With nine races down and nine still to go in this year's MotoGP season, it's time to take stock and grade each of the riders on the grid for their performances so far. There are no prizes for guessing who has earned the best rating, but further down the order it's been a mixed bag. Read on for my verdicts:
Marc Marquez (E, Repsol Honda) - 1st in Championship, 9 wins, 7 poles, 225pts
Rating: A+
What more is there to say about this Spanish sensation that hasn't already been said? Other riders have achieved similar dominance in the sport's history - John Surtees, Mike Hailwood, Giacomo Agostini, Mick Doohan and Valentino Rossi, to name a few - but none of them have done so in the face of such stiff opposition as that encountered by Marquez.
Two-time champion Jorge Lorenzo, Repsol Honda teammate Dani Pedrosa and a resurgent Rossi have all been made to look average this season by the 21-year-old, whose ability to carve his way through the field when out of position and to defend from the sternest of attacks has been utterly peerless this year.
With nine successive wins now under his belt, the only remaining question mark surrounding Marquez's season is just how long he can keep up this incredible streak; that bookmakers are offering odds as low as 9/2 for him to win each of the remaining races tells you all you need to know about the magnitude of his talent.
Dani Pedrosa (E, Repsol Honda) - 2nd in Championship, 7 podiums, 1 pole, 148pts
Rating: B+
With Marquez running rampant in the other side of the Repsol Honda garage, it's impossible not to feel some pity for Pedrosa. Arguably, the 28-year-old has missed his best chances of shaking off the tag of being the greatest rider in MotoGP history without a premier-class title to his name - especially now he has committed himself to Honda for a further two seasons alongside Marquez.
That said, there has been some cause for optimism in recent races: after two particularly subdued outings at Le Mans and Mugello, Catalunya saw Pedrosa only narrowly lose out to Marquez in a close duel for supremacy, whilst Dani kept his younger teammate honest at the Sachsenring despite never getting quite close enough to mount a veritable challenge.
The title is of course now out of the question, but if Pedrosa can continue to make life as hard for Marquez as he has managed to in recent rounds, the chances are that he'll be able to best the reigning champion on at least one occasion before the year is out. Doing so will be vital to rebuilding the confidence needed to mount a renewed title assault next year.
Jorge Lorenzo (Movistar Yamaha) - 5th in Championship, 3 podiums, 97pts
Rating: B-
Having lost out to Marquez in last year's title race by such a narrow margin, it seemed that 2014 could well have proved to be the second chapter in a compelling rivalry between he and Lorenzo for supremacy. But, some crucial errors combined with a failure to adapt to the new generation of Bridgestone tyres has left Lorenzo lagging badly behind his main rivals in the points standings.
An early fall from the lead at Qatar and a jump start at Austin marked a downright dreadful start to the year for the Mallorcan, though the nadir of his year was unquestionably his tentative ride to 13th in the wet at Assen, the scene of his collarbone-breaking incident last year.
That said, Lorenzo's nail-biting dice with Marquez at Mugello served as a timely reminder of just what the two-time champion is capable of when he's fully in sync with his bike, whilst his third place last time out in Germany ahead of teammate Rossi will come as a much-needed confidence booster heading into the latter half of the year. He'll certainly need to build some momentum heading into 2015 if he is to have any chance of halting the Marquez juggernaut.
Valentino Rossi (I, Movistar Yamaha) - 3rd in Championship, 5 podiums, 141pts
Rating: A
Coming into the season, aged 35 and having made the unpopular decision of jettisoning long-time crew chief Jerry Burgess at the end of 2013, Rossi was in last-chance saloon. His contract was up for renewal at the end of the year, the Italian giving himself just six races to decide whether or not to call it a day at the end of the year.
But, if the story of 2014 so far has been Marquez's domination, then Rossi's rejuvenation has to rank as the main subplot. Losing out to the Spaniard by the narrowest margins at Qatar set the tone, the Yamaha rider backing this result up with further second places at Jerez, Le Mans and Catalunya, as well as a spirited recovery to fifth at Assen from a pit-lane start in the sort of conditions in which 'The Doctor' so often revels.
Indeed, Rossi has more often than not had the measure of his teammate Lorenzo, his reward being a contract extension that will see him remain in the sport for a further two years - which is excellent news for all MotoGP fans. You'd be brave to bet against the seven-time champion adding to his already incredible haul of 80 premier class victories in that time.
Andrea Dovizioso (I, Ducati Team) - 4th in Championship, 2 podiums, 99pts
Rating: A
Transcending the limits of your bike is always the mark of a great rider, and that's precisely what Dovizioso has done so far this season in his second year aboard the recalcitrant Ducati. And while it's unfortunate that the talented 28-year-old doesn't have a faster bike with which to ply his trade, at least the Italian manufacturer, now under the stewardship of Gigi Dall'Igna, looks to be making tangible progress.
After a year devoid of podium finishes in 2013, Dovizioso has already made two visits to the rostrum this season, finishing a strong third at Austin behind the two Repsol Honda riders before making a return visit in Assen in the wet - always an ideal opportunity to show what you're truly made of. In between, the Italian has maximised his points-scoring opportunities at just about every race to lie fourth in the standings heading into the summer break.
