#valentino rossi 2019

[randommotogpstuff]

marquez unlimited out of context

[sebeztappen]

fake hater i saw you gazing at your sworn enemy with a tender look in your eyes

[myrquez]

found this while scrolling down on motorsport images… oh-

like. oh?

[kwisatzworld]

A rookie and his dads 🥹🫶

[jam-packed]

thank god im not a journalist cus the amount of eye contact would kill me

[hifigp]

All Valentino Rossi factory Yamaha YZR-M1 2009-2020.

[batsplat]

marc marquez letting an italian pass him at assen? *insert here a generic joke about rossi being mad*

had marc been a real hater he’d take off the wheels and win by 16 seconds riding only chassis after receiving a tyre pressure warning

a sequel to phillip island 2003, I like it conceptually

this is his problem. (giving him a pass this weekend, see you after the summer break.) he's not enough of a hater these days, he needs to find his way again... he needs to remember some of his best work is fuelled by spite... I remember his misano 2017 where he simply refused to lose that race after those italian fuckers had gotten his head hot... he knows this is how his brain works, he can channel this, he's seen the script... misano 2019, let's not forget, he'd just lost two back-to-back dramatic last lap duels... sure, he might have been walking the championship with insulting ease, but he still had something to prove... and what does he do? he stalks the yamaha riders on friday. in misano. he comes out on track during saturday qualifying ahead of dovi and valentino, decides to dawdle and let them past. and then he jumps on valentino's rear tyre. in misano. in the first year in which valentino just wasn't an on-track rival any more he had any real competitive reason to fuck with. but had the intention of using valentino to go faster. in misano

and then he gets super mad about the resulting drama and ends up snatching the win in the subsequent last lap duel against the rookie brat who is way harder to be a hater of!! that was proper hating, like that was a weekend long masterclass in hating. man touched down on italian soil and had a mission

anyway unfortunately I do think it's harder these days, like you can't just do that to any italian? what's he gonna do at assen, get all heated up when fighting diggia - a man I regularly forget does actually have a proper vr46 link now courtesy of riding for their team - for pee five? back in the day, he did have the decency to only ever finish behind an italian at assen when one of said italians was valentino (on three occasions, '13 '15 '17)... he used to show some respect for the narrative... but y'know some good old spite probably really would help him in weekends like that to keep it together a bit more. he's got to get something going with pecco for his own sake. in assen he probably never had the pace with all the spite in the world... next year, we'd better be cooking something special

[ross1fum1]

Extract from an interview with Valentino with Radio Deejay from 2019 where he talks about Marquez

[For context: they were talking about Valentino's return to MotoGP after his leg injury]

🗣️: And then somewhere between the madness and the consciousness there are riders like your friend Marquez. Which is a bit of an intermediate figure, isn't he? Because I don't think he's crazy, he just has a very high sense of the limit. He grew up riding these bikes, he has enormous confidence in the electronics of his bike, he rides hanging on the bike. Basically he does sailing, he almost doesn't do motorcycling. But every now and then he takes a little too much risks, right?

V: Yes, Marquez is someone who risks a lot, he is very very brave to the point perhaps of not being afraid. So he's someone who falls a lot, who always looks for the limit, but he's very good and he's 25 years old. He takes these incredible hits with the bike that explodes, then he gets up as if nothing had happened, goes to get the other bike, fixes his shoulder -

🗣️: Did he have shoulder surgery?

V: He had surgery, yes. Because it (the shoulder) was starting to come out a little too often

🗣️: Do you watch him? When you have a rival like Marquez, even though you are Valentino Rossi, the strongest of all time, when someone like this (Marquez) arrives and wins so much... Maybe you want to know if he has some secrets to copy, right?

V: Among the riders we do this a lot, we all pay attention to what the others do. You also look at what they eat, what they drink, maybe I look at my teammate (Vinales), now you follow all their training on Instagram etc…

[motogp-museum]

Top 5 Motogp ships on ao3 during the last decade

I filtered each year from Jan 1st to December 31st. No other fics are included in each year's rank, only the ones posted during that calendar year.

