Rob Widdows and I sit down again to discuss the latest news from the world of motor sport. CVC may be selling the rights to Formula 1, Rupert Murdoch and others may be buying them, Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo is threatening to form a breakaway series again and the Formula 1 teams want a larger slice of the action. What, if anything, is going on?

The week in motor sport

As well as putting Rob on the spot about the current political situation in F1, we chat about the forthcoming Spanish Grand Prix and the MotoGP race in France.

We hope you enjoy it. As always, let us know your thoughts.

Next week we will be taking ‘the question of the week’ on the show so anything you want to ask Rob (within reason) please post below…

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Motor Sport Magazine - The original motor racing magazine

Another installment of the ‘week in motor sport’ series. In this episode, I talk to editor Damien Smith about the staff changes at Williams F1, the Le Mans test and also cover the latest news from the DTM, MotoGP and IndyCar series.

The week in motor sport

As always, let us know what you think about all the news and don’t worry… my neck brace is explained at the end!

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Motor Sport Magazine - The original motor racing magazine

A few days ago I was fortunate to watch a truly enthralling sporting spectacle. Now, I’ve seen my share of great events, so I have comparisons. Yet, in my view, little currently compares with MotoGP.

On Sunday at Jerez de la Frontera, we saw why. The Gran Premio de Espana was always going to be a thriller, this race invariably producing a nail-biting finish. This is partly to do with the nature of the circuit and partly because MotoGP racing is just so damn close.

A huge crowd didn’t know whether to cheer for Dani Pedrosa or Jorge Lorenzo, both Spaniards and both in with a chance of beating Valentino Rossi who had hurt his shoulder falling off a Motocross bike. But everybody loves a legend, so they screamed and waved their flags for all three. And boy, were they entertained.

Pedrosa took a surprising pole on the Honda though he didn’t look very happy about it, complaining of inconsistent handling. Breathing down his neck were arch-rival Lorenzo in second (they don’t much like each other) and Rossi in fourth. Away from the line it was Pedrosa who got the jump followed by Rossi, who somehow managed to squeeze his way past team-mate Lorenzo. There is no quarter given or taken at Yamaha, where both men want the title – a first for Lorenzo and a tenth for Rossi.

Just as we thought it was going to stay this way till the end Lorenzo made his move, catching and passing Rossi before attaching himself to the back of Pedrosa, who could get no more from the Honda’s tyres. One of the great things about Jerez is that you have slow corners at the end of very fast straights, while one of the great things about MotoGP is that you have overtaking, and lots of it. The fun was about to begin.

As is so often the way, a superb duel between the two Spaniards – watched closely by Rossi – was decided by a breathtaking manoeuvre on the last lap. As they came down to the Dry Sack Corner, braking from 180mph to less than 50mph, Pedrosa ran wide and Lorenzo slipped through to win by half a second. He’d tried this move before, the bikes touching, Rossi ready to pounce, but this time he made it stick. Afterwards Lorenzo stopped out on the circuit to soak up the adulation, got going again, stopped again and jumped in a lake. By the time he made it to the podium, water streaming from his helmet, the crowd was hysterical.

I mention this because this weekend we return to Spain for a different kind of Grand Prix, this time at the Catalunya circuit outside Barcelona, a much less exciting track that does not encourage overtaking. Especially in a modern Formula 1 car. Sadly, we don’t go to Jerez any more. In recent years this race has been a procession, by the end of which you can’t wait to get to Monte Carlo where at least the procession is highly unpredictable.

I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again. Sport has to be dramatic, it has to enthral, excite and surprise the audience. MotoGP does this in bucketfuls and I urge you to make the trek to Silverstone next month for the race there. I fear that the only surprise in store at Barcelona will be a close finish, never mind the cars involved. A brighter note on which to close is that, later in the year, things may get very spicy indeed between Messrs Button and Hamilton and between McLaren and Red Bull. Let’s hope so.

Whoever wins, however, he won’t be leaping into a lake. He will park neatly in parc ferme, hug his mechanics and step quickly to the weighing machine. Bring back laps of honour, flags flying and crowds yelling their approval. Much more fun.

Motor Sport Magazine - The original motor racing magazine

On Sunday afternoon I saw Valentino Rossi fall off his motorcycle.

I will repeat that.

On Sunday afternoon I saw Valentino Rossi tumble from his Yamaha. He was under no pressure and not in close company with any other rider. He wobbled under braking, turned in and fell to the Tarmac. I blinked.
The BBC repeated this occurrence several times, just in case we all thought we had imagined what we saw on the Bugatti circuit at Le Mans.

Yes, the track was damp, and Rossi had just changed from a wet bike to a dry bike, but you simply don’t expect to see him make a slip in these conditions. The man is human after all. As was Michael Schumacher in his pomp. They all have their days.

Rossi was the first of many surprises in a gripping French Grand Prix.

As with all motor sport, the weather made the whole thing more exciting. Clever tyre strategy helped Rossi’s team-mate Jorge Lorenzo disappear into a huge lead while the recently underrated Marco Melandri came home second for Kawasaki. A tremendous battle for third between Honda team-mates Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso was settled in Pedrosa’s favour on the last lap, the Spaniard pipping the young Italian by less than a second.

Rossi finished 16th and last, two laps behind, after no less than four pitstops to change tyres. Well, they change bikes, but you know what I mean. The battle for the World Championship is, to say the least, very tight as a result of this race on a grey day in northern France. Lorenzo leads by a single point from Rossi and Stoner. This MotoGP racing is so damn thrilling.

I mention all this because I was interested to see how the BBC covers MotoGP in comparison to its new coverage of Formula 1 racing. I was impressed, just as I have been by the corporation’s treatment of the Grand Prix season thus far.

I know little about MotoGP other than it is extremely exciting and makes good TV. I therefore rely on the commentary and the ‘expert’ observers. In both cases they are excellent, Charlie Cox and Steve Parrish helping me to get a very good grip on what was unfolding on the screen. Cox has a nice turn of phrase while ‘Stavros’ is typically pithy and informative. It’s a good team. The Beeb also has the race build-up sewn up nicely. Suzi Perry is just so right for the job, and she seems to be enjoying herself, excited to be in there among it all. In the pitlane Matt Roberts has got it under control – plenty of useful information and in the right place at the right time.

We don’t have a BBC red button, but those with red buttons can watch the qualifying and the post-race chat as well as all the other races for the smaller bikes.

Well done the BBC I say. They’ve taken MotoGP from Eurosport and – for casual viewers such as myself – have done a superb job. They’ve taken F1 from ITV and made it just that little bit better. The Jordan/Coulthard duo was an inspired decision. I mean no disrespect to ITV who handed over an already excellent show. But thus far this season, both F1 and MotoGP have made for great viewing. For me, the bikes edge it on sheer excitement. How do those guys do what they do? Are they mad? Or brave? Or just skilful?

So, The Doctor has fallen from his perch, but only by a single point. The greats always fight back, faster and stronger than before. I wonder how long it will be before Jenson Button is nudged from the podium? He must be due a retirement. And a mistake at Monaco is always costly. Even Ayrton Senna made one of those.

That’s what makes sport so gripping. Ronaldo shoots wide, Rossi falls off, and Button will falter en route to what I hope is his World Championship.

Motor Sport Magazine - The original motor racing magazine