With three grands prix run and won, we’re starting to get a better picture of the MotoGP landscape in 2014. Have a read of some of the questions we’ve been considering so far…

Source: MotoGP.

Q: Why is Marc Marquez so far ahead of the competition?

A: Let’s be honest here – it’s not like we weren’t expecting it. This is the man that was on the podium and then winning races seemingly moments after stepping onto the ‘big bike’ in MotoGP last year.

He has an affinity with the Honda package and is clearly the rider that the team will back (sorry, Dani). He knows the tracks now and has an uncanny ability to go fast on tracks he’s never seen (read Circuit of the Americas last year and Argentina this year).

Above all he is in a good headspace, and with his rivals facing their own struggles for setup balance, he knows now is the time to make hay and bank the wins before they sort out their issues and fire a return of serve.

Q: Is Jorge Lorenzo back on track?

A: Two forgettable grands prix to start the season had the two-time champion placing plenty of emphasis on a good result in Argentina. With a DNF due to a crash at Qatar and then that infamous jump start in the US (apparently caused by mosquitoes and an errant tear-off), there was not much more that could go wrong for the Spaniard.

His performance at the Termas de Rio Hondo was promising, and that’s a good thing. As spectators we are naturally in awe of Marquez, but we don’t want this thing run and won before mid-year! The podium should give him a boost of confidence coming into round four.

Q: Surprise packet of the premier class?

A: This accolade has to go to Aleix Espargaro, who is consistently pipping factory bikes in practice and qualifying. Espargaro was a leader in the CRT category last year, so it seems quite obvious that he’d be fast on the Open spec bike. But could anyone have predicted he’d be consistently out-qualifying the likes of Valentino Rossi? While his race results haven’t reflected his pace in the earlier parts of these weekend, he certainly has been a standout.

Q: Biggest disappointment of the premier class?

A: Its been a shocker of a start for the Gresini Honda team, so they share this tag. Alvaro Bautista must be considered Honda’s best chance behind the factory pairing, but having not finished a race this season, he has a lot of ground to make back up. He managed a front row start to open the season in Qatar but 10th and 12th places in qualifying and three subsequent DNFs are worrying.

Scott Redding made a good start to his premier class campaign but has struggled since. It looks like the British rider could find himself in the same boat as our own Bryan Staring did in 2013, but we hope to be proven wrong.

Q: How is Broc Parkes faring with PBM?

A: The opportunity to compete in the top-level of motorcycle grand prix is one that few riders would pass up. Broc came into the season knowing full well that the challenge he faced was immense. Not only was it a learning experience in terms of the new tracks, it was also going to be a super-tough ask to wrangle results from Paul Bird’s in-house built bike.

His wealth of experience has shone through, however, allowing him to ride his way to a points-finish in his first event, and factor ahead of his rivals in qualifying. The gap to the top Open class machines is massive, without even considering the upper classes. One thing’s for sure, Parkes is there for the long haul and will be in the hunt for points on many occasions.

Source: Red Bull KTM Ajo.

Q: How good is Jack Miller?

A: That’s a rhetorical question. He isn’t good, he is incredible. He did the hard yards to earn his place with Red Bull KTM Ajo and he’s using every ounce of the opportunity.

Miller is riding to the strengths of the bike but now finds himself on the opposing end of some extra speed for the Honda. The race in Argentina showed that he is able to overcome the slight deficit in other ways, especially through the corners.

He hasn’t put a foot wrong this season and would surely have three perfect grands prix results under his belt if it weren’t for the controversial dive bomb pass put on him by Romano Fenati in the final corner last race.

Having an Aussie rider consistently winning again can only be good for the sport, from our perspective, and from an international audience looking back at us and our talent pool.

Q: Why can’t we see Jack Miller race on free-to-air TV?

A: It’s ironic that the moment that we have an Aussie consistently winning in a GP feeder class that we can’t actually flick on Channel Ten to watch him. A change in media landscapes have Ten only broadcasting the premier class live, with full coverage going the way of Speed TV.

While this does disadvantage some, Speed has taken the level of their offering up a notch by showing all practice and qualifying sessions, plus all three class races.

The alternative is MotoGP.com’s video subscription, a paid service which offers live streaming of all on-track activity. It works well and is definitely good value for money, but be prepared to burn some serious bandwidth if you’re choosing to stream hours of coverage each weekend from the 18 race weekends!

Q: Has Ducati improved since last season?

A: No doubt the Italian manufacturer has made inroads since 2013, highlighted by Andrea Dovizioso’s podium at COTA and even satellite team rider Andrea Iannone’s inspiring performance in Argentina. They still have a ways to go if they’re to challenge Honda and Yamaha for wins even if they are using the ‘Factory 2’ option, but it’s been more promising than recent years.