'New' means that they were either new to any year's top 10 on ao3, or new to this list. If I included the plus minus, that means it was not new to the top ten, it just hadn't made the top 5 yet.

2014

P1- Marc Marquez/ Dani Pedrosa

P2- Marc Marquez/ Valentino Rossi

P3- Alex Marquez/ Dani Pedrosa

P4- Jorge Lorenzo/ Original Female Character

P5- Dani Pedrosa/ Valentino Rossi

2015

P1- Marc Marquez/ Dani Pedrosa (=)

P2- Jorge Lorenzo/ Alex Marquez (New)

P3- Alex Marquez/ Original Female Character (New)

P4- Marc Marquez/ Valentino Rossi (-2)

P5- Dani Pedrosa/ Valentino Rossi (=)

2016

P1- Marc Marquez/ Dani Pedrosa (=)

P2- Daniil Kvyat/ Marc Marquez (New)

P3- Jorge Lorenzo/ Dani Pedrosa (+6)

P4- Jorge Lorenzo/ Marc Marquez (New +5)

P5- Jorge Lorenzo/ Valentino Rossi (New +3)

(Rosquez down 3 places to P7)

2017

P1- Marc Marquez/Dani Pedrosa (=)

P2- Luca Marini/Alex Marquez (New)

P3- Jorge Lorenzo/Dani Pedrosa (=)

P4- Jorge Lorenzo/Marc Marquez (=)

P5- Marc Marquez/Valentino Rossi (+2)

2018

P1- Marc Marquez/Valentino Rossi (+4)

P2- Marc Marquez/Dani Pedrosa (-1)

P3- Jorge Lorenzo/Dani Pedrosa (=)

P4- Luca Marini/Alex Marquez (-2)

P5- Jorge Lorenzo/Marc Marquez (-1)

2019

P1- Marc Marquez/Valentino Rossi (=)

P2- Jorge Lorenzo/Dani Pedrosa (+1)

P3- Luca Marini/Alex Marquez (+1)

P4- Jorge Lorenzo/Valentino Rossi (New +5)

P5- Marc Marquez/Dani Pedrosa (-3)

2020

P1- Fabio Quartararo/Maverick Viñales (New +6)

P2- Marc Marquez/Valentino Rossi (-1)

P3- Jorge Lorenzo/Dani Pedrosa (-1)

P4- Luca Marini/Alex Marquez (-1)

P5- Marc Marquez/Dani Pedrosa (=)

2021

P1- Marc Marquez/Valentino Rossi (+1)

P2- Fabio Quartararo/Maverick Viñales (-1)

P3- Marc Marquez/Dani Pedrosa (+2)

P4- Marc Marquez/Fabio Quartararo (New )

P5- Jorge Lorenzo/Dani Pedrosa (-2)

2022

P1- Marc Marquez/Fabio Quartararo (+3)

P2- Marc Marquez/Valentino Rossi (-1)

P3- Jorge Martin/Fabio Quartararo (New)

P4- Jorge Lorenzo/Dani Pedrosa (+1)

P5- Luca Marini/Alex Marquez (+1)

2023

P1- Marc Marquez/Valentino Rossi (+1)

P2- Marc Marquez/Fabio Quartararo (-1)

P3- Jorge Lorenzo/Dani Pedrosa (+1)

P4- Luca Marini/Alex Marquez (+1)

P5- Marco Bezzecchi/Celestino Vietti (New)

2024

P1- Marc Marquez/Valentino Rossi (=)

P2- Marco Bezzecchi/Celestino Vietti (+4)

P3- Francesco Bagnaia/Marc Marquez (New)

P4- Marco Bezzecchi/Marc Marquez (New)

P5- Jorge Lorenzo/Dani Pedrosa (-2)

Top 5 of all-time and their ao3 debut date

P1- Marc Marquez/Valentino Rossi (17 June 2014)

P2- Marc Marquez/Dani Pedrosa (26 December 2013)

P3- Jorge Lorenzo/Dani Pedrosa (21 July 2014)

P4- Luca Marini/Alex Marquez (15 February 2016)

P5- Fabio Quartararo/Maverick Viñales (13 November 2019)

Discussion:

Since there were so little motogp fics in the first few years, some of the ships in the top 5 were there because of a single writer. So it does not always reflect the fandom's opinions of the ships. For example, all of the Alex/Dani and Alex/Jorge fics were written by the same person (at the time. There are new ones).