Having been fairly evenly matched with teammate Nicky Hayden last year, Dovizioso has firmly stamped his authority on new arrival Cal Crutchlow, with whom he was paired at Tech 3 in 2012. The benefit of a year's experience of the Ducati modus operandi has helped, but then so has the fact that 'Dovi' is riding as well as any previous stage in his career right now - or indeed as well as anyone else on the grid bar Marquez.
Cal Crutchlow (GB, Ducati Team) - 14th in Championship, 28pts
Rating: C-
History shows that, unless your name is Casey Stoner, your first season with Ducati tends to be a fairly bruising experience. And, in Crutchlow's case, such has been the case quite literally, the popular Coventry rider having had to miss the third round of the year in Argentina after injuring his hand in a crash during the previous race in Austin.
The year started well enough with a solid ride to sixth place at Qatar (albeit a full 16 seconds shy of teammate Dovizioso) on an evening when many of his rivals contrived to throw their bikes into the scenery, but thereafter Crutchlow has garnered a rather meagre 18 points - thanks partially to unreliability at Jerez and Catalunya, but also to his alleged struggles to adapt to the riding position of his Ducati mount.
Such has been the degree of the Brit's struggles that he's been eclipsed not only by Dovizioso but also by Pramac rider Andrea Iannone, who would surely have been promoted to the factory team if not for the fact that Crutchlow is contracted to remain at Ducati for one more year. Let's hope, then, as has been the case for Dovizioso, Cal's second season with the Bologna marque is a far happier one.
Stefan Bradl (D, LCR Honda) - 9th in Championship, 56pts
Rating: B-
Now in his third season at MotoGP level, it seems Bradl is in danger of being eclipsed by a new generation of young riders. After an explosive start to the season at Qatar, where the LCR Honda man led before undoing all his hard work with a crash at one-third distance, Bradl has struggled to be a regular fixture at the very sharp end of the grid.
He finished a strong fourth at Austin, and banked top-five finishes at Argentina and Catalunya, but has been anonymous elsewhere. He of course led the opening laps of his home race at the Sachsenring as every other factory rider opted for a pit-lane start, but was on a hiding to nothing with a bike set up for the wet on a rapidly drying track, plummeting down the order before eventually trailing home 16th.
It was a shame the gamble squandered his first front-row grid slot since Austin, especially at a time when his future hangs in the balance. Team boss Lucio Cecchinello is said to be keen on retaining Bradl, but rumour has it that HRC wants Moto3 points leader Jack Miller to take over the seat. Whether or not LCR is able to expand to a two-bike line-up is therefore likely to be key to the former Moto2 champion's fate.
Alvaro Bautista (E, Gresini Honda) - 10th in Championship, 1 podium, 50pts
Rating: C+
You could say that Bautista's season has been fairly similar to that of his fellow satellite Honda rider Bradl, only with higher peaks and deeper troughs. Where the German's best result of the year thus far has been fourth place, Bautista was able to clinch an impressive third place at Le Mans; equally, while Bradl has made just one trip to the gravel that could be described as his fault, the Spaniard has had three.
That's an unacceptable number of points squandered for a rider of Bautista's experience, and rather a surprise after a remarkably consistent latter half of 2013. There have been times when he's had the clear measure of Bradl, notably at Jerez and Le Mans, but direct comparisons between the pair are misleading given that the Gresini man is the sole factory rider in the field using Showa suspension and Nissin brakes.
It seems all but certain Bautista will have to make way for Open class teammate Scott Redding next season, which means that the 29-year-old will be relying on Aprilia to push forward their planned MotoGP return by one year if he's to remain aboard factory machinery. Otherwise, there could be an opening at Aspar, which may not be a bad place to be next year ahead of standard ECUs being introduced across the board in 2016.
Bradley Smith (GB, Tech 3 Yamaha) - 11th in Championship, 48pts
Rating: C
"I have to give them no option," Smith said coming into the season, referring to his mission to secure a factory seat in 2015. But, such has been the mediocrity of his sophomore campaign so far, it appears he is giving his current Tech 3 squad little option but to leave the young Oxfordshire rider in search of alternative employment next year.
It all started so promisingly for Smith at Qatar, taking his best-ever grid slot with third place and sticking with the lead bunch until a late fall cost him the chance of a top-five finish. He redeemed himself with a feisty ride to fifth at Austin, but has failed to crack the top half-dozen since, having been soundly outpaced by rookie teammate Pol Espargaro at just about every race since his team's home round at Le Mans.
Consistency was perhaps Smith's biggest virtue last season, but even that seems to have deserted the 23-year-old, who has crashed three times in nine races in his desperation to impress the factory teams. Now the most coveted rides look to be locked down for another two seasons, Smith can shift his focus to convincing Tech 3 to keep him for a third season, though he'll need to up his game considerably to do so.
Pol Espargaro (E, Tech 3 Yamaha) - 7th in Championship, 67pts
Rating: B
Of all the riders in MotoGP currently, Espargaro is arguably under the most under pressure of all. Why? Because, with Rossi in the twilight of his career and Lorenzo struggling to recapture his best form, Yamaha need an answer to the phenomenon that is Marquez, and the reigning Moto2 champion may well prove to be the best response they have in the medium-term.
