Hi all, I'm not hugely up to date with the younger MotoGP riders but always here for Fabio being adorable. I'll overlook that he has a tattoo of himself...
There's a similarity with Jorge Lorenzo and Lando Norris in being hugely under-socialised, but where Adam Norris seems protective of Lando, Chico Lorenzo is your typical motocross dad (overbearing, arrogant, living through their kids....) I think that hard upbringing helped Lorenzo in dealing with some of Valentino's workplace shenanigans perhaps better than Casey Stoner was able to. (I also think Lorenzo is keeping Philipp Plein in business. That or MotoGP riders get a discount on it...)
Casey Stoner recently did a podcast with Gypsy Tales and reveals he has anxiety. He also mentions some pretty scary encounters with Rossi fans, as well as being very stressed a lot of the time. Stoner is a hugely talented rider but came across so badly in the media when he was competing. You can see the love riders like Valentino and Marc have for racing shining out of them, but Casey was always so pale and miserable, despite being the one to tame the damn Ducati. Newer fans - Ducati's of that era were tricksy and strange and Stoner won on them and made it look easy. Rossi could not win on them. The Miller-Bagnaia Ducati era is looking promising.
Maverick Viñales seems quite a turbulent personality but that may partly be due to his father Angel being yet another motocross dad

The recent 2022 Aprilia unveiling in an opera house was beautiful. Take note, F1. There are venues available for reveals besides your HQ's...Anyway, hopefully this will be a better year for Maverick. When he was having big troubles at Yamaha, Scott Redding posted a really lovely message of support for him, highlighting some of the mental pressures riders face (Redding used to race for Aprilia in MotoGP and is now in WorldSBK. 44 teeth does some funny in-van video interviews with him.)
Zarco takes himself a bit too seriously.
Valentino's charisma, talent and marketability catapulted the sport into the mainstream. The smiles helped hide the ruthless streak for a long time. His father Graziano was a professional racer. Valentino's creation of the Ranch and training up younger Italians is really encouraging. It's a step towards levelling the field away from Spanish domination.
Jack Miller is a funny guy, it's a nice to see a bit of deviation from the Dorna-driven PR speak. See also Jorge Martin swearing with feeling in the garage when Marquez ruined his race last year. Cal Crutchlow took Jack under his wing in the early days. Miller and Aleix Espargaró seem to have been arguing for eternity, but Aleix would argue with a lamppost. They're testing at the new Mandalika circuit and it sounds so bizarre, the track is dirty and full of little stones.
Mat Oxley is a racer turned MotoGP journalist well worth a read - he is clear and honest and writes from an informed perspective. He isn't afraid to shine a light on shady situations either. He's respected by the riders and does his research.