It also shows how a ship being popular for a short time can have lasting effects on the all-time rank. Maverick/Fabio being an example of this as they are still in the top 5 overall, despite only being in the top 5 of the yearly rank twice.

[moonshynecybin]

Marc Marquez and Valentino Rossi together at the 2019 British Grand Prix

[idealandreal]

Marc Marquez's Greatest Hits (pre-2024)

When I first got into MotoGP and became a Marc Marquez fan, I had so wished it was easier to find races. There are so many to choose from and it was a bit daunting on where to start. I know not everyone is as neurotic as me and doesn't have the time/money to spend hours upon hours on Video Pass.

So, as more and more of us get into MotoGP/Marc Marquez I wanted to consolidate some of his greatest races (imo), and where you can watch them.

Most of his best races are actually available on YouTube for free via the MotoGP channel. I've included direct links below, but just FYI there are actually a ton of great races on MotoGPs youtube page, 10 out of 10 would recommend checking it out.

Year: 2012 Location: Valencia Why It's Good: My personal favorite race, I watch it way too often. The greatest comeback of all time, starts last and makes it through the field by the last few laps. Absolute crazy guy, but this was just the start of it all. Available On: YouTube

Year: 2013 Location: CoTA Why It's Good: First MotoGP Win Available On: YouTube

Year: 2013 Location: Silverstone Why It's Good: Rides with a broken collar bone and still is a menace to Lorenzo at the front Available On: YouTube

Year: 2014 Location: Le Mans Why It's Good: comes back after falling to 11th in pretty spectacular fashion Available On: VideoPass

Year: 2014 Location: Assen Why It's Good: A flag to flag race that also shows off Marc and Cos strategy skills and just overall balls to wall mentality. Good battle with Dovi as well, but does pretty much decimate the competition. Available On: YouTube

Year: 2015 Location: Philip Island Why It's Good: this race is insane with how many passes there are. Also the supposed start of the Rossi/Marquez beef. Available On: VideoPass

Year: 2016 Location: Mugello Why It's Good: Last lap battle with Lorenzo goes crazy. Available On: YouTube

Year: 2016 Location: Sachsenring Why It's Good: I mean, it's the Sachsenring, but this race is in the wet and really shows off Marc and Cos flag to flag skills. And other rider's lack there of…. Available On: YouTube

Year: 2016 Location: Motegi Why It's Good: If you really want to just see Marc happy and his team freaking out, this is a great race because something unexpected happens. Available On: YouTube

Year: 2017 Location: Austria Why It's Good: the infamous Dovi/Marc last corner crazy pass, also when Dovi throws up his hand and is kind of like “I can’t believe you just did that”. Available On: YouTube

Year: 2017 Location: San Marino Why It's Good: wet race and Marc has a craaaazzzy last lap. Available On: YouTube

Year: 2018 Location: Thailand Why It's Good: Marc pushes the entire race and some can’t keep the pace (queue evil laugh) Available On: YouTube

Year: 2019 Location: Austria Why It's Good: a repeat of the 2017 battle but even better in my opinion Available On: YouTube

Year: 2019 Location: Silverstone Why It's Good: Crazy last lap battle with Rins and I think this is still one of the closest finishes in MotoGP history. Available On: YouTube

Year: 2019 Location: Thailand Why It's Good: I will say that this one is not great if your a Fabio fan first and foremost, but if you are a Marc fan and know what a absolute menace he is.. I think this race is a great example of Marc's mentality about winning. Also, when he claims the 2019 MotoGP World Championship title. Available On: YouTube

Year: 2020 Location: Jerez Why It's Good: If you want to hurt your soul, this is the race where Marc's arm is nearly torn off. However, before that happens, he is incredible and this race also has the greatest double take done by Valentino when Marc comes past. Available On: Youtube

Feel free to add any that I missed in comments or reblogs.

