The world’s fastest road racers are gearing up for battle once more with the 2022 MotoGP season opener in Qatar just a week away. Our man on the scene rates the stars.
By Neil Morrison | Photography by Gold & Goose
Viewed one way, MotoGP is stepping into the unknown in 2022. Valentino Rossi, figurehead of the sport for more than two decades, has hung up his leathers, leaving a major sporting-icon-shaped hole in this year’s lineup. But MotoGP should fear not. Based on a short but eventful preseason, there is little to suggest the show will be in any way diminished in the Italian’s absence.
Quite the opposite, in fact, as Malaysia’s Sepang International Circuit hosted two official days of testing on February 5-6 before the MotoGP machines visited the all-new Mandalika International Street Circuit from February 11-13, ahead of the first Indonesian Grand Prix in 25 years, set to be held next month.
In keeping with the trend over the past two years, the pack was exceptionally tight in both outings. At the close of the final day at Sepang, just 0.3 seconds covered the top 11. It was even closer the following weekend, with 21 of the grid’s 24 names kept apart by just 0.85 seconds. On both occasions five of the six manufacturers were represented inside the top eight. Closeness and variety were the order of the day.
As was surprise.
Preseason suggested there could well be a host of new names stepping up in the 21 races ahead. Enea Bastianini, the fastest man of all at Sepang on his year-old Gresini Ducati, is one of them. As is Repsol Honda’s Pol Espargaro, the Indonesian pacesetter, looking right at home on the much-improved, all-new ’22 Honda RC213V.
But there is also a feeling that the series could well revert to type after two of the wildest years on record. A certain Marc Marquez has returned from yet another career-threatening injury and got through testing unscathed. Yes, there were still signs his right shoulder—injured in 2019 and ’20—was a limitation. But the 29-year old’s comments in Indonesia suggest he fancies his chances to reclaim his world crown. Seeing Marquez front up to reigning champion Fabio Quartararo and 2021 runner-up Francesco Bagnaia, as well as Joan Mir, showing signs of that sparkle that carried him to such unexpected success in 2020, should be box-office viewing.
And Marquez isn’t the only name feeling optimistic. All six manufacturers have reason to believe this could be a year in which they challenge for race wins at the very least. One of the shortest preseasons in the modern era underlined how Honda, Suzuki and Aprilia have all taken a substantial step forward with their new machines. Ducati is still dialing in its all-new (and slightly controversial) GP22. Yamaha appears to have stood still from its victorious campaign last year, yet no one was as consistent as reigning champion Fabio Quartararo on both tracks. Even KTM’s factory men—15th and 18th fastest at Sepang, 10th and 15th at Mandalika—were sure they had found substantial improvements over the five days of running.
Aside from the competition, 2021 will be the longest season on record, the global situation permitting. From March to November, 21 rounds are penned in, with Indonesia and Finland’s long-awaited KymiRing new venues. Here we assess the chances of each factory ahead of the season opener in Qatar on March 6.
Honda | 2022 FIM MotoGP World Championship Preview
There’s no getting away from it; last year’s bike was a pig, all its riders bemoaning a chronic lack of rear grip on corner entry and exit. A completely new bike first appeared at a test at Misano last October. A new frame, fairing, set unit, exhaust and engine were all refined from that point, giving the ’22 RC213V a different character from its predecessor.
Extracting the most of the added grip offered by Michelin’s rear tire that was first introduced in 2020 was the priority of Honda’s new machine. “We took a really long time to understand [how to take] the maximum grip and performance out of it,” explained Technical Manager Takeo Yokoyama. “From the concept of the 2022 bike we have decided to focus on how to take the maximum performance from the Michelin rear tire.”
The new machine has more grunt, added top speed and is less critical on the front-end during braking. “The bike is working well, and we had no crashes. The bike is safer than ever,” said Indonesian pace setter Pol Espargaro. What’s more, all four Honda riders are riding the same package and working in a similar direction—a far cry from the disastrous first half of last year.
A true sign of Honda’s strength is the speed of their satellite team. Both Takaaki Nakagami and Alex Marquez (LCR Honda) posted impressive long runs on the final day of preseason. Older brother Marc was still hampered by pain in his right shoulder at the end of both tests. But “when I tried different setups, different aerodynamics, different tires, the lap time was coming.” That should strike fear into Honda’s rivals.
