MotoGP 2021

The 2021 season kicks off in Qatar with a double header. 6 time world champion Marc Marquez will miss both races in Qatar.

Well who would have picked that for a result. It looked like Ducati were going to have all three podium spots until Vinales got his act together. Felt sorry for Mir after all the work he did to drop two places on the dash for the flag.

Fabio Quartararo won the Doha GP, almost mirroring what Maverick Vinales did last week. The Frenchman worked his way up the pack after a poor start and passed both Zarco and Martin to ease to victory.
Pramac seem to be ahead of the factory Ducati team which is surprising. But Ducati will be gutted that on a track they usually dominate they couldn’t win either race. The red missiles seem very weak in the corners...
One noteworthy flashpoint was world champion Joan Mir and Jack Miller hitting each on the main straight at over 200kph. I’d say both lucky to finish the race and avoid major injuries.

El Diablo Fabio Quartararo won the Portuguese GP ahead of Pramac’s Pecco Bagnaia and reigning world champion Joan Mir.
Rins and Zarco both crashed out trying to keep up with Quartararo.
Marc Marquez made his long awaited return with 7th place.

Well, three races and already we have three different winners. Felt sorry for Zarco who looked like he was going to finish on the podium again and would possibly have taken top spot in the title race. Marquez must be happy with his 7th spot even though it was because front runners came unstuck. It's going to be an exciting season.

Three races two winners (Vinales, Quartararo, Quartararo).  Interesting surname Quartararo (four syllables?).  And Yamaha (monster energy) have won all three.  I see there is a "constructor's standings" as well as a "team standings" - so there appears to be three "championships".

I see that MotoGP has a more gradual decline in points from 25 for winning and 1 for 15th place - and no points for fastest lap - compared to F1.  Also MotoGP 2021 has 23 competitors and F1 20.  Spanish (9) and Italian (7) nationals dominate.

I have a question: when there is a "crash" - how easy is it to restart the bike?

Hi Bertie, in general when you bin it and the engine is still running, the rider will remount. But there’s always the risk of broken foot pegs or handlebar damage. Which essentially compromises the rider massively. Also it’s often difficult to remount a fallen bike as they are pretty heavy, compared to the riders natural weight.

Just a few nuggets of general news.
2020 championship runner up Franco Morbidelli is ‘irate’ that Yamaha opted not to give him full factory support. As such Morbidelli is still using the 2019 version. Morbidelli rightfully is unhappy as his former teammate Fabio Quartararo is leading the championship on the 2021 version M1 Yamaha.
As such Morbidelli is speaking to other manufacturers to leave the Yamaha stable.
Marc Marquez according to reports suggesting that his brother Marc and Nakagami have hindered the bikes development in his absence.
Suzuki desperately on the hunt to get more speed out of their bikes. Rather surprisingly their bikes don’t seem as stable as last year.

Jack Miller won the Spanish GP after Fabio Quartararo appeared to suffer arm pump whilst seemingly cruising to victory. Miller’s first time in 5 years and Ducati’s first win at Jerez in 15 years. Pecco Bagnaia completed a Ducati 1-2. Franco Morbidelli rounded out the podium on his 2019 M1 Yamaha.
Big concerns over Quartararo after this injury today.

A truly crazy and magnificent French GP at Le Mans. Heavy rain after 4 laps. Lead to total mayhem.
Marc Marquez was leading and looking like sealing an incredible victory but the Spaniard binned it pushing a little too hard.
Ducati’s Jack Miller then hunted down Fabio Quartararo to win back to back for the first time in his MotoGP career. Miller’s pace was incredible winning easily despite a double long lap penalty. Johann Zarco claimed second and was incredibly quick in the second half of the race. Fabio Quartararo third and reclaimed the championship lead. A really good result for Quartararo as Yamaha struggle in the rain and the Frenchman had arm pump surgery after the Jerez nightmare.
World champion Joan Mir and Suzuki teammate Alex Rins both crashed out.
Next up is the Italian GP at Mugello, Thriller Miller must be a good bet to win three straight.

Yes, I didn't catch why Miller got the two long lap penalty but he proved that dry or wet he and the Ducati are going to be a force to be reckoned with. Bad luck for Marquez, it would have been a great result if he had managed to get a podium finish. Rossi must be feeling a bit concerned starting from 9th on the grid and finishing 14th with quite a few DNFs in front of him.

Rapid - both Miller and Bagnaia got the double long lap penalty for pit lane speeding. Miller was caught 10kph over the limit. Bagnaia was 3kph over the limit. Miller said he assumed it was a red flag as it was raining so heavy.