[kwisatzworld]

Q: Valentino, when you won your first race in the premier class it was 500 in Donington 2000, you were 21. Fabio beside you was only one year old, so maybe the first year you will fight against a rider could be your son. How does it feel? Vale: yeah we speak now exactly about this, I said that he can be my son. He is very very very young, '99 so it means that he also two years younger than my brother and he is already in MotoGP. He have a strange career, arrive like a genius but after for some reasons he lose a little bit away. But I think that this year with this team and this bike, he has a very important chance to demonstrate his speed. So it will be interesting and I’m very sorry that he can be my son. And he’s also one year earlier than me in MotoGP because when I arrive I had already 21 I think, so he’s younger than me.

[exasperatedsportsfan]

The other day I was thinking about how in MotoGP, the junior championships (Moto3/125cc, Moto2/250cc) count towards the tally of someone's World Championships, like Valentino Rossi being a 9 times World Champion with only 7 of those being in MotoGP/500cc, or Marc Marquez being an 8 times World Champion with 6 of those being in MotoGP.

So I started thinking about how many World Champions would be in the F1 grid if their junior championships were given the same "status".

The championships that I looked into are these:

GP3 Series and F3 European Championship, which in 2019 merged and rebranded as FIA Formula 3 Championship

GP2 Series, which in 2017 rebranded as FIA Formula 2 Championship

FIA Formula 3 Championship

FIA Formula 2 Championship

I decided to look at the current grid, plus the 2025 rookies, and present my findings to you:

Valtteri Bottas: 2011 GP3 Series champion

Pierre Gasly: 2016 GP2 Series champion

Lewis Hamilton: 2006 GP2 Series champion

Nico Hülkenberg: 2009 GP2 Series champion

Charles Leclerc: 2016 GP3 Series champion; 2017 F2 champion

Lando Norris: 2017 F3 European champion

Esteban Ocon: 2014 F3 European champion; 2015 GP3 Series champion

Oscar Piastri: 2020 F3 champion; 2021 F2 champion

George Russell: 2017 GP3 Series champion; 2018 F2 champion

And, out of curiosity, I checked out the racing records of Seb, Kimi, Jenson, Mark, and Nico, and the only one with a junior championship (that fits my criteria) is Nico

Nico Rosberg: 2005 GP2 Series champion

So the conclusion of this (super random and a bit pointless) analysis is that things don't change too much.

When you add the F1 WDC you have Lewis with 8 world championships and Nico Rosberg with 2.

Then you have 2-time world champions Charles, Esteban, Oscar, and George; [I find it cute that all of them did it back-to-back, they were definitely on a roll] and

1-time world champions Valtteri, Pierre, Hulk, and Lando.

tbh I thought that there were going to be a few more, but this shows you that championship wins are not the only important thing (quality?) to make an F1 champion...

[isacksteban]

My F1 OC :3

Birth Name: Catalina Del Vecchio

Nickname: Cat (looks around.)

Parents: Chiara Del Vecchio & Valentino Rossi

Birthday: April 28th, 1999

Zodiac Sign: Taurus

Height: 170cm (5’7)

MBTI Type: ENTP

Nationality: Italian

Starts karting at 4 (she was never interested in bikes)

F4 wdc at 15, F3 at 16-17, wdc at 18, F1 at 19

Prema 15-17, Mercedes Reserve 18, Mercedes Driver 19+

She races under the number '68'

Won her first wdc with Merc at 22 in 2021

Her parents were never officially together

Her mom was a grid girl 1995-2000

Valentino had full custody of her

She's super close to her uncle Maro (Luca Marini)

She loves her little half-sisters Guilietta and Gabriella

She likes having a different last name from her father

She grew up super close to Jack, Max and Mick

She got her undergraduate degree in Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Stanford University (mainly online)

F4: A Record-Breaking Start

At just 15 years old, Catalina entered the Italian F4 Championship, and it quickly became evident that she was a force to be reckoned with. Despite being one of the youngest drivers on the grid, she showcased maturity and skill beyond her years. Her aggressive yet calculated driving style earned her multiple pole positions and race victories, culminating in her clinching the championship in her rookie season.

