MotoGP bikes are faster than F1 cars, mostly

Formula 1 is the pinnacle of racing, or so the FIA, the teams, drivers, and fans all around the world love to say. The series has the technology, the gravitas, the charisma, and the speed that enthralls you at every stop on the calendar. And it’s present in the highlight reels from along the racetrack that just ooze this sense of speed. 

Too bad MotoGP’s motorcycles are going faster than Formula 1 at most of the tracks they both use…

Now, if you look at the timing sheets around tracks that cater to both series, you might be scratching your heads as Formula 1 remains at the top for lap times. And that’s true, Formula 1 cars are faster around a track. Four contact patches and all the downforce in the world will do that for you, as you can lean on the car’s inherent stability.

However, what you’re not looking at is top speed. 

Take for instance The Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, which holds one of the longer straights on each’s calendar. The top speed of a Formula 1 car down the back straight at COTA is an eye-watering 205mph. And that’s moving, folks. But then you look at MotoGP’s, which is a butt-clenching 221mph. That, however, is despite having a lap time deficit between the two race series of around 25 seconds. 

And this is the same essentially everywhere the two hold races at. 

Now, the reason for the disparity between the all out top speed and the slower-than-Formula 1 lap time is mostly due to weight and just how fast these motorcycles can accelerate. A modern MotoGP racer is producing between 280 and 300 horsepower, but is only pushing 346 pounds of motorcycle. That’s nearly a 1:1 power-to-weight ratio. 

You do have to add the rider, though they’re all lightweight Europeans that weigh less than the average American dog. 

But because it’s so light, as well as producing such power, it can rev to its 18,000rpm limit far faster than that of a Formula 1 car pushing all its weight around and getting held back by its drag. That’s why you’ll see these MotoGP racers wheelie these monsters nearly off of every single corner, even while fighting to keep the front ends down. 

The results of these factors are they’re the fastest machines on these tracks, though not necessarily around. That doesn’t mean the racing isn’t amazing, as this season has been positively brilliant and top speed records are getting broken. 

This weekend, MotoGP is in Spain at Circuito de Jerez, where the title fight between Marc Marquez and his own brother Alex Marquez remains the nail-biting drama of the season. The siblings are racing for different teams, Marc is chasing a seventh world championship, Alex, his first, and they’re only a few points away from one another. Basically, they’re going toe-to-toe each round and delivering some of the most exciting racing ever to be witnessed.

This sort of build-up with each race just doesn’t happen all that often, and you should absolutely tune in both because of the drama, and because MotoGP is faster than Formula 1.