Hello everyone, welcome to another monthly edition of Ask Dre! The show where you, the wonderful Motorsport101 audience, ask me some questions on F1, MotoGP, IndyCar and whatever else takes your fancy. In this month’s mailbag, Rafa Camara and the state of the juniors, Marc Marquez’s GOAT status, and what’s been the biggest surprises in F1 in 2025. Enjoy!
Remember, send in a good question and it may even get a video response on my TikTok page (M101_Podcast), check it out!
How do we rate Rafael Camara’s season? It feels like both F3 and F2 have very few top prospects now with so many promotions last season into F1 so how do we judge the current crop with the bottle neck closed up again for a while probably? – Alexander Pitt (Question of the Month)
It was always going to be an intriguing F3 season given it was the first season with a brand new car (New chassis and engine). Whoever adapted quickly was going to reap the rewards and Rafa Camara looked great right off the jump in Australia when the rain came down in the Feature Race.
Rafa to me, felt like a Ronnie O’Sullivan type, if you like your Snooker references. An incredibly quick driver (Five pole positions in nine weekends), very good in the rain. Ran especially well as a front runner, but I was a little bit worried about him when he was caught up in pack races. When he was in the midfield, he often got stuck and struggled to make progress and a couple of flaws in his racecraft were shown. But this was also a year of erratic results, to be expected when the field gets shaken up.
We’ve had nine out of the 10 weekends in F3 this year and we’ve had 10 different winners in 17 races. So for Camara to win four times and win the Championship with a weekend to spare is impressive on so many levels as a rookie against a bunch of Year 3 drivers like Mari Boya and Nikola Tsolov.
The problem is, the 2025 batch of rookies and F1 hang-arounds have now made the current junior ladder even more of a bottle neck than it was before. We had five drivers come up this season1, and they’ve all been good to great barring Jack Doohan, who got swapped up for another “rookie” in the same seat.
If you look at this year’s batch of F2 drivers, they’ve all tripped over each other, and a combination of team and driver incompetence has meant there’s no real standout. Alex Dunne is incredibly fast but needs more racecraft polish. Arvid Lindblad has shown promise but has been inconsistent. Richard Verschoor’s in Year 5 and is dragging everyone down by proxy. Luke Browning is very quick, especially in the rain, but struggles with tire wear and has made errors. Leonardo Fornaroli is consistent but is he quick enough outright, and is he being padded up by Invicta being the best team? (Reigning Champs, and even Roman Stanek has a pole and feature race win there this season).
Do you know how wild it could be that Leo Fornaroli could produce the F3, F2 back-to-back double and there probably won’t be a seat for him? Alex Dunne being a McLaren junior with their F1 lineup, and Luke Browning being a Williams junior with Albon and Sainz in the F1 team… it all feels a bit futile. I suspect the European Le Mans Series and Indy NXT are going to be busy because how else are these drivers going to impress when sticking around in F2 at £3-4m a season, and with diminishing returns with impressing F1 teams in any way useful?
This is probably going to take another two years to fully shake out unless a team or two in F1 has some shock movement, and that’s unfortunate for anyone trying to climb the ladder, Camara included. Invicta for F2 anyone?
I know you don’t cover Formula E on the podcast anymore, but seeing as that season recently ended, how much of it did you watch and what opinions do you have on it? – Scott Young
A couple of races here and there Scott (I am still a Mitch Evans fan), besides peering at the odd results screen or silly season rumour. I stopped watching last year for a range of reasons and nothing has really tempted me to get back on the wagon properly. So I’d be lying to you if I had too many super strong opinions, but here’s a pair for you:
I’m delighted that Oliver Rowland can call himself a World Champion. For the last couple of years I was watching, I said he was the pound-for-pound best driver in the series, and I’m glad he finally had a powertrain with Nissan that was fast enough to prove it. Him leaving Mahindra out of nowhere because he wasn’t happy with his place in Motorsport, only to come back and win a World Title is a hell of a story, and I know he’s given a ton back to Motorsport with his academy and mentorship of some great drivers like Taylor Barnard and Arvid Lindblad. Rowland’s one of the good ones, and I’m glad he got his moment.
Also, just what IS Formula E’s place in Global Motorsport at this point? One thing that did frighten me, was McLaren’s demise as a team given Ian James couldn’t find a buyer quickly enough. This wasn’t a bottom feeder team. This was one of the strongest teams in an FIA World Championship, formerly the Mercedes group that won a Constructor’s Championship, in a series that’s heavily cost capped, still very spec relative to most series, and had a star driver in Barnard… and they couldn’t get a buyer. That’s a concern and it’s another factory leaving the series entirely.