Tragic news from Mugello where Swiss Moto3 rider Jason Dupasquier has died after suffering a big accident yesterday. He was 19. RIP

Fabio Quartararo dominates the Italian GP to win at Mugello for first time. Joan Mir brings his Suzuki home and Miguel Oliveira took third on his KTM, Oliveira was demoted from 2nd to 3rd for track limits breach on last lap.
P.4 Zarco
P.5 Binder
P.6 Miller
P.7 A Espargaro
P.8 Vinales
P.9 Pettrucci
P. 10 Rossi

Quartararo starting to open up a solid lead at the top of the standings, nearly a full win ahead of Zarco.

Marc Marquez, Pecco Bagnaia and Alex Rins all crashed out. Pretty lacklustre weekend for Ducati, the poor handling in the corners was exposed.

Miguel Oliveira won the Catalan GP in an enthralling race at Barcelona. Oliveira fended off Pramac’s Zarco on a thrilling final lap. Quartararo finished third bit was demoted to fourth for track limits - Miller promoted to third.
Quartararo suffered a surreal moment when his overalls burst open towards the end of the race. The Frenchman had to discard his chest protector. I’ve never seen anything like this before. Quartararo obviously not very amused.
Marc Marquez with another crash. It’s very sad to see his demise.

Has Marc Marquez now fully recovered from his arm injury? This was only his third race back so another question would be is he fully race weekend fit?

Well he’s been cleared to race but after any major injury it takes time to rebuild the strength. Marquez’s issue is he’s had to change his riding style to protect that right arm. It’s massively compromised his right shoulder whereby he’s now lost strength in the shoulder.
He’ll probably need shoulder soon but if the right arm doesn’t heal it’s strength he’ll never get back to his previous level.

Fabio Quartararo received a 3 second time penalty for racing the last five laps with his leathers open. He drops from 4th to 6th.

I think the three second penalty inflicted on Quartararo was a bit harsh. He'd already been slowed with having to struggle with his gear. In the end though I don't think it will make a lot of difference as he and Yamaha seem to have got their act together and should be able to get the top spot back again. Good to see Oliveira and KTM giving the big guns a run for their money.

Some big team news for 2022.
Gresini Racing have ended association with Aprilia. Gresini will become a satellite Ducati team. They will run 2021 spec Ducati bikes. Gresini rejected offers from Aprilia and Suzuki to run their satellite bikes.

Aprilia are to run their own factory project.

Petronas Yamaha team will continue partnership with the Japanese manufacture. Rumours suggesting Rossi will retire and Morbidelli will get full factory support.

Avintia are leaving the premier class and team VR46 will takeover that team. They will also use Ducati bikes in 2022.

Rather crazy to see 8 Bologna Bullets lining up in 2022.

Marc Marquez wins the German GP at the Sachsenring. An incredible win for the 8 time world champion. His streak of wins in Germany continues. 11th consecutive win at the Sachrenring - 125cc x1 Moto2 x2 and MotoGP x8. Staggering.
Oliveira continues his hot streak with another second place.
Fabio Quartararo comes home third and extends championship lead.

Good to see Marquez on winning form again. I'm not saying he is in with a chance of taking the title again as he has left it a bit too late to get his strength back but he will be giving the top contenders a bit of a scare. Glad to see him win again.

Marc Marquez gives Repsol Honda their first win of the 2021 MotoGP season and now leads all the other Honda bike riders.  In fact this was Honda's first win since the last race of the 2019 season - a season when Marc Marquez ruled supreme. That year he won 12 races while the best his team mate could manage was one 11th place position.

I think Marc Marquez’s revival might be track specific. Sachsenring had 11 left hand corners and only 4 right hand corners.
Assen will probably show how Marquez’s arm/shoulder are truly working as it has a lot more flowing corners

Franco Morbidelli has suffered a severe knee injury including a tear of his ACL. He’s having surgery and rather optimistically stated he’ll try to return after the summer break. I always thought ACL surgery took around 9-12 months to recover.
Andrea Dovizioso is close to making decision on whether to join Aprillia.

Fabio Quartararo wins at the 'Cathedral of Speed' in Assen to extend his championship lead. Quartararo jumped Vinales off the line then passed Bagnaia to open up a big lead. Quartararo at his absolute best.
Vinales completed a Yamaha 1-2, but this will be a bitter blow as he was quicker than Quartararo all weekend.
Reigning champion Mir rounded off the podium after seeing off Zarco.
Marc Marquez came home 7th and should be very happy. He had a monster crash on Friday where he landed heavily on his damaged arm.

Championship standings:
Quartararo 156pts (4 wins)
Zarco 122pts
Bagnaia 109pts
Mir 101pts
Miller 100pts.

After the summer break the Austria double header will be last chance saloon for the chasing pack. Quartararo looks a lot more mature this year and 34pts already seems massive.