Bearing that in mind, it's perhaps understandable that the first few rounds for the younger of the two Espargaro brothers were somewhat low-key, but glimpses of his future potential have started to show. The turning point was at Le Mans, where, after qualifying second, he was tantalisingly close to his maiden podium finish before being pipped at the last by Bautista - on a day where teammate Smith struggled home to 10th.
Since then, it's not been much of a contest between the Tech 3 riders, with Espargaro seemingly first in line for a promotion to the works Yamaha squad when Lorenzo departs. That's highly unlikely to happen next year, with all the other factory seats ostensibly decided (bar Aprilia, who may or may not be present), but seeing Pol take the fight to Marquez on a works bike in 2016 is far from beyond the realms of possibility.
Andrea Iannone (I, Pramac Ducati) - 8th in Championship, 62pts
Rating: A-
After a fairly quiet debut season aboard the Pramac Ducati last year, Iannone has started to come of age as a MotoGP rider in 2014, establishing himself as one of the brightest future prospects in the series with a series of eye-catching rides. The first of these came at the second round in Austin, where he incredibly ran third, ahead of Dovizioso's factory-spec machine, for around two thirds of the race.
But his best performance of all was on home soil at Mugello. Having qualified an outstanding second, less than two tenths adrift of pole-sitter Marquez, he led briefly and ran inside the top five for the majority of the race before slumping to seventh in the closing laps. There have been one or two blots on his copybook, such as his clash with Nicky Hayden at Le Mans, but that's to be expected for a rider of his level of experience.
Iannone had been angling for a promotion to the full works squad, which seemed inevitable before Ducati announced it would be retaining its existing line-up. Rather than take the risk of signing with series returnees Suzuki, the 24-year-old will now remain at Pramac next year, albeit with the same specification bike as the factory boys - don't be surprised if the rider they call 'Crazy Joe' proves quicker than either in 2015.
Aleix Espargaro (E, Forward Racing) - 6th in Championship, 1 pole, 77pts
Rating: A
If Espargaro's decision to spurn Aspar in favour of Forward Racing ahead of this season was regarded as something of a risk by the MotoGP fraternity, it's one that has certainly paid dividends for the rider who has consistently proven the outstanding rider of the Open (née CRT) class since its inception in 2012.
This year's Forward machine may amount to little more than a two-year-old Yamaha M1 with standard electronics, but Espargaro has made considerably better use of such machinery than his struggling teammate Colin Edwards, having been the first Open class rider across the line at every race bar Argentina. An outright pole position achieved in the wet of Assen served to further underline the 24-year-old's sheer class.
Such heroics make one wonder what Espargaro might be capable of with a more competitive bike at his disposal. There was talk of Aleix heading to Tech 3 to join brother Pol, but it now appears that the elder of the Espargaro brothers is Suzuki-bound for 2015. Having done more than enough to deserve a shot on a winning bike, he'll be hoping the Japanese manufacturer can supply exactly that in the next couple of seasons.
The Rest:
The lack of the Honda RCV1000R's competitiveness this season will have come as a disappointment to Scott Redding (B+), but the Gresini rider has been the first of the Open Honda quartet home on four of a possible nine occasions despite his class rookie status - with a promotion to the factory machine next season in place of Bautista looking very likely.
The Gloucestershire rider's main opposition has come in the form of Aspar's Nicky Hayden (B), who has struggled somewhat with wrist pain since his crash at Le Mans; fingers crossed that the surgery the 2006 champion recently underwent will allow him to return to peak form in time for his next home race at Indianapolis.
Hiroshi Aoyama (C), aboard the second Aspar bike, has only beat his teammate twice when they've both finished and needs to be doing more in order to be sure of retaining his seat, while Karel Abraham (C) has largely been similarly unspectacular aboard the Cardion Honda - although his ride is decidedly more secure.
Yonny Hernandez (B-) seems to have tamed his wild streak of 2013 somewhat, having finished every race, but as the sole Open class Ducati representative it is very difficult to pass accurate judgement on the Colombian, who is hoping to be given the latest-spec machinery by the Italian manufacturer next season.
The same cannot be said for the elder statesman of the grid, Colin Edwards (D-), who has scored just eight points all year while his Forward Racing teammate Aleix Espargaro has regularly mixed it with the factory bikes - it's a crying shame that the popular Texan's career is set to come to a close in such ignominious fashion.
Hector Barbera (B) has done well to squeeze two points out of a hopelessly uncompetitive Avintia-Kawasaki, and will be hoping that the team's switch to Open class Ducati machinery heralds a rise up the pecking order next year. The Spaniard has easily had the measure of teammate and class rookie Mike Di Meglio (C-).
Ioda Racing's Danilo Petrucci (B-) has performed admirably in spite of missing four races due to wrist injury, while Broc Parkes (C) earns a superior grade to teammate Michael Laverty (C-) solely for the best underdog ride of the year yet which yielded an 11th place at Assen aboard the unfancied PBM machine.
No comments:
Post a Comment