The series as a whole is moving further away from its street circuit consumer identity. I’m pretty adamant they’ve bought a lot of their social followers because their numbers are poor. They can’t upload full races on YouTube anymore and you have to go out of your way to watch it in the UK, where the series can’t find a permanent home. I don’t know what the series can do to propel itself forward. Gen 4 is going to be an interesting crossroads for Formula E. At least that’s the impression I have.
“If you had to say your driver of the year at this current moment, who would it be and why is it Alex Palou” – Tom Woolnough
…I mean, you ain’t wrong Tom, call me out why don’t you?!
Yeah, across both major single-seater series I regularly watch, it’s hard to argue it’s anyone other than Alex Palou. Remember the 2023 Motorsport101 Awards? I tried hard to vouch for Palou to win the outright Athlete of the Year award over Max Verstappen’s 19-win season because of the nature of Palou’s dominance taking place in a spec-series. To become the first early winner of an IndyCar series since Dan Wheldon is a mighty feat in a series that’s meant to be close by design.
But this? This? This is on another planet. Palou has eight wins on the season and has a very good chance of winning two races early this time. He has run the 2025 IndyCar field over and no-one’s even been close. Across the pond in F1, who would you pick as their best? Do you take one of the McLarens despite beating each other up in a one-car series this year? Do you take George Russell in the Mercedes? Max Verstappen for more Red Bull hero work? I don’t think anyone there takes it over Palou.
Athlete of the Year is looking like a battle of That Damn Spaniard. Speaking of which…
What more does Marc Marquez need to do to become the indisputable GOAT of MotoGP? – Daniel Montiero
I’m not sure that’s possible in a world where Valentino Rossi exists! When it comes to MotoGP, those two fanbases are two citrus shades of the same cult.
In the eyes of this writer, if Marc Marquez wins this year’s championship with the sheer dominance that he has on it, he’s already in the conversation. It would be his seventh Premier Class title, with his second major manufacturer, and he’s beaten a teammate with multiple World Championships on the same bike. And remember, he’s beaten Vale on arguably weaker machinery in the past, even if Rossi was in his Mid 30’s by then.
You also have to consider the nuances of Marc’s career – He essentially missed four years of his prime. An arm break that went horribly wrong in every way, from infection, to stress, to twisting 30 degrees out of joint. Marquez genuinely considered retirement if the Mayo Clinic2, couldn’t fix it. When it comes to sporting comebacks, Marquez is a good 70% along the “Lauda” index. To come back from all that and STILL be the best rider in the world at 32 is nothing short of miraculous.
To me, I already think he’s the greatest of all-time. To put it beyond all doubt, I think if he has two or three more years of this level of performance and starts taking some of Rossi’s major records away, it’s going to be hard to argue against him. Transitioning nicely into…
“How long do you think Marc Marquez’s dominance will continue for?” – Toki
Good question. I don’t see any reason why Marc can’t keep this up until at least 2027. The cake of MotoGP’s current performance dynamics is pretty much baked. Ducati are on top, they’re not being consistently challenged, and unless Ducati makes their 2026 bike an axe murderer, it should be the same unless their next bike helps Pecco Bagnaia close that gap a bit.
Then you get to the 2027 checkpoint – The new technical regulations. Ride-height devices banned, a reduction in engine size from 1,000 to 850cc, fairing sizes reduced to combat aero. We just don’t know what those changes will bring… but if we’re going back to something that more resembles the Prototypes of a decade ago, that also favours Marquez.
Why? Because he’s also the most experienced man in the field. Remember, he debuted back in 2013, Aleix Espargaro was the last rider left from that grid to hang it up.
Ducati will have competition from Japan, who will absolutely throw the house at their development teams to bridge the gap between them, but if Ducati gets the next regulation set right… Who knows how long Marquez can keep this up?! A part of me wants to say, as long as he wants. And that’s a terrifying thought for everyone else on the grid.
Thoughts on the MotoGP contract stuff that occurred regarding Jorge Martin? – @Varuzoomin
I was the social media admin for the Motorsport Network’s MotoGP3 accounts when that news dropped, and man, it felt like the sky was falling. Now that the dust has finally settled on it, this for me was the definition of how MotoGP riders thing, and how deep that rabbit hole can run.