Her dominance in F4 not only set records but also turned heads in the racing world. With her wins came comparisons to legends, though Catalina remained focused on her own path. She credited her success to years of hard work in karting and the unwavering support of her father, who was often seen cheering her on at the track — when the MotoGP calendar allowed.

F3: A Star in the Making

Catalina’s move to FIA Formula 3 at 16 marked her entry into a more competitive and physically demanding series. Racing for Prema Racing, she faced seasoned rivals and tighter competition, but Catalina thrived under pressure. Her second year in F3 was nothing short of sensational. She battled wheel-to-wheel with some of the best young drivers, delivering standout performances that often left fans and commentators in awe.

Her crowning achievement came at the end of her second season when she won the F3 World Championship at just 17, making history yet again as one of the youngest champions ever. Her ability to adapt, take risks, and recover from setbacks was unmatched, solidifying her reputation as a future Formula 1 star.

Despite the immense pressure, Catalina remained grounded, attributing her success to her team — prema — her family, and her unyielding passion for racing. She often said that her father taught her to “focus on the process, not the outcome,” a mantra she carried into every race.

The Transition to F1: Breaking Barriers

After winning the F3 title, Catalina made the jump to Formula 2 at 18, but her time there was brief. Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team quickly took notice of her talent and announced her as their reserve driver in the same year — after spending an undisclosed amount of money to buy her from Prema/Ferrari. This decision sparked excitement and curiosity across the motorsport community, with many seeing it as a sign of Mercedes’ commitment to nurturing young talent.

In late 2018 Mercedes confirmed Catalina as a full-time Formula 1 driver for the 2019 season. The announcement was a historic moment, as Catalina became the youngest female driver to join the F1 grid. She described the moment as "surreal," standing on stage alongside Toto Wolff as the world celebrated her achievement.

Catalina’s promotion to Formula 1 was a testament to her relentless hard work and undeniable skill. It also symbolized the breaking of barriers in a sport traditionally dominated by men. As she prepared for her rookie season, Catalina expressed her gratitude for the opportunity while vowing to prove herself worthy of the iconic Mercedes seat.

“I’m a Formula 1 driver and I'm here to win,” she said during her unveiling. “This is just the beginning.”

2019 Australian GP

Catalina's first Formula 1 race was supposed to be the crowning moment of her journey, but fate had other plans. Her chassis caught fire midway through the race, forcing her to retire. Standing in front of the press after the chaotic day, Catalina's exhaustion was evident — not just from the race but from the patronizing questions that awaited her.

As soon as she stepped into the media pen, the male-dominated press wasted no time in making her feel out of place.

“So, Catalina, do you think Formula 1 is a bit too demanding for you, considering today’s result?” one journalist asked, the first of the group to speak coherently.

Another chimed in, “Do you think your lack of experience played a role in the incident? Have you considered that maybe Mercedes rushed you into F1 too quickly?”

Catalina, trying to maintain her composure, responded curtly, “The fire was caused by a mechanical failure, not by my driving or my experience. It’s unfortunate, but these things happen in motorsport. As I drove a spark flew into an unsecure part of my chassis and the heat and moisture from my engine led to it catching ablaze.”

But the questions kept coming, each one dripping with subtle (and not-so-subtle) sexism.

“Do you think you have what it takes to compete with the big boys? After all, it’s a steep learning curve.”

“Do you feel guilty for not delivering for Mercedes today?”

Her patience was wearing thin. Catalina clenched her jaw, forcing a smile as she spoke up.

“Let me make one thing clear,” she said, her voice steady but laced with malice. “This isn’t about me being a woman in Formula 1. It’s about me being a driver in Formula 1. Cars catch fire. Parts fail. It’s part of the sport, and I don’t see anyone asking my male colleagues if they’re too ‘inexperienced’ or if they ‘belong’ here when they retire due to technical issues. Did you ask Ricciardo this when he had to retire when his front wing fell apart? Or when Kubica made contact with Gasly?”

