Let's talk MotoGP: You are wrong about Jaume Masiá, the harassment must stop

The biggest injustice of 2023 began on Sunday, November 19 at 15:37 p.m. As since the start of the season, I was recounting the progress of the Moto3 race for your favorite site. The event was sensational, and crowned Honda Leopard Racing driver Jaume Masiá. I decided to title “the race of the year”, because I was convinced of it; we have not seen this level of tension since mid-March. And yet. What was my surprise when I saw the avalanche of negative comments regarding the winner. So, today, “Parlons MotoGP” will try to help stop the harassment that has been affecting Jaume Masiá for three days. Because yes, he did nothing wrong.

This analysis, like the others, aims to give an argued subjective point of view, and collect your opinions in comments. On such a serious subject, let's all contribute to kindness on social networks.

 

Jaume Masiá was magnificent

 

Not only do I affirm that Jaume Masiá is not at fault, but he was also great. After Valencia, I will return in detail to the entire Moto3 season, with its teachings, its lessons, and its tricks. But for now, let's focus exclusively on the Qatar Grand Prix, although adding context will sometimes be necessary, especially in part three.

Let's start by recalling the facts. Jaume Masiá arrived at Losail at the head of the Moto3 world championship, ahead of Ayumu Sasaki, rider for the Husqvarna Intact GP team. With a 13-point lead, the mattress guaranteed him the title if he won and the Japanese did not finish in the top four. Once the lights go out, the two find themselves on the track, at the front, and offer us a sumptuous battle, as is customary in the smallest of categories. That's all. Sasaki finished sixth when Masiá won, the latter therefore being titled.

 

 

Here is the first point that gets people talking, and which led to the harassment of Jaume Masiá. The Leopard driver would have been too hard on the man, in particular because of a strong overtake – rather, a blockpass – on Sasaki. The video embedded in the tweet below shows us this., as well as other similar actions.

 

 

So, yes, he is firm and virile. But within the rules. Nobody gets offended when Brad Binder or Marc Márquez do the same. Besides, the eight-time world champion currently leads the survey for the year's overtaking for yet another blockpass with contact on Pecco Bagnaia in Le Mans. It's almost hypocritical on the part of voters. It's true, I have already criticized the South African for this type of relatively dirty overtaking, except that there are two major differences between the two contexts.

Firstly, Moto3 is renowned and appreciated for this kind of pass of arms. They are commonplace, and in Qatar alone, they were as numerous as usual. Secondly, a world title is at the end. All means are good to thwart the opponent, and precisely this issue gives meaning to Jaume Masiá's driving.

This is a common phenomenon in history, and it is for this reason that I struggle to understand the relentlessness towards Jaume. In Valencia, during the 2013 season, Jorge Lorenzo absolutely had to put the most drivers between him and Marc Márquez. “Por Fuera”, always very clean in his trajectories, did not hesitate to intentionally slow down the peloton so that others could get in between, even if it meant hitting Dani Pedrosa, who wanted to escape. Even if the plan hadn't worked, it was heroic, and no one found fault.

 

 

Here, Jaume Masiá drove with his heart. Okay, this support on Sasaki was limited. But already, he received a warning for bad behavior on the track, and then, the Japanese did not dismantle either; he too came into contact with the Spaniard, as demonstrated in the video below. Then it was more of a mistake, because Masiá also lost a lot of time on the lead at that point in the race (see video above).

 

 

To remain succinct, I think that there is nothing to say about Jaume Masiá's driving except that he went for this championship in style. These overtakings were difficult, but the'The idea of ​​a world title to be taken at the finish line is the only one that justifies more muscular driving than usual. Wait, don't you dream of seeing such an incisive Jorge Martín on Pecco Bagnaia on Sunday? The challenge justifies the means, especially in Moto3 and it is perfectly dishonest to blame Jaume Masiá for this.

 

“The idea of ​​a world title to be taken at the finish line is the only one that justifies more muscular driving than usual. »

 

Sasaki himself declared not to have been disturbed by his counterpart, specifying that it was not " nevermind ".

 

Teammate's help

 

Second starting point of the controversy, the overcoming ofAdrian Fernandez (brother of Raúl), teammate of Jaume Masiá, on Ayumu Sasaki. It was this which caused the Japanese to be demoted in the ranking at the worst time.

 

 

But again, there is no reason to get angry, and even less reason to accuse the Leopard Racing team of cheating. The maneuver is ambitious, certainly, but oh so common in Moto3! On the same action, we see David Muñoz, behind, going wide for the same reason. In the final laps of each race we see similar actions.

I'm not saying that little brother Fernández didn't do it on purpose, but isn't that... his role? What do you find most abnormal? That a teammate helps his friend in a title race, or that the race direction, normally impartial, come and ask the same Adrián Fernández, at Sepang, not to follow Ayumu Sasaki? My choice is made, and I do not find the attack on the track illegitimate. They are two drivers, one felt faster; he had to try it for the integrity of the sport. Teammate or not.

And in any case, even if “Pitito” had brought down Ayumu Sasaki, how would that justify the harassment and the discrediting of Jaume Masiá's coronation? Because that’s what it’s all about.

 

 

Shame

 

Now for the last part, the most important. On social networks, mainly, Jaume Masiá is attacked from all sides, violently. As a general rule, I don't give much thought to the hate on these platforms, as they are, for the most part, gratuitous attacks that follow the flow defined by the masses. The public had decided to like Sasaki, bad luck for Masiá.

But when an ex-professional and Grand Prix legend like Mick doohan gets involved, so I cannot remain indifferent to it. I was deeply disappointed by his comment on Instagram, which I will copy for you below.

 

" I am in shock. No sanction against the driving of the winning driver, and against the team. The races must be hard, but fair, and the winner did not win because of his talent, he knew that he did not have that of Sasaki, who gave everything. »

 

It's not at his level. Without taking anything away from his immense track record, the Australian has it all wrong. It implies that Jaume Masiá (that he does not dare to name, that is to say courage) should have received a heavy penalty. Which makes no sense given the nature of the race, but also and above all, that the Spaniard “did not win because of his talent”, because he knew that he had no “not Sasaki’s”. Can you imagine for a moment the violence of such a statement?

First of all, I can say that Ayumu Sasaki would lose in the game of “merit” over the season, even if that doesn't mean much. But since this is Doohan's chosen terrain, let's go for it. Without victories, he was beaten in a duel seven times, notably by Jaume Masiá. The Spaniard didn't have a great campaign either; and I will come back to it after Valencia, but still more beautiful than the Japanese one, there is no doubt. In terms of talent, Masiá has absolutely nothing to envy of Sasaki, it's even the opposite. You just have to see again the broth that Ayumu ate by Jaume in Assen to convince yourself of this. Or worse, the lesson that Deniz Öncü inflicted on him at the Sachsenring.

 

 

But the results don't matter. Mick didn't have to say that, because his legitimacy fuels people's hateful comments. If five-time 500cc champion Doohan says it, then it must be right, right? Therein lies the danger.

 

Conclusion

 

Not only did Jaume Masiá do nothing wrong, if it is only to fight ardently for a world champion title according to the rules (excuse him), but he makes a much better champion than Ayumu Sasaki, without entering the annals of the Moto3 world. I think he pays for his nationality, less popular because overrepresented at the highest level, in comparison with the discreet Japanese always appreciated by the general public.

Your opinion interests me greatly! What did you think of this article? Tell me in the comments!

Cover photo: Leopard Racing