By Mat Oxley: 

Sometimes, small mistakes make for big excitement. Case in point: Marc Marquez, neglecting to disengage the rear holeshot device, sparks flying as the battle for first becomes an open question. See, there’s something interesting about this track and the current set-up of MotoGP and it’s got a lot to do with the tires. 

You might not see it on camera* but this track eats rubber for breakfast. Want to win? Then get in first, close it up and don’t try to get away too far because you’ll still have miles to go. Want to get from the back to the front? Well, you’ll get exactly as far as your tires are willing to go…and then that’s where you stay. 
So when Marc makes that come-back and starts leading the race, know that behind the easy-going facade there’s some serious struggle going on. From rubber to bones, it ain’t easy being number 1. But can he keep it up? 

And then there’s Acosta, riding the KTM straight across the razor’s edge with not an inch to budge. That’s some real solid performance, right there. And if you want to know exactly how those overtakes work here, we should probably look at aero and the unexpected effects that riders have to calculate on the fly. Just goes to show you that no matter what changes, MotoGP is still a sport where the rider can make all the difference in the world. 

Well, Mat and Peter wouldn’t want it any other way. So grab something nice to drink, turn up the volume and let’s get into Aragon 2026! 

• LISTEN TO THE PODCAST HERE! 

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