Jorge Martin crashed his new Aprilia during the Catalunya test. He crashed again during the Sepang test. He then crashed in training trying to recover for the season opener. And when he finally was healthy, he crashed in Qatar and then was run over for his trouble. We’ll never know for sure if Martin actually had a viable case for the escape clause he claimed he had in his contract – Aprilia were adamant he didn’t, and Martin was going to face an uphill struggle to win. Likely a case in the Italian courts as opposed to the Swiss Court of Arbitration for Sport, and a prolonged court case would keep Martin off the grid for 2026, as per Carmelo Ezepelta’s words in Assen.
But I think what Martin’s 2025 prep essentially boiled down to: “This bike might be trying to kill me, I need to get out of here before the worst happens”. Was that fair for Aprilia? Probably not. It’s true that their 2025 contender has struggled with stability and has been very twitchy at the limit, but to call it a death trap? Nah, I watched Honda a couple of years ago. This was Martin’s headspace conjuring up the worst case scenario in his head, and that’s what led to a very public stalemate over his future.
I’m glad that Aprilia treated Martin in good faith, and that Martin eventually saw sense. I think this really is the best situation for both parties, and that Marco Bezzecchi has proven the Aprilia is absolutely a worthwhile package that can and has won races. But I think the mental battles that someone riding a 225mph motorcycle was laid bare with the Martin case in a way that we’re not normally used to seeing.
The last time we saw that, was probably Jorge Lorenzo’s retirement, where the Hall of Famer admitted that his final season with Honda, and the back injury he suffered at Assen, made him question whether it was all worth it4. He did that back in 2009 as well when he suffered a massive concussion at his home race in Barcelona. This shit is hard, and it affects people in many, many different ways.
Now that we’re over halfway through the F1 season, who has been your biggest positive and negative surprise of the season? – Max
The biggest positive surprise for me has been Oscar Piastri. 2025 has felt like a slightly more extreme continuation from the end of 2024 – McLaren has now become a truly dominant team and has won 11 out of 14 so far this season. With Red Bull too far back even for Vertsappen-level heroics, it’s left McLaren as chief protagonists, and I’m glad that with it, Piastri has improved to the point where he can consistently challenge Lando Norris for victories.
You have to remember, Piastri was not that guy last season. For his moments of brilliance like Baku, there were weekends where he was just anonymous, like Mexico and Singapore. That’s not happening so much now. In fact I think on sheer raw speed, he’s now quicker than Lando, even if it’s not by much at all. For a guy with four years less experience at McLaren than Lando, that’s mighty impressive. He’s still had moments of weakness, like the lockups in Austria and Hungary, and the Australian “Clarkson’s Farm” moment, but he’s now looking like the complete package many thought he might be.
The biggest negative surprise for me has been a doubling down from the FIA on their nonsense. I thought Mohammed Ben Sualyem would dial down a lot of his bullshit given it’s a re-election year. Safe to say that hasn’t happened.
He chose to die on the hill of bad language in press conferences, threatening suspensions and point deductions until his boys in the WRC threatened to boycott interviews and he backed down. He fired Johnny Herbert for taking bookmaker money to be a pundit while serving as a steward (rightly so), but only suspended Derek Warwick for doing the same. He’s been pushing behind the scenes to take more power at the top of the FIA power tree, as well as making it more difficult for others to oppose him. It put Carlos Sainz Sr off a bid for Presidency, as well as alienating Prodrive CEO and Leader of Motorsport UK David Richards, one of the most influential people amongst the leaders of the clubs who have voting power in the FIA.
The stewarding in F1 has continued to be questionable, with Safety Car tendencies coming under scrutiny, the idea of “rights to review” not really having a deterrent for Red Bull throwing them out willy nilly, and the mixed messaging over Verstappen’s “intentional” hit on Russell in Barcelona.
While all this has been going on, he’s been pushing for V10’s and V8’s to return to the Championship, all while pissing off the current engine suppliers, who politely told him to kick rocks when an official proposal was sent. As a result, Tim Mayer, the steward he dismissed at the end of last year, is making a late run for Presidency. As I said, I don’t think Mayer will win. But it’ll certainly be interesting to see just how many people are fed up of his power struggles.
See you back after the Summer Break for another Ask Dre!
- Six if you include Liam Lawson, seven if you count Franco Colapinto getting a permanent job. ↩︎
- You know how bad shit is if you need the Mayo Clinic is seen as your “Last Resort”? ↩︎
- A salute to anyone who works Social Media full-time, even more if you’re part of a travelling paddock. How the fuck do you guys function? ↩︎
- We’ll ignore the part when he was going to come back as a Yamaha wildcard in 2020 until COVID-19 happened. ↩︎
