The motorsport season is in full swing and the two queen categories, Formula 1 and MotoGP have already revealed a lot about their 2026 power rankings in the few races we have seen so far.
The MotoGP bikers are giving us a nice show, with Bezzecchi and Martin fighting point by point, while the Formula 1 landscape seems less interesting, because a single team is dominating each and every race: Mercedes.
The main reason of interest, entering the summer slate, is obviously the true surprise of the season: Kimi Antonelli. The Italian youngster is currently atop the drivers’ standings. Maintaining this pace, given his young age and lack of experience, may not be easy.
But for those keen to back the youngblood for victory also in the upcoming GPs, it is possible to simply check this list of free bet offers and take advantage of the best deals on the market by placing a bet without risking own money.
Formula 1: what have we learned so far
The new rules are not making the championship more compelling to watch, as they were meant to do. This is the main statement we can make after the Miami Grand Prix kicked off the month of May in Formula 1, a timeframe where wins begin to mean a lot.
The 50/50 split between electric power and traditional ICE engines is putting a lot of teams in distress. For the moment, only Mercedes (and maybe McLaren in Miami) found a way to use the two sources without suffering power losses and, consequently, speed, when the electric charge runs out.
We are only several weeks into this new era, of course, but right now F1 is not a competition between the fastest cars and the most skilled drivers around anymore, but a championship for who can save more energy and bring the car to the finish line without losing too much speed.
Some drivers are comparing the Formula 1 season to a Mario Kart match. While they may be sensationalising, their point is solid.
We must congratulate Mercedes for the expertise that is allowing them to place their cars in first and second position everywhere the circus goes, but this isn’t a competition at the moment. There is only a team good enough to compete and the whole season may revolve around Antonelli and George Russell, the two Mercedes drivers.
There are 22 drivers on the Formula 1 grid and 11 teams. The World Championship should not be an affair between only two of them from the first race onwards. Max Verstappen recently complained quite clearly, saying in an interview that he may retire if things don’t change, because there is not any fun in driving around like this.
Luckily, we can turn to MotoGP to watch a pretty exciting duel.
The MotoGP landscape hangs in balance after four races
As we write this, we are moving away after the fourth MotoGP round of the year, the Spanish Grand Prix held at Jerez de la Frontera. We had already enjoyed the Grands Prix of Thailand; Brazil and the United States in Austin, in a schedule largely afflicted by the Middle East crisis.
Marco Bezzecchi and Jorge Martin are fighting each and every race week with their Aprilia RS-GP26s and are very close in the standings, with the Italian sitting atop of the table, only 11 points ahead of the Spaniard even though Ducati took a one-two in Spain.
The defending champion, Marc Marquez, is only fifth and is missing a lot of points. He is paying the price for a Ducati that is not as competitive as it was one year ago but he’s an incredible biker and has all the skills to come back, if and when his engineers find a way to give him a Desmosedici fast enough to cut the gap with Aprilia and put him back in the Championship discussion.
We honestly don’t know what to expect from this season. We can say that there is a team stronger than all the others, since both Bezzecchi and Martin ride an Aprilia but we don’t think the distance between teams is the same as we have in the Formula 1 paddock.
Mercedes showed all its dominance so far and the car is so fast that it can correct all the possible mistakes the drivers may commit in the heat of a race. Aprilia is the fastest bike in MotoGP and may have sealed the technical difference with Ducati, but the reason may be that in Borgo Panigale the men in red are thinking more about 2027 than 2026.
Next year, Pirelli will provide the tyres (this year is Michelin) and the engine displacement will decrease at 850cc. These are major changes and being a step forward could make a lot of difference next March. Perhaps, Ducati plans to sacrifice 2026 in order to put together a brilliant 2027.
