One race winner’s scathing review of modern MotoGP: ‘It doesn’t excite me much’

Five-time MotoGP race winner Marco Melandri issued a scathing assessment of the current state of the championship, revealing that “it doesn’t excite me much”.

One-time 250cc world champion Melandri raced in MotoGP between 2003 and 2010 full-time, riding Yamaha, Honda, Ducati and Kawasaki machinery during that period.

He scored his first premier class victory in 2005 on a Honda, winning twice that year on his way to second in the standings, before adding three more in 2006.

Melandri moved to World Superbikes in 2011, though made a brief return to MotoGP in 2015 as part of Aprilia’s first season back in the premier class.

However, he did so against his wishes and only completed eight rounds before being replaced.

MotoGP enters the final year of its current regulations platform, though aero development and ride height devices have in recent years has led to a decline in overtaking in the series.

Speaking with Gazzetta dello Sport, Melandri was critical of modern MotoGP.

“It's not that I really like making comparisons,” he said.

“To be honest, I don't like it at all.

“It's true that today's races don't excite me much.

“And it's evidently no coincidence that on social media, on YouTube, they often show the 2006 races.

“Because there were three or four of us within a second.

“That's not possible now, because with the speed they have, they can't afford to even break away a meter later.”

From 2027, MotoGP will introduce 850cc engines, outlaw ride height devices and restrict aero on bikes, which it hopes will improve safety and the on-track spectacle.

However, the new rules have already received criticism - most notably from Casey Stoner - for not going far enough.

In the same Gazzetta interview, Melandri also spoke of his biggest career regret.

“I would have liked to be Valentino [Rossi’s] team-mate,” he said.

“Because we’ve been together since we were kids, and I’ve always been competitive with him.”