Let's talk MotoGP: Have you noticed this change in Moto3?

Fortunately, no Grand Prix category is fixed. Moto2, which we thought was dead given the poor spectacle offered, was reborn from its ashes at the start of the year. MotoGP is more competitive than ever. And the smallest class in all this? For some time there has been a particular trend in Moto3; a big change alters the appearance of the races. Not that the show is less beautiful, but just different.

 

In package

 

Close your eyes, and imagine yourself for a single moment in front of a Moto3 Grand Prix. What do you see ? An incessant battle for the lead, competitors who do each other no favors. Young wolves who confront each other with great careening blows, stealing at the slightest opportunity to brake later than their counterparts. But for some time now, that's not how it happens anymore. This distorted vision of our memories should not mask the reality of racing.

There is often a pilot who starts in front, and a group who fights behind to follow him. The latter is lively, certainly, but most of the time, the man in the lead manages to weave a small mattress of a few tenths, more than enough to avoid suffering the agonies of suction in a straight line, and also to kill everything immediate suspense. Leader changes can be counted on the fingers of one hand. Sometimes he goes all the way.

 

 

You do not believe me ? Wait until you see the numbers. In 2023, the rise of Daniel Holgado at the start of the season led to the establishment of this phenomenon. At Le Mans, the Tech3 driver led the entire race, without ever being caught. Then, the assertion of David Alonso, Aspar driver, added spice. He doesn't like to lead so much; he prefers to explode in the final moments. We had a pretty exciting 2023 season, it must be said.

But since the end of last year, this trend has materialized, particularly a few laps before the end, where normally the young people are the most energetic. The last four Grands Prix to date are the very illustration of this. In Qatar, at the end of 2023, no one was able to overtake Jaume Masia on the last lap. In Valencia, Ayumu Sasaki was far superior to the rest, and none of his competitors could catch him in the last loop. In Lusail, for the start of this 2024 season, Daniel Holgado, again, did not let go of the lead throughout the race; except in the last corner, where David Alonso stole the victory. In Portugal, three men seriously exchanged first position, but once again, Holgado was not worried in the last lap.

 

 

More legible

 

On the last four Grand Prizes, there was only one overtake for first place on the last lap in Moto3. A category which, usually, is hotly contested until the checkered flag is presented. Is this the birth of a new racing strategy aimed at letting the leader exhaust himself, using him as a hare? I don't think so, because Moto3 doesn't rhyme with calculations. Well, until now. The profile of those involved plays a key role in this statistic. We will see later if it continues like this.

 

 

But is this good news? At the risk of disappointing many, I would like to see more races like these. I often struggled with the Moto3 being a bit cluttered, completely unreadable and too unpredictable. My dream season doesn't have twelve different winners and a plethora of performances so mind-boggling that they become banal. No, I much prefer when they apply themselves, when they redouble their ingenuity and reason to sting at the right time. The show is different but certainly not less qualitative. Tension can have its effect, and often seeing the same teams at the forefront means ensuring a contested world title, adding stakes to the fiercer battles which are therefore, by logic, more rare.

I like the way the category is going, although I know many fans prefer the more conventional Moto3, seven abreast going into the first corner at Mugello. It's good too, I wouldn't dare say otherwise, but much less impressive when such images strike our minds every two weeks. Human beings become accustomed to everything, even the purest and most passionate expression of racing between competitors with similar equipment.

I would really like to have your opinion on this interesting statistic, and on the evolution of Moto3. Tell me what you think in the comments!

Cover photo: Tech3