The biggest story coming out from Assen was Maverick Vinales requesting his Yamaha contract be terminated at the end of the season. Vinales is complaining that Yamaha are 'disrespecting him' and favouring Quartararo...Quartararo is dominating the championship so obviously he's the golden child at present.
Vinales is joining Aprillia according to the Spanish outlets. Franco Morbidelli lined up to join the factory Yamaha squad.

Yamaha announce that Vinales will leave the team at the end of 2021 season. Morbidelli looks likely to join the factory team

Valentino Rossi has announced he will retire at the end of the 2021 season. 42 years old and 26 years as a professional rider. Without question the greatest rider of all time and the most iconic.
9 world championships
115 wins - most wins in the premier class (89)
Only rider to win championships on 125/250/500/990cc
The sport will miss the Doctor.

Big accident on lap 3 at the Red Bull Ring. Pedrosa dropped it and poor chap Salvadori crashed into the stricken bike. Big fire ensues.

Jorge Martin ensures Ducati's love affair with the Red Bull Ring continues. First MotoGP for for the Spanish youngest and Pramac Ducati's first win as well.
Reigning world champion Joan Mir came home second and Fabio Quartararo secured third after a surprisingly good weekend for Yamaha.
Binder, Nakagami, Zarco, Rins, M Marquez, A Marquez and Pedrosa round out the top 10.
Very impressive from Pedrosa as the KTM wildcard after last racing over 2 years ago.
Terrible day for Factory Ducati team with Pecco Bagnaia 11th and Jack Miller DNF.

The Yamaha/Vinales divorce continues to be a messy affair. Vinales has been suspended for the Austrian GP for 'Unexplained operation of motorcycle' last weekend.
I think it’s go to the point whereby Vinales should be released. Was it not for Morbidelli’s serious leg injury, the Italian would’ve been on that bike.

Maverick must have upset someone at Yamaha. Either that or he is being a bit of a drama queen. Quartararo is proving that there is nothing wrong with the bike and if he stalls on the grid he is to blame.

It’s a shame Vinales had totally lost it imo. He’s got a lot of talent but he’s got previous for this kind of meltdown - back in his Moto3 days.
There’s video evidence plus telemetry showing that Vinales was trying to blow up his engine.
I think Yamaha must be desperate for Franky Morbidelli to return ASAP and cut ties with Vinales.

KTM’s Brad Binder won the Austrian GP in a crazy race in changing conditions. Binder braved the last 5 laps on slicks when the rain came. Surviving the last lap in literally heavy rain. Binder’s skill and bravery was one for the ages. The South African will go down in MotoGP folklore.
All of the front runners boxed for wet tyres with Marc Marquez crashing out when a win was there to be had.
Bagnaia charged through to get second. Martin third. Mir, Marini, Lecuona, Quartararo, Rossi, Alex Marquez and Aleix Espargaro.
Career best results for Luca Marini and Iker Lecuona.
Bad day for Johann Zarco crashed out and pretty much ending his championship hopes.
Quartararo has a 47pt lead now - with 7 races to go.

Maverick Vinales joins Aprilia for 2022. Big signing for the team but it remains to be seen what Vinales does when he realises he’s taken a big backwards step leaving Yamaha.

Yes Jeff, some riders can win on inferior machines but I don't think Vinales is one of those. I think it's a case of cutting off his nose to spite his face.

Yamaha confirms Maverick Vinales remains suspended. Cal Crutchlow will partner Fabio Quartararo at Silverstone.
SRT Moto2 rider Jake Dixon will make MotoGP debut on Franco Morbidelli’s bike.

Yamaha and Maverick Vinales have ended their relationship with immediate effect. Not real surprise as the evidence of sabotage made it untenable to continue.
Sad end to Vinales’ time at Yamaha. Came in with much fanfare as the ‘new Lorenzo’. Leave with his reputation in the mud.
Morbidelli will take the bike when fit and his announcement should be at his home race.

SRT has officially withdrawn from MotoGP and all other categories at the end of the current season.
A rebranded satellite Yamaha team will be unveiled at the San Marino GP.
Rumours suggesting my favourite Andrea Dovizioso is a front runner for one of the seats.

Mega news coming out today from Yamaha:

Franky Morbidelli has been promoted to the factory team for the race after next at Misano - his home race.

This wasn’t any real surprise but SRT where fuming.

So the subsequent announcement calmed their nerves.

Andrea Dovizioso joins SRT Yamaha, also from Misano, for the remainder of 2021. Then will sign with the new Yamaha satellite team in 2022. On a full factory bike.

My boy is BACK!!!!

