There is no doubt that motorcycling and MotoGP, as its highest expression at least in speed, is one of the most demanding sports in the world. To the physical demands of the sport itself, we must add traumatic injuries, and travel and commitments with sponsors and organizers.
According to Taylor Mackenzie, who was a Red Bull Rookies Cup rider, came to the Motorcycle World Championship in the 125 category and then competed in the BSB, these aspects mean that riders do not have as extensive careers as in other sports.
The Briton, in an interesting video, analyzes the steps that lead a child to go from the grassroots categories to the premier category. A path that only a lucky few manage to travel to reach MotoGP, and they usually do so at a certain age, especially now that the limits to start participating in the world championship have passed at 18 years of age.
So, from that moment until the withdrawal, in most cases they last a short time compared to everything it cost them to get there. To all this we must add the sacrifices they make during their time in the World Cup, with long and continuous trips, frequent time zone changes and, in many cases, the feeling of continuous jet-lag. As if all this were not enough, the GPs have been increasing, and with the introduction of the Sprint Race everything has become more complicated.
MotoGP is prettier on TV
As often happens, from the outside everything looks prettier than reality and all you have to do is listen to John Hopkins and his experience in both races and tests, now more controlled. All this makes one thing clear and that is that with the exception of Valentino Rossi, who retired at the age of 42, there are no riders in MotoGP who retire like those in F1 do. In fact, that is the comparison that Mackenzie makes, in which he remembers that in the top category of cars there are Alonso and Hamilton over 40, and then there are Hulkemberg with 38 and Pérez and Botas with 36.
The truth is that Taylor does not fail in his assessment, but there are important nuances that differentiate MotoGP from F1 and that go beyond the injuries themselves but are related: the risk. The feeling of risk is much greater, getting the most out of a motorcycle is more complex than a single-seater and, furthermore, the data on which Mackenzie relies has its nuances.
Alonso retired for two years, Hulkenberg was left without a seat for two seasons and Botas and Pérez have also been out although, in their case, for less time. That is, they have taken a “break”. For now the only one who has spent his entire sports career non-stop is Hamilton, and he is one year away from reaching the age at which Valentino Rossi hung up his monkey.
But there is more and it is that even if it is not in MotoGP, where exceptional speed and fitness are required, we have many riders who have passed through the premier class and have taken a long time to retire.
Without going too far, Álvaro Bautista at 41 years old continues competing in the WSBK, Troy Bayliss took a while to hang up his boots, Jeremy McWilliams continues to give gas… and then we have the endurance guys. De Puniet (45), Guintoli (43), David Checa (45), Mike Di Meglio (38). All of them have gone through MotoGP and continue to give a lot of gas, even if it is no longer in the premier class. Special mention deserves John McGuinness who, at 53 years old (he will turn 54 on April 16), has not yet announced his retirement even though he has never competed in MotoGP.
Nor can we forget the MotoGP test riders who participate or have participated as guests or substitutes, with Dani Pedrosa and his 40 years, Michele Pirro (39), Aleix Espargaró (36), Mika Kallio (43) or Lorenzo Savadori who, at 33 years old, is much older than the majority of the F1 grid.
Could it be that MotoGP no longer burns and that current F1 is less demanding than in the past?
But the reality, there is no doubt, is that the years do not pass in vain nor is current F1 as physically demanding as MotoGP. The psychological side should not be very different, although in F1 the pressures of commitments to sponsors are even greater. Of course, if we look at other sports we see that, of more than 500 La Liga players in the first division in Spain, the oldest are Santi Cazorla and Iván Cuellar at 41 years old, and Raúl Albiol at 39. All of them playing in mid-table teams.
And if we look at pure energy athletics, which needs the best possible body, we see how of the 24 qualified for the semifinals of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, the oldest was Emmanuel Eseme at 31 years old. Of the eight that went to the final, Akani Simine was the oldest, with 30, and the victory went to Noah Lyles with 27.
Where do we want to go? Mackenzie may be partly right in his reasons, but the most important thing is that in MotoGP there are only the best of the best, the elite of the elite and there it is not age but the stopwatch that determines who can continue a year and who cannot.
This requirement also increases due to the technical equality that we have been seeing in recent years. So no, MotoGP does not burn more than other elite sports, but yes, it is tremendously demanding and there comes a time when it is not worth continuing, or the rider is not competitive enough to keep him on the grid. As simple as that.