Yamaha | 2022 FIM MotoGP World Championship Preview
A glance at the time sheets from the two tests indicate reigning World Champions Yamaha are in the best shape of all, as Quartararo was fast (seventh at Sepang, second at Mandalika). There was no shortage of consistency, either. On the final day of testing, the Frenchman pieced together 32 laps under one minute and 33 seconds. And if France’s first-ever premier class champion is to be believed, he’s riding better than ever. “From my side, I’m 100 percent,” he said once testing had finished.
Yet it is possible to argue Yamaha has the most reason to worry of any factory. Its ’22 M1 is incredibly similar to last year’s package. Yes, the old strengths remain, primarily its tremendous front-end feel, cornering and braking capabilities. But so do the old weaknesses, a lack of top speed being the main one. In Indonesia the fastest M1 through the speed trap was 5.5 mph down on the Ducatis, a near identical deficit to a year ago.
Also of concern must be Quartararo’s comments relating to qualifying potential. Only on the final day in Indonesia did he make a step in qualifying trim. And even then, he had to ride well over the limit to set the second fastest time.
“When you start to feel the front moving everywhere, the rear is spinning at the limit, yourself touching the elbow everywhere, it’s difficult to find more,” he said.
Teammate Franco Morbidelli has struggled to get up to speed in the factory team but is fully recovered from the serious injury to his left knee that plagued him last year. New satellite team RNF MotoGP Racing could be in for a long year, as Andrea Dovizioso has struggled to adapt his riding style to the latest M1, while class rookie Darryn Binder finds his feet aboard a year-old machine.
Ducati | 2022 FIM MotoGP World Championship Preview
Rather than immediately kicking on from a dominant end to 2021, the Ducati men took time to get the all-new GP22 up to speed. Its chassis is like its predecessor. Yet as it features a new engine with added horsepower and a revised aerodynamics package, that “is making the bike completely different” according to Jorge Martin (Pramac Ducati), there is the feeling they are still playing catch up. “Are we ready? No, but when are we ever ready? I feel as ready as we can be,” said Jack Miller.
In Malaysia the factory men complained of a lack of traction, especially during the first touch of the throttle. The following weekend, that issue was remedied, albeit at the cost of some braking stability. A complete base setting is yet to be found.
Also of interest were refinements to Ducati’s ride-height device, which, to trackside observers in Malaysia, lowered the front of the bike on corner exit, as well as the rear. It may well be that a handlebar switch activates a cylinder behind the front fork and acts as a rebound damper, slowing its extension on corner exits, further reducing wheelie. Controversy may be on the horizon; a hot rumor from Indonesia was rival manufacturers could push to have the front ride-height device banned.
Despite the teething issues, the five GP22s—belonging to factory men Pecco Bagnaia and Miller, Pramac teamsters Jorge Martin and Johann Zarco, as well as Mooney VR46’s Luca Marini—were well represented at the front. Considering the speed of Bastianini on a year-old machine, their power in numbers is an ominous prospect for the rest of the grid. Bagnaia expects to be fighting from the first race. “We found a compromise setting that I like, so that I think that in Qatar we’ll start well.”
Suzuki | 2022 FIM MotoGP World Championship Preview
“Our style of development is conservative, to try to improve some areas, acceleration or braking, without losing any of our strong points.” Those were the words of Project Leader Shinichi Sahara on the eve of the Indonesian test. And it seems Suzuki has stuck to its principles this winter ahead of a season when it really needs to deliver.
Keen to keep hold of prized asset Joan Mir for 2023, the factory brought an all-new bike featuring an improved engine to testing. Engineers have maintained the GSX-RR’s excellent turning capabilities but now with added top speed. At Mandalika, the Suzuki was on average the second fastest manufacturer through the speed trap.
The factory’s ride-height device has evolved from the model that only ran incrementally at the end of last year. And Mir was not the only man to impress. Keen to bounce back from his annus horribilis, Alex Rins was fourth and seventh fastest at the two tests, as well as showing excellent consistency throughout. “You can see that physically he prepared himself, and the bike is answering well,” opined Zarco. Going off the riders’ comments, Suzuki seems to have rediscovered its old knack for managing tires.
Mir’s final placing of 12th in both tests mean some question marks remain over the bike’s capacity over one lap. Qualifying has long been the Majorcan and Suzuki’s weakness (his average qualifying was ninth in ’21, compared to Quartararo’s third). Rectify this and he can be a challenger.
This was close to a perfect preseason for Suzuki. Now is time for Sahara to select the right candidate for team manager, a vacancy that has been open longer than a year. “We have already fixed the candidates and are just speaking.” Get that appointment right, and a strong season for the 2020 champions await.
