MotoGP doesn’t remain static, undergoing constant technical and technological evolution. However, in recent years, the growing relevance of technology and, especially, aerodynamics in performance has raised some criticism, with some arguing that the rider has less influence than in the past. This is the view of Carlos Checa.
The former rider stated on the Fred’s Cycling Obsession podcast that MotoGP is making some of the same mistakes as Formula 1: ‘We may be going a bit too far with so much technology. I think we are making some of the mistakes of Formula 1, but there they are limiting it a bit because they realized it. In motorcycles, it seemed very difficult for that to happen, but Gigi [Dall’Igna] appeared, and he was able to change the concept of how to take the bikes, and everyone followed a bit’.
For Checa, the rider’s role is still crucial but has lost some prominence: ‘The rider continues to influence a lot, but in recent years, with aerodynamics, it has changed a bit. Either you apply this technology, or you’re out. […]. Technology has approached the limit, and with it, the riders. Before, the rider had more influence, in some aspects, it has been lost’.