Valentino Rossi is still looking for more braking performance from his M1 after seeing the Hondas of Dani Pedrosa and Marc Marquez make another step forward. The Doctor had upped his game with a change of front geometry and an alteration to riding style but it would seem that’s not enough.

He also said that the Movistar-backed bike could also do with a bit more acceleration but that wouldn’t happen because of the engine freeze. Jorge Lorenzo echoed his team-mate’s comments and apparently something new is coming for the Jerez test.

Stefan Bradl, after being accused by Rossi of costing him a podium, said he couldn’t see what all the fuss was about and that it was just a bit of rough and tumble. But then said that Andrea Iannone was involved too. And there were some bigger boys…

Stopping his satellite Monster Yamaha and making it turn early doors is become a recurring problem for Bradley Smith, much in the same way as it was for 2013 teamster Cal Crutchlow after he switched to the ‘factory’ fuel tank and seat unit. Rossi also suffered with it but found a cure. Maybe Guy Coulon should call Jerry Burgess…

There is no official word yet whether Crutchlow will make it to the Jerez round but a communique from Ducati states that Michele Pirro, who replaced him last weekend, is looking forward to riding at the Spanish track. However, we think he was down to officially wildcard on a spare GP14 anyway…

Marc Marquez’ performances so far this year have been likened to Valentino Rossi’s riding in 2001 by, erm, Valentino Rossi. And such is the dominance of the young Spaniard, doom-mongers are wondering whether we are on the brink of another Doohan-esque ‘boring as shit’ domination the class. So, what do we want him to do, slow down?

Silly season in the MotoGP paddock continues unabated with increased speculation about whether Lorenzo will oust Pedrosa in the Repsol Honda garage. The question is do HRC need or want him? You can hazard a fairly well-educated guess that Pedrosa is paid marginally less than Lorenzo so why would Honda swap to Lorenzo when they already have someone to come second at less cost?

Yamaha, on the other hand, face a dilemma. On the one hand, the have two podium men in the shape of Rossi and Lorenzo willing to sign for 2015 and 2016 should the factory get their shit together this winter. But they also have the Espargaro brothers on their books, the younger one being a contracted Yamaha Japan rider and the older one able to turn in top-five performances on a year-old bike should he care to stop falling off.

Suzuki, meanwhile, refuse to be drawn on their choices for next year. Team boss Davide Brivio had made mention of Randy De Puniet and Dani Pedrosa, while Andrea Dovizioso and maybe Crutchlow, should the rumours of his one-year get-our clause be true, are options But, as De Puniet is currently only able to lap at the same pace as Nicky Hayden, the salary would need to be sizeable for anyone to make the change.

In the pre-Argentina media fluffery, Alvaro Bautista’s team boss U, Fatso Gresini, said he was puzzled as to why he was far behind. Gresini was then handed another DNF by the Spaniard when he lobbed it on lap one. Gresini was displeased: “The disappointment for Alvaro’s crash is really high: here we haven't finished a lap and after the first two unfortunate races, leaving Argentina with still zero points in the standings is a shame. It’s clearly not an easy situation…” Step forward team-mate Scott Redding, who is struggling on the woeful proddie bike, to do swapsies. Bautista has scored no points so far, so it is impossible for Redding, who has scored 11, to do any worse.

Colin Edwards, after announcing his retirement, continues to struggle with the Open class, ex-factory Yamaha which he can’t make turn. He wants a new chassis from FTR to match the M1’s power. Jerez? Maybe…

Danny Kent was seriously dis-chuffed at being nerfed off by team-mate and boss’s son Niki Ajo on the last corner of the last lap at Rio Hondo, but managed to keep hold of ninth place as he was still attached to his Husqvarna-badged KTM as it slid across the line and into the gravel. Kent was wholly professional when interviewed by Neil Hodgson but his eyes where saying: ‘What the holy fuck..?’