Aprilia | 2022 FIM MotoGP World Championship Preview
The continued growth of Aprilia was one of testing’s big takeaways. Not only was Aleix Espargaro second aboard the new RS-GP in Malaysia. Maverick Viñales was able back-up, posting the fifth-fastest time.
“The ’22 bike is not super different from last year’s bike,” said Espargaro. “It’s just a little bit better everywhere. I feel that we are strong.” Aprilia has narrowed the frame of the machine, leading Espargaro to comment that it felt like “sitting on a Moto2” bike. Agility and handling are even better than before, an impressive feat considering its 90-degree V4 engine layout. “I was behind Aleix half a lap and the turning potential of the bike was a lot,” commented Quartararo at Sepang.
Top speed wasn’t far off the Ducatis, either meaning Aprilia is well placed to build upon a positive 2021, which saw them score a first premier-class podium in 20 years and finish less than 10 seconds behind the victor on eight occasions (from 2002-’20 it happened just four times).
Viñales remains something of an enigma. He’s been fast over one flying lap and insists he is still finding the limits of the RS-GP. “I’m having some issues but I’m still able to be fast. I’m really happy that I’m not at the maximum and the lap times are there,” he said. No expense has been spared. Factory bosses hired personal trainer Fabrizio Maganzi—formerly with F1’s Fernando Alonso—to condition the Catalan away from the track. For the first time in the four-stroke era, Aprilia now has two potential podium runners in its ranks.
KTM | 2022 FIM MotoGP World Championship Preview
If testing was solely about lap times, alarm bells would be ringing at KTM HQ. Yet after an admittedly shaky start in Malaysia, factory riders Brad Binder and Miguel Oliveira were more assured after three days of testing in Indonesia, even if the lap times didn’t show it.
KTM certainly means business in 2022. Racing boss Mike Leitner has been ushered out of the team. Francesco Guidotti, formerly of Pramac Ducati, is the German’s replacement. More importantly, Fabiano Sterlacchini was headhunted from Ducati last summer. The Italian was regarded as technical guru Gigi Dall’Igna’s right-hand man, and his influence on preseason was already apparent.
There was a new testing strategy that placed priority on reassessing parts used last year and fine tuning the ’22 RC16—an evolution on its predecessor—rather than building a new bike. As Technical Manager Sebastian Risse explained, “Firstly, we did not bring a completely different bike to these tests. We did bring a lot of different parts so, in the end, we made a different bike out of those but we put a lot of effort into making those interchangeable so you can test them one-by-one and assess more easily what is positive and negative; then hopefully put everything together for the best mix. Secondly, we really took a lot of time to get the best out of those components.”
Through that, it has settled on an improved aero package for ’22. Despite modest times, Binder believes he can extract more from a new tire in qualifying trim than a year ago, while managing tire life is still one of the bike’s strengths. Traction on exit from low-gear corners remains an issue, but if the South African is to be believed, they aren’t far away. “How I’m feeling now compared to how I felt going into Qatar last year, this is 10 times better,” he said. Satellite runners Remy Gardner and Raul Fernandez should both be in contention for the Rookie of the Year title, too.CN
Click here to read 2022 FIM MotoGP World Championship Preview in the Cycle News Digital Edition Magazine.
NBC Sports has announced its television schedule for the 2022 MotoGP season on NBC and CNBC, beginning with the Grand Prix of Qatar from the Losail International Circuit in Doha, Qatar, on Sunday, March 6, at 1:30 p.m. ET on CNBC.
All 21 races will be presented on either NBC or CNBC, with NBC presenting coverage of five MotoGP races during the 2022 season:
- Grand Prix of Qatar from the Losail International Circuit on Sunday, March 6, at 1:30 p.m. ET on CNBC
- Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas from Circuit of the Americas on Sunday, April 10 LIVE at 1:30 p.m. ET
- Grand Prix of Finland from KymiRing on Sunday, July 10, at 1 p.m. ET
- San Marino Grand Prix from Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli on Sunday, Sept. 4, at 1:30 p.m. ET
- Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix from Philip Island Circuit on Sunday, Oct 16, at 12:30 p.m. ET
- Grand Prix of Valencia at Circuit Ricardo Tormo on Sunday, Nov. 6, at Noon ET
2022 marks NBC Sports’ third season as the exclusive television home of MotoGP in the United States. All race coverage presented on NBC and CNBC will stream on NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app.
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