The crowd of journalists shifted uncomfortably, but she wasn’t done.

“Let’s focus on what actually matters, shall we? I’m here to compete, and I’ve earned my place on this grid. I've worked just as hard if not harder than some of the people on the gird alongside me regardless of what's in my pants that seems to bother you all so deeply. If anyone doubts that, they can keep doubting me while I prove them wrong on track. Is that all?”

Catalina’s words cut through the noise, silencing the room momentarily. Some journalists looked taken aback; others nodded in reluctant agreement.

As she walked away from the pen, her head held high, the moment sent a powerful message. Catalina Del Vecchio was more than ready to fight — not just against her rivals on the track but against the outdated perceptions that plagued the sport.

[batsplat]

Jerez 2005 | Misano 2019: Valentino Rossi and Marc Marquez celebrate victory on enemy soil amid booing from the spectators

[coimbrabertone]

Who is the Ferrari of the Motorcycle World?

A bit of a short blogpost this week since this is that time in my writing schedule where I've just posted a chapter of Fastest of the Prancing Horses, have to post this month's chapter of Racing in the Golden Age, and then back to Fastest of the Prancing Horses for that story's biweekly uploads. Self-imposed fanfic upload schedules aside, let's talk motorcycles.

Who is the Ferrari of motorcycles?

Ducati comes to mind first, being Italian and red and heavily associated with racing. The fact that when Ducati entered MotoGP in 2003, it had a very Ferrari like set of sponsors didn't hurt either. Marlboro and Shell at first, then Telecom Italia's Alice brand got involved in the late 2000s, and after diverging a bit in the early 2010s - when Ducati had a sponsorship with Mercedes-AMG of all people - they both wound up with Philip Morris' Mission Winnow as a sponsor.

And around the same time as Mission Winnow, both gained Lenovo sponsorships. Ferrari's Lenovo deal seemed to only last for 2018 and 2019 and has recently been replaced by a title sponsorship from HP, whilst the ties between Ducati and Lenovo have only grown stronger, becoming a title sponsorship from 2021 onwards.

So, the sponsorship is very similar, but it's not the same.

Plus, there's now a pretty big stumbling block to the whole Ducati = Ferrari thing.

That being that Ducati is owned by Lamborghini. Yup, in 2012, Ducati was acquired by Audi - which itself is part of the Volkswagen Group - and Ducati was placed under the control of Lamborghini. So, in a funny little shell game, Ducati was owned by Lamborghini who was owned by Audi who was owned by Volkswagen.

So yes, Ducati may have the superficial resemblance to Ferrari, but being owned by Ferrari's greatest rival kinda breaks the whole comparison.

Another thing that doesn't help is that Ducati's Grand Prix racing history is rather recent. Sure, their history with superbikes and the Isle of Man TT, with famous riders like Mike Hailwood and Carl Fogarty, but they did not have that MotoGP pedigree until 2003 onwards. Even then, Ducati only had a single 2007 championship until their recent (2022-present) success.

So, how about someone who does have GP pedigree?

MV Agusta.

The massive amount of success that MV Agusta had with the likes of John Surtees, Guy Hawking, Mike Hailwood, the great Giacomo Agostini, and Phil Reed gave MV a stranglehold over the 500cc class from 1958 to 1974, a level of domination that Ferrari could only dream of.

The problem is that, since then, MV Agusta hasn't really had the money to race.

They've tried a couple of times, with various Superbike and Supersport efforts, most prominently with Reparto Corse who is still in WSSP, as well as a brief partnership with Forward Racing in Moto2 between 2019 and 2022. None of this compares to MV Agusta's past greatness, and none of it is really comparable to Ferrari either.

That being said, on the road bike side, I think MV Agusta matches Ferrari in terms of being these rare, expensive, incredibly desirable things. Ducati is no slouch either in that regard, but, come on, just look at a MV Agusta F4 or Superveloce and tell me those aren't some of the most beautiful motorcycles ever made.

