Jack Miller looked like he was speeding toward something that hadn’t been done in 14 years.
Miller got off to a great start on his factory Ducati bike. He started Sunday’s Grand Prix of the Americas at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas from second position but quickly moved up to first place on Lap 1.
Miller was leading the race until lap 16 when eventual race winner Enea Bastianini passed him. If Miller had persevered, he would have been the fourth different race winner in four races for the 2022 season, something not done in 14 years.
Miller, however, did not hold on. Bastianini, the king of tire management in MotoGP, won by two seconds over Suzuki’s Alex Rins. Miller has had tire management issues in the past and that cost him the race. He finished third after being passed by Rins on the final lap.
Miller’s podium finish made it 10 different drivers to have finished on the podium in four races to date. In 2019 there were only nine riders on the podium all season! This season had 18 races.
Gresini Racing’s Bastianini leads the World Championship by six points over Rins despite being very inconsistent. He won the opening race of the year in Qatar. Bastianini then finished the next two races in 11th and 10th place. He does it all on last year’s Ducati machine: the Ducati GP 21. That means he beats the two Ducati factory riders Miller and Francesco Bagnaia who ride the current Ducati machine.
Inconsistency has made this MotoGP season great so far. Ahead of this past race, Aleix Espargaro was the championship leader after his race win in Argentina. This win was also the first-ever win for Aprilia in MotoGP. Espargaro is now third in the championship after finishing 11th at COTA.
A few years ago it was unimaginable that riders could be so inconsistent and still be fighting for a world championship. In 2019, Marc Marquez either won or finished second in every race he finished by 151 points en route to a dominant sixth MotoGP World Championship.
The days of Marquez dominance are over as a new generation has taken over the championship fight. The field of drivers is more balanced than ever before. There are 14 riders in this year’s championship who have previously won a MotoGP race, over 50% of the field. Hence the inconsistency ensures there are so many threats from across the field depending on the day and track.
Because of this, Miguel Oliveira is ninth in the championship. Oliveira won the wet race in Indonesia. He continued this performance and finished the next two races in 13th and 18th place.
Brad Binder is sixth in the championship in large part because he finished second in the opening race in Qatar. He finished the last race in 12th place.
The most consistent team so far is Suzuki. Rins and his teammate, former World Champion Joan Mir, have finished all four races, none finishing lower than seventh. Mir won his only championship due to his consistency two years ago. If Rins and Mir can consistently stay in the top seven, they will be in the championship fight to the end.
Formula 1 has skyrocketed in popularity in the United States in recent years due to Drive to Survive. Thanks to Formula 1 and Netflix, both have created entertaining products. Politics and personalities make for great television. The race isn’t bad either.
However, the best races so far have been in MotoGP. Because of the parity on the starting grid, there are big fights for the front and throughout the field, as well as many overtakes in every race. The same is not true for all Formula 1 races.
Don’t stop watching Formula 1. Also start watching MotoGP. The races are the best in the world’s leading motorcycle racing series. Don’t miss out on a season that could be great.
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