Moto GP or F1

[ryry92]

Just doing some scrolling online and came across a few forums (mainly bike forums) talking about which requires more "Skill" to ride a moto gp bike or to drive a formula 1 car.

What you guys think? I'm not saying "Is Stoner/Rossi better than Senna/Schumacher"...well actually I guess I kinda am

Just interested in seeing what everyone thinks?

I believe in MGP the riders have more risk, the riders must be more ballsy, the race is a lot more physically challenging and the sport in general seems more dangerous with less rules, only having leathers to protect a rider instead of the box of an f1 car - you gotta be confident and brave as shit to go out there knowing that you have no / minimal protection.

Whereas in F1 the drivers can walk away after hitting a wall at 150mph+, but they cannot see the track being that low they have to know it... the riders don't have this problem as such, f1 cars do tend to be quicker, plus going IN to corners at those speeds in an f1 car.. yeah I think that takes bal ls and skill... not too mention having to go faster to get the traction down.

Anyway there may even be a thread on this already.. I'd be interested to see as I know there are a fair few bikers on here

P.S (I know a lot of you will say F1 doesn't require skill as much lately because of all the computers and rules etc... But just talking generally even as far back as Senna etc)

[zeppelin101]

There is no more of less skill in either in my view.

In either case the driver / rider has to rely on the thing doing what they expect. In F1 that means leaning on the thing as hard as possible to get the aero and tyres working properly. That isn't an easy skill to learn. Imagine pitching into a blind corner at 190mph on old tyres and just having to trust the thing will stick?

Equally, imagine throwing a bike into a fast corner and aiming not to get flipped over? Or leaning the thing right over and aiming to not have it slide away.

[Tanuki]

I think both jobs are similar in that they require superhuman levels of concentration and ability to process information extremely quickly but I think the human aspect of the vehicle/human system is more of a factor on bikes. However, this is less the case on modern GP bikes with traction control. Gone are the days of 2 stroke 500 beasts which would buck off even the best, fairly regularly.

I imagine that if you swapped the entire GP grid into F1 cars and visa-versa the GP boys would fair better.

Just my 2 pence.

[ryry92]

A few people have mentioned Rossi was improving in his rally lap times ... I can see the argument as to why bikers would be able to cope better being put in an f1 car as opposed to f1 drivers on a bike.

[zeppelin101]

A few people have mentioned Rossi was improving in his rally lap times ... I can see the argument as to why bikers would be able to cope better being put in an f1 car as opposed to f1 drivers on a bike.

I would bet that most of the top bike riders also have a car license so they'll have had plenty of exposure to both in one form or another. The reverse is not true for F1.

[Tanuki]

I bet everyone on the F1 grid can ride a bicycle

I would bet that most of the top bike riders also have a car license so they'll have had plenty of exposure to both in one form or another. The reverse is not true for F1.

[piman2k]

I don't think either requires less skill than the other, they're just different disciplines.

I do however reject the idea that bikers are braver than car drivers.

[Tanuki]

I don't think either requires less skill than the other, they're just different disciplines.

I do however reject the idea that bikers are braver than car drivers.

Oh come on now. I can rhyme off a number of top riders who have died racing bikes, the only top level car racer I can think of is Senna in recent times. F1 used to be extremly dangerous but it just isn't anymore. That's not a bad thing. It is what it is.

[ryry92]

The total deaths in F1 are / were last time I checked 48. In moto GP 47. They're pretty damn even.

But I completely agree sideways. If anything I am biased as I have never ridden a fast bike. Nor been that intrigued by them.

[Tanuki]

The total deaths in F1 are / were last time I checked 48. In moto GP 47. They're pretty damn even.

But I completely agree sideways. If anything I am biased as I have never ridden a fast bike. Nor been that intrigued by them.

But I'm talking modern F1/GP, I think it would also be interesting to look at the number of serious injuries incurred by GP riders vs F1 drivers. These guys break major bones and are then back in the saddle sometimes days later. This is unheard of in F1.
For example: https://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/news/...072549685.html

[Mark]

F1 used to be extremly dangerous but it just isn't anymore. That's not a bad thing. It is what it is.

Tell that to Jules Bianchi's family

Lets see how how a rider does in a F1 car doing 200mph down a straight then being told to alter 3 different settings on his steering wheel before braking hard for a hairpin

Its 2 different skillsets, GP riders are learning how to hang on for dear life while backing into corners and F1 drivers have more technical things to think about as well as trying to race.

[Jonny Wilkinson]

They are completely different disciplines so its like comparing bananas and oranges and saying "Which one is healthier ?"

