Should motorcycle racing fans be delighted or worried that a deal's in place for Formula 1 owner Liberty Media to buy MotoGP promoter Dorna?

In an extra episode, the Race MotoGP Podcast delves into what the Liberty news mean for MotoGP, as Simon Patterson, Valentin Khorounzhiy and Matt Beer look at what it's likely to mean in terms of practical reality, and address some of the concerns motorcycle fans might have based on some the F1 world's least positive impressions of Liberty.

They also outline what they want to see from the new ownership, and explain why Liberty is confident this deal can go ahead despite the fact that the last time MotoGP and F1 nearly came under the same ownership the process rapidly turned into MotoGP being sold off.

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The first big flashpoint of Marc Marquez's Ducati career came in just his second MotoGP race weekend with his new employer, as he and reigning champion stablemate Pecco Bagnaia collided in the Portuguese Grand Prix.

Who was most at fault? And what does it mean for the title fight and Ducati internal relations? Simon Patterson, Valentin Khorounzhiy and Matt Beer debate that in The Race MotoGP Podcast.

We also get into Pedro Acosta's incredible podium in only his second MotoGP race weekend. Are his performances more impressive than even Marquez's (eventually title winning) rookie season? One of our panel reckons so.

Maverick Vinales' breakthrough win and weird grand prix exit, whether sprint wins really count, Jorge Martin's new maturity and title chance and Ducati's growing 2025 rider headache also feature.

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We're answering your questions on The Race MotoGP Podcast this week, including on the prospect of mid-season rider changes at two teams in particular.

Might KTM want Pedro Acosta in its factory line-up sooner rather than later, and if his Tech3 team-mate Augusto Fernandez's struggles continue is there a danger of him not seeing out the season?

Simon Patterson, Valentin Khorounzhiy and Matt Beer tackle those plus questions on whether a rotation system could be used to trim the calendar, how Moto2's Pirelli switch has changed the series and whether it's a good or bad thing, MotoGP's next-generation regulations and how we'd define 'natural talent' in motorcycle racers. 

And with a major piece of rider market news having broken with the announcement that Ducati is definitely promoting Fermin Aldeguer into MotoGP 2025, we also explain why Ducati has so much faith in the Spanish teenager and why it can't yet say which of its teams he'll be riding for.

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Pecco Bagnaia showed exactly what he's a double MotoGP world champion by controlling the Qatar Grand Prix despite a slightly shaky qualifying and sprint.

But will this race really be remembered for the debut of another champion? Though it only resulted in ninth place in the end, Pedro Acosta's swashbuckling style on and off the track made a huge impression on The Race MotoGP Podcast panel Simon Patterson, Valentin Khorounzhiy and Matt Beer - who debate how long it'll take Acosta to win races, and whether KTM can wait to get him into its main team.

KTM and Aprilia's chances of challenging Ducati this year, how Marc Marquez's title prospects look after his Ducati race debut, and miserable weekends for a 2023 title contender and fallen giants Honda and Yamaha also come in for plenty of discussion.

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Marc Marquez's move to Gresini Ducati is a huge curveball for the 2024 MotoGP season, but will he actually be a title contender? Or will this be a repeat of last year's epic Pecco Bagnaia versus Jorge Martin battle? And either way, who'll come out on top?

The Race MotoGP Podcast gathers Simon Patterson, Valentin Khorounzhiy and Matt Beer to predict the 2024 championship order - and argue over each other's choices. As well as plenty of debate about Marquez, Bagnaia and Martin, we also discuss whether how far up the title fight pecking order Enea Bastianini's winter progress might take him, and why Marco Bezzecchi seems set for a much tougher season.

There's also plenty of chat about who's best placed among the non-Ducatis - and who we really don't expect to get anywhere near the top championship placings.

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With 18 of the 22 riders on the grid out of contract at the end of the year, multiple past champions either unhappy with their current machinery or clearly in stopgap mode with their 2024 teams, and uncertainty over which brand some satellite teams will actually be with next season and what that'll mean for their line-ups, the 2025 MotoGP rider market is set to be a wild one.

But can The Race MotoGP Podcast accurately predict how it will turn out.

Simon Patterson and Val Khorounzhiy pitch their cases for Matt Beer to adjudicate on as our panel attempt to improve on the 50% success rate they had last time they tried to predict a full grid rider line-up a whole year in advance.

Who'll be on the move? Who'll reluctantly sit tight due to a lack of options? Who's heading out of MotoGP, and who's usurping them from the grid? How much will Simon and Val disagree on? Listen to find out.

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Reigning double MotoGP world champion Pecco Bagnaia ended 2024 pre-season testing with a ferocious burst of pace in Qatar that makes him an instant strong favourite for the opening round there next month and the title itself.

But while Bagnaia has the edge and bags of confidence right now, he's far from the only rider looking strong at the end of the winter, as Simon Patterson, Val Khorounzhiy and Matt Beer discuss on the Qatar test episode of The Race MotoGP Podcast.

We look at the off-season transformation of Bagnaia's team-mate Enea Bastianini, the test form of last year's runner-up Jorge Martin and of course Ducati's superstar new signing Marc Marquez - who also answers a few of your questions in this episode.

And we assess who has the best chance of barging into the potential Ducati 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8 formation, and analyse whether Yamaha and Honda are actually making any progress yet.

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Six-time MotoGP champion Marc Marquez joins The Race MotoGP Podcast for an exclusive interview less than three weeks before his competitive debut on the Ducati.

In a candid chat with MotoGP writer Simon Patterson, Marquez discusses the short-term ambitions of his Gresini Ducati move and how everything about it is being influenced by his keen awareness of the inexorable march of time.

He sets out his targets for 2024 and emphasises the impact of his injuries on the competitive picture, while also giving his assessment of Honda's MotoGP developments since their split.

Finally, he gives his expectations for how the 2025 silly season will go for him.

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With one MotoGP pre-season test down and one to go, several riders go into next week's final two days of running in Qatar with significant problems to solve.

And those problems have implications beyond the season-opening Qatar Grand Prix and even the 2024 campaign too, given how wild this year's rider market is set to be.

Simon Patterson, Valentin Khorounzhiy and Matt Beer look at who's under pressure and how that pressure is multiplied by the moves teams will already be making towards their 2025 line-ups in a year when only four of the 22 riders on the grid have a contract for next season sorted.

Those 2025 prospects weigh on everything in MotoGP at the moment, with even Honda's launch of its strikingly Repsol-light new livery turning into chat about whether Marc Marquez will be back there as early as next year.

Speaking of Marc Marquez... he will be our very, very special guest for an exclusive interview on the next episode of The Race MotoGP Podcast, and we'll put some of your questions to him. Send them to [email protected] and we'll pick a selection of the best to fit into Simon's one-on-one with the seven-time MotoGP champion later this week.

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Between Marc Marquez beginning life at Gresini Ducati properly, the massive changes many manufacturers were planning over the winter and the hints of something from Ducati that would change the aero game, the first 2024 pre-season MotoGP test was very eagerly awaited.

Simon Patterson joins Valentin Khorounzhiy and Matt Beer on The Race MotoGP Podcast from Kuala Lumpur airport for an urgent dissection of everything we learned from three days of lap record smashing running at Sepang.

Marquez's mood after a shaky first day, shifts in the Ducati power balance and some contrasting impressions of Yamaha and Honda's progress are among the many, many topics discussed.

And when it comes to picking out a standout performer from the test, we get very excited about the 'next Marquez' - sole 2024 MotoGP rookie Pedro Acosta.

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