrinsic speed? These are open questions, I don't have the answer to all of them.

I'm very curious to know what you think of this reflection in the comments, hoping that it was clear enough from start to finish. As a reminder, this is only an opinion, and in no way the truth.

As a reminder, this article only reflects the thoughts of its author, and not of the entire editorial team.

 

 

Cover photo: Michelin Motorsport