‘El Diablo’ Fabio Quartararo romps to a sensational win at the British GP to close in on the championship. This was a champion’s ride from the magnificent Frenchman.
Alex Rins took a brilliant second, his first podium of the season. Aleix Espargaro achieves first ever MotoGP podium for Aprilia. Aleix’s first podium in 7 years.
Miller, Pol, Binder, Lecuona, A Marquez, Mir and Petrucci completed the top 10.
It was a world of pain for Quartararo’s title rivals - Mir 9th, Zarco 11th and Bagnaia 14th.
This could be the day Quartararo effectively won the championship - 65pts clear with 6 rounds remaining.
Another day to forget for Marc Marquez after he clashed with Jorge Martin on lap 1. Both retired from the race.

Six different makes of bike in the first six places, how often does that happen? I bet Marquez will be glad when this season ends. Good to see Aprilia get their first podium with Espargaro winning his duel with Miller.

Maverick Vinales will make Aprilia debut at Aragon. He replaces Lorenzo Savadori whom will return to testing duties.
Jake Dixon will get another chance at SRT as well.

Pecco Bagnaia won his first MotoGP race with a brilliant ride to see for Marc Marquez at Aragon. Marquez made 7 attempts to pass Bagnaia in the closing laps but Pecco had all the answers. Ducati’s first win in Aragon since 2010. A truly magnificent race. Quartararo’s bogey track once again came back to bite him. Vinales was miles off the pace on his Aprilia.
1. Bagnaia
2. M Marquez
3. Mir
4. A Espargaro
5. Miller
6. Bastianini
7. Binder
8. Quartararo
9. Martin
10. Nakagami

Championship standings:
Quartararo 214pts
Bagnaia 161pts
Mir 157pts
Zarco 137pts
Miller 129pts

Quartararo will be glad he’s still more than 2 clear wins ahead. San Marino should suit Quartararo a lot more.
San Marino just be manic with the returns of Dovizioso and Morbidelli.

What an exciting last lap from Bagnaia and Marquez. Marc is still a force to be reckoned with and when he is back to full fitness he will be a contender for the top spot again.

As expected multiple announcements at Misano:
Franky Morbidelli signs on at Factory Yamaha team 2021 until end of 2023.
04 Andrea Dovizioso joins SRT for the last 5 races of 2021 - additionally has a full factory deal for 2022.

Pecco Bagnaia wins the San Marino Grand Prix at Misano, back to back wins for the Italian - baby Dovi as I like to called him.
Fabio Quartararo second place and he gave Bagnaia something to think about in the closing laps but it wasn’t enough.
A magnificent third place for Enea Bastianini on a two year old Ducati.
Marc Marquez 4th
Jack Miller 5th
Joan Mir 6th
Pol Espagaro 7th
Aleix Espargaro 8th
Brad Binder 9th
Takaaki Nakagami 10th

Valentino Rossi 17th at last San Marino GP off his career - there’s still another race at Misano but a different name.
Returning duo Franco Morbidelli and Andrea Dovizioso struggled with 18th and 23th respectively.

With 4 rounds remaining - Texas, Misano, Portimao and Valencia,
Quartararo leads the championship by 48pts from Bagnaia.
Gotta favour Ducati in Texas on that massive straight.

Marc Marquez crushes them all into the Texas dirt as he dominates CoTA once again winning by over 4secs. The Spaniard wins in Texas for the 7th time.
Championship leader Fabio Quartararo took a brilliant second place to close in on the title. Pecco Bagnaia fought back to take third place but it was a frustrating day for the Italian as it was a race he needed to finish ahead of El Diablo.
Special mention to Enea Bastianini sixth place at CoTA on a two year old Ducati. He’s a special talent. Andrea Dovizioso finished 13th and back in the points.

Top 10:
M Marquez
Quartararo
Bagnaia
Rins
Martin
Bastianini
Mir
Miller
Binder
P Espargaro

Quartararo extends his championship lead to 52pts over Bagnaia.

Provisional 2022 MotoGP calendar

Date Race Venue
4-6 March Qatar GP* Losail
18-20 March Indonesia** Mandalika
1-3 April Argentina GP Termas de Rio Hondo
8-10 April Americas GP Circuit of the Americas
22-24 April Portuguese GP Portimao
29 April-1 May Spanish GP Jerez
13-15 May French GP Le Mans
27-29 May Italian GP Mugello
3-5 June Catalunya GP Barcelona-Catalunya
17-19 June German GP Sachsenring
24-26 June Dutch GP Assen
8-10 July Finnish GP** KymiRing
5-7 August British GP Silverstone
19-21 August Austrian GP Red Bull Ring
2-4 September San Marino GP Misano
16-18 September Aragon GP Aragon
23-25 September Japanese GP Suzuka
30 September-2 October Thailand GP Buriram
14-16 October Australian GP Philip Island
21-23 October Malaysian GP Sepang
4-6 November Valencian GP Ricardo Tormo

Personally 21 races if far too many. If a rider gets a significant injury they could now easily miss 4-5 race thus eliminating them from the championship.
I think 18 races is about right.