Only fractions of a second separate most MotoGP Free Practice and Qualifying times these days. With each one-off prototype approaching upwards of 300 horsepower, manufacturers have delved into their technological bags to eke out a tenth, hundredth, or thousandth of an advantage. Hence, the arrival of aerodynamic winglets, holeshot devices, and ride-height devices.
While these advanced doohickies enable the world’s best riders to shave milliseconds off their already jaw-dropping lap times, they also add a new level of complexity to today’s machinery. For instance, when two-time Formula One (F1) champion Max Verstappen joined six-time MotoGP champ Marc Marquez in the HRC box at Japan’s Mobility Resort Motegi, there was no way Red Bull was letting Mad Max spin laps on the RC213V.
Now, Verstappen may not qualify as a two-wheeled fanatic like fellow F1 champs Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso, but his custom Harley-Davidson proves that the 25-year-old driver knows his way around a bike. Still, that doesn’t bode well for Verstappen’s MotoGP prospects.
“These guys are crazy,” Verstappen explained to MotoGP. “The speeds you have on the straights, the horsepower on the bike - I would like to try it someday but I’m still now allowed.”
Given the RC213V volatility over the last three seasons and Verstappen’s trademark aggressive style, we can only concur with Red Bull’s verdict on the matter. After all, we’ve seen what happens when technology goes awry on a MotoGP machine.
Marquez himself is all too aware of this fact, as a collision with Fabio Quartararo at the 2022 Aragon Grand Prix led to his holeshot device inadvertently engaging, resulting in another collision just four corners later. In 2020, then-Yamaha rider Maverick Vinales jumped from his race bike while going 134 mph down the straight at Austria’s Red Bull Ring due to a braking system failure. Along with these potential technical risks, rider error always looms large when riding a motorcycle at the limit.
It goes without saying that all of us gearheads would relish the opportunity to ride a MotoGP prototype. Whether we, let alone F1 champion Max Verstappen, could or should is an entirely different topic.