So MV Agusta and Ducati both meet some criteria, but both fail at some others.

So here is another contender: Aprilia.

Now, Aprilia's racing history started rather recently, but they've done a lot in that time - their 125cc and 250cc bikes dominated the lower classes of GP racing in the 90s and 2000s, with riders like Max Biaggi, Valentino Rossi, Loris Capirossi, Marco Melandri, Alvaro Bautista, Jorge Lorenzo, and Marc Marquez all taking championships on board their bikes and then going on to have massively successful careers.

Even once the two-stroke success dried up, Aprilia took the fight to World Superbikes, winning the 2010 and 2012 titles with Max Biaggi and then the 2014 title with Sylvain Guintoli. The likes of Eugene Laverty and Marco Melandri also took wins on the Aprilia WSBK bikes at this time.

Their factory team efforts ceased in 2015, but that was because Aprilia was entering MotoGP.

First with Gresini, Aprilia began a long preparation period, but come 2022, Aprilia was ready. Gresini went its own way as a Ducati satellite team, while Aprilia entered a full factory effort with Aleix Espargaro and Maverick Vinales.

Aleix would win in the third race of the season at Argentina and finish fourth in the standings while Maverick took three podiums and an eleventh place finish.

In 2023, Aleix would win at Britain and then sweep the weekend at Catalunya to finish sixth in the standings, while Maverick Vinales was just behind him in seventh. That Catalunya race would also mark Aprilia's first 1-2 finish.

2024 wasn't as strong, but Maverick Vinales still swept the weekend at COTA on his way to a seventh-place championship finish, whilst Aleix Espargaro won the sprint race at Catalunya for the second year in a row, a fine feather in the cap for his retirement year, even if he did slip to eleventh in the standings in the process.

Now, with Marco Bezzecchi and Jorge Martin as their riders - and Jorge having the option to put the #1 plate on the Aprilia if he so chooses - Aprilia is certainly on the way up in MotoGP.

Oh, and the team is run by former Ferrari man Massimo Rivola.

If that's still not enough to convince you, then let me take you back to the 90s when, for a brief period of time, it seemed like the Piaggio Group (Aprilia's parent company) and Fiat (then Ferrari's parent company) were on the verge of a merger.

Giovannino Agnelli - the nephew of Fiat supremo GIanni Agnelli and the son of Antonella Becchi Luserna Piaggio, the adopted daughter of Enrico Piaggio - became President of Piaggio in 1993. In 1995, Gianni Agnelli officially named Giovannino his successor...only for Giovannino to pass away from cancer in December 1997.

Gianni Angelli would die in January 2003, with the Ferrari F2003-GA named in his honor.

Had Giovannino not predeceased his grandfather, Aprilia and Ferrari could well now be sister companies.

Another side effect of the whole Piaggio ownership thing is that Aprilia's sister companies include Moto Guzzi, Gilera, and Derbi, and those brands certainly fill out Aprilia's racing history.

Gilera was the first giant of 500cc motorcycle racing, winning six titles between 1950 and 1957. while Moto Guzzi wasn't quite as successful with its 500cc V8, it did win the very first 250cc championship in 1949, as well as five consecutive 350cc titles from 1953 to 1957.

As for Derbi, it had a ton of success in 50cc and 125cc GP racing with Angel Nieto in the 70s, and then later on during the golden age of two-stroke Aprilias, Aprilia had some of their bikes badged as a Gilera or as a Derbi.

Marco Simoncelli won the 2008 250cc title on a Gilera whilst Marc Marquez's aforementioned 2010 125cc title was on a Derbi.

So, when you put it like that, Aprilia does have a pretty consistent history in GP racing after all, huh?

Well, if none of those convinced you, there's a surprise fourth candidate, because the rumor mill is that, with KTM's financial difficulties, Lewis Hamilton is in talks to invest in the KTM MotoGP team. So, there is a possibility that we'll see a MotoGP team owned by a Ferrari Formula One driver in the near future.

Yup, after all these Italian companies, the Ferrari of MotoGP might end up being the road racing arm of an Austrian dirt bike company.

We live in strange times.