Paddock Pass Podcast

Never a dull moment in MotoGP rider negotiations at the moment. So much so that the Paddock Pass Podcast is at risk of being overtaken by events as we discuss the potential losers of MotoGP silly season, and who stands to lose their job. Adam, David, Neil, and Steve talk what will happen to Jack Miller, Augusto Fernandez, Raul Fernandez, Joan Mir, and Alex Rins for next season, and where they might end up.

The Paddock Pass Podcast hit the jackpot this week. Adam and David were at the Mugello test when the news that Jorge Martin had signed for Aprilia broke, and were able to cover it in the Monday night Paddock Notes show. Then on Wednesday morning, as we were getting ready to record the midweek show, Ducati announced that Marc Marquez would be in the factory team for 2025 and 2026. 

Ducati turned Mugello into an even more Italian affair than normal, with the factory bikes decked out in a special blue livery to mark the start of the European Championship and the Summer Olympics. The race was not a classic, but it raised an awful lot of questions about where things stand in MotoGP at the moment.

Why is Pecco Bagnaia so perfect at Mugello? Is Enea Bastianini's revival enough to save his job? Why was Jorge Martin happy with just a third place? Where is Marc Marquez coming up short against the Ducati GP24s? And where did the pack find 25 seconds compared to last year's race? All this and more in our MotoGP reaction show.

The midweek show is here again, and we are once again taking questions from our very smart Patreon backers. Neil, Steve, David, and Adam kick off with why they would choose Marc Marquez over Jorge Martin, or Jorge Martin over Marc Marquez for the second factory Ducati seat, before diving into the Patreon mailbag. Have Aprilia peaked? Why can't Marc Marquez qualify? What are the differences between a satellite and a factory team in terms of support? What's up with Yamaha's satellite team? And much more.

It's Sunday night, so it's MotoGP reaction show time, and on this episode, David, Neil, and Adam are joined by Motorsport.com's Oriol Puigdemont to chew over events at the Grand Prix of Catalonia from Barcelona. 

There was much to talk about: Pecco Bagnaia making up for his mistake in the sprint race, Jorge Martin riding a smart race to take as many points as possible and extend his lead in the championship, Marc Marquez charging from fourteenth to the podium, past home favorite Aleix Espargaro, and Pedro Acosta's mistake. How does this affect Ducati's decision? And why did Enea Bastianini ignore instructions to do a Long Lap Penalty, and all the escalating penalties that resulted? Plus our winners and losers.

We have a very special guest on the show this week. KTM test rider and former Moto2 champion Pol Espargaro joins Adam, David, and Neil to look ahead to Pol's home round, having grown up in Granollers, a literal stone's throw from the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. Pol talks about the stresses of modern MotoGP, recovering from injury, where KTM is at the moment, and tips his brother Aleix to win at the weekend. 

The French Grand Prix at Le Mans left us with more questions than answers, so Steve, Neil, and David attempt to answer some of the questions posed by our Patreon supporters. What factors will Ducati take into account when choosing between Marc Marquez, Jorge Martin, and Enea Bastianini for the second factory Ducati seat? Can Ducati keep all three riders, and if not, who can they afford to lose? Is the Yamaha getting better, or was it all just Fabio Quartararo? What's up with Brad Binder? And do the 2027 rules risk becoming a repeat of the 800s.

To help answer that last question, Neil sat down with KTM's MotoGP project leader Sebastian Risse, who gives his perspective on how he thinks the series will change in 2027.

After three scintillating races at Le Mans, Adam, David, and Neil chew over the big questions from the French Grand Prix. The biggest question, of course, is who Ducati should put on the second factory bike alongside Pecco Bagnaia. We chew over all the permutations, plus praise Jorge Martin's exceptional race, Marc Marquez making it two remarkable charges through the field in a row, and where Martin's domination in France leaves Pecco Bagnaia's title hopes.

With the next round of MotoGP at Le Mans heaving into view, Steve, Neil, David and Adam are joined by French MotoGP journalist and statistician Tom Morsellino, to discuss the state of French motorcycle racing and what makes Le Mans so special. There was news to discuss too, with the cancellation of Kazakhstan and the announcement of the 2027 MotoGP rules. The rules arrived in the middle of recording the podcast, so you get our live reaction to the new technical  regulations.

The Jerez round of MotoGP had a lot of highlights, and one of them was American Racing's Joe Roberts becoming the first American to lead a world championship since Nicky Hayden in 2006. Neil sat down with Joe at Jerez to talk about his return to the American Racing Moto2 team, and about racing in general. And Neil, Adam, and David answer a lot of listener questions sent in from our Patreon channel. Why are the Yamahas slow at Jerez when they used to dominate? Will Jake Dixon make it to MotoGP? What effect will the new 850cc engines have on MotoGP from 2027?  Was Jerez Pecco Bagnaia's best ever race? And much more.