From a watchers point of view, I think MotoGP is more thrilling and less technical than F1.

I think the riders can make more difference than drivers in the sense that a great rider can still do well on a mediocre machine as they have so much input into the bike setup. The lack of ship-to-shore also places more emphasis on the bike riders judgement and there are fewer "team decisions" during the race.

Both sets of protagonists are superhuman though and do things that we can only dream of. Having ridden a bike reasonably quickly round a track a few times, I know that I will never have the raw talent and bravery to take my riding to the sort of level where you basically put the bike into a semi-controlled crash on every corner as the pros do. MotoGP riders and F1 drivers are the cream of the pro-racers.

Now if the question was "Are road-racers braver than F1 drivers ?" my answer would have to be "Oh yes !" F1 drivers are a million times braver than I am but road racers are just mental e.g. deliberately rubbing your leathers against a stone wall at 100 mph+ lap after lap ??? Mental.

[Jonny Wilkinson]

...GP riders are learning how to hang on for dear life while backing into corners and F1 drivers have more technical things to think about as well as trying to race.

GP riders are NOT learning how to hang on They f***ing OWN those bikes. They are more like high-speed trick-cyclists doing the seemingly impossible time after time.

[Mark]

I meant to type trying and it came out learning fooking brain fog

[Mark]

I think the riders can make more difference than drivers in the sense that a great rider can still do well on a mediocre machine as they have so much input into the bike setup. l.

Why was Rossi so shit on the Ducati then?

And the same is true in F1, Drivers have loads of input in setup and the likes of Alonso can make an average car look much better than it really is

[Jonny Wilkinson]

Must try harder.

[Johnny]

definitely the same amount of skill ...... But the Bikers by far IMO have the bigger balls

you make a mistake in an f1 car, you might spin, you might bounce off a wall, you might get hurt. .... you make a mistake on a bike, its going to hurt, you stand a high chance of breaking a body part.

you can level it down to everyday scenarios if it helps ..... make a mistake in a car at 30 mph and you need to replace your head lights and bumper .... do that on a bike and you are hitting the floor

Yes both are dangerous, but with motoGP the chance of experiencing pain is lot more ... and knowing you face that pain at every bend in the track requires a different mindset

[Jonny Wilkinson]

Why was Rossi so shit on the Ducati then?

And the same is true in F1, Drivers have loads of input in setup and the likes of Alonso can make an average car look much better than it really is

The Tech3 Yamaha was a mediocre machine when Crutchlow was riding it yet he was managing to mix it with the factory boys. The Ducati was a pile of shit that was developed on a shoestring to suit one rider who wasn't interested in making it rideable by anyone other than him.

Dovi gets better results on a Duc than Rossi ever could because he just rides it like the whinging Oz used to whereas Rossi tried to change the bike to work properly and Ducati pretty much ignored him.

I'm not saying F1 drivers have no input, I'm saying the GP riders have more influence (in my opinion) because their weight, size, body position, riding style, physical fitness and "feel" for a bike on the edge makes more difference than an F1 drivers does.

A 5' 4" rider can get 5-10 mph more speed down the straights than a 6' rider on an identical bike just because of the slipstreaming and the weight difference.

[Mark]

Not sure if bikers are braver or just have less concern over their own personal safety

You could say WRC drivers are just as skillful as F1 and GP drivers/riders. 100+ mph on a narrow gravel track with low grip, no barriers and lined by trees with a huge drop off down a mountain with no idea where you are going and having to listen to your passenger yell at you

[Jonny Wilkinson]

definitely the same amount of skill ...... But the Bikers by far IMO have the bigger balls

you make a mistake in an f1 car, you might spin, you might bounce off a wall, you might get hurt. .... you make a mistake on a bike, its going to hurt, you stand a high chance of breaking a body part.

you can level it down to everyday scenarios if it helps ..... make a mistake in a car at 30 mph and you need to replace your head lights and bumper .... do that on a bike and you are hitting the floor

Yes both are dangerous, but with motoGP the chance of experiencing pain is lot more ... and knowing you face that pain at every bend in the track requires a different mindset

I don't really agree with that. Whilst they are aware that finding the limit means falling off sometimes, its not something you think about mid-corner.

For road racing they have to work up their nut to go out there and put it on the line before each race but I don't think they do for regular short circuit racing.

And F1 drivers race at Monaco. I'd be a lot happier about the idea of crashing at 80-100 mph on a short circuit on a bike (yes, I have done this) than crashing a car at that speed on a road circuit. The biggest danger for a short-circuit rider is getting run over after falling off and, proportionately, that doesn't happen that often. Most riders will have one or two "offs" during a race weekend remember.