10 reasons why we can't wait for MotoGP opener in Qatar

With testing now complete, riders and teams are ready to launch into the 2021 MotoGP world Championship season.

The final test in Qatar finished on Saturday, and it gave us plenty of hints about what to expect from season 2021. The first race kicks off in Qatar next week at the Losail circuit. Here are 10 reasons why we can't wait for the lights to go green.

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Despite a sandstorm cutting the test short by a day, Australia’s Jack Miller ended pre-season test fastest overall and setting an unofficial new lap record in the process. Even though his 2020 season was plagued by bad luck, the Aussie was largely responsible for Ducati’s 2020 Constructor’s trophy, so with more support in his new factory seat and a swag of self belief, Jack Miller is emerging as a true title contender ahead of this month’s season opener.

Despite some steps forward in technology with an improved aero package and a very effective new holeshot device, team manager Davide Tardozzi said the most successful thing to come out of the test from a team management point of view was the 'mood and the attitude' within the team. After the increasingly frosty atmosphere in the box last year as the relationship with Andrea Dovizioso broke down, Tardozzi was grinning when he said he’s confident the newly named Ducati Lenovo Team is 'in really good shape.'

And there’s still nothing wrong with Ducati’s top speed. Pramac Ducati rider Johann Zarco was quickest through the speed trap at an impressive 357.6km/h.

An all-new chassis and aerodynamics package for the 2021 season has buoyed the Yamaha riders ahead of the opening race with three Yamaha riders filling the top-four spots of the timesheet at the end of the four days. But just as it was last year, race results will be dependant on grid positions and race starts, despite the firm finding some more top speed through the new aerodynamics package.

Monster Yamaha rider Maverick Vinales spent a lot of time working on clutch settings and technique in order to improve his race starts which were the Spaniard’s Achilles' heel last year. Valentino Rossi’s defection to the Petronas squad promotes Vinales as the number-one rider and he said he felt instantly comfortable on the new chassis. “I did 10, 12 laps with the new one and the lap times came really fast,” he said. Both Vinales and teammate Fabio Quartararo have decided the 2021 chassis and aero package will be the one they race this season, with team manager Maio Meregalli pointing out the advantages of having 'both riders on the same material'.

New Repsol Honda recruit Pol Espargaro is the only man in many years other than Marc Marquez to jump on the notoriously difficult Honda RC213V and feel comfortable straight away. The Spaniard finished the Qatar tests as the quickest Honda rider, over three tenths quicker than LCR Honda rider Taka Nakagami, also on 2021-spec machinery. Pol was half a second quicker than test rider (and the man who replaced Marquez last year) Stefan Bradl and a full eight-tenths quicker than Alex Marquez.

“Thank god I have this experience [in MotoGP] because I could adapt to the Honda quicker than I could [to other bikes] in other times,” he said. When asked if he was ready for the first race, Pol made the point that previous pre-seasons included many more days at many more circuits (Valencia, Jerez and Sepang), so a five-day test at Qatar which was cut short, meant 'for me it’s a problem, we’re not going to be fully ready for the first race, but I’m going to fight like a lion.'

According to the timesheets, defending world champion Ecstar Suzuki looks to be struggling with a direction in 2021, but there’s an air of confidence in the team which suggests posting one fast lap wasn’t the priority during this shortened preseason.

Reigning world champ Joan Mir and teammate Alex Rins finished seventh and eighth respectively, just over six-tenths of a second down on Miller’s fastest time. And while their one-lap pace wasn’t strong at the Losail Circuit in Qatar, their rhythm and race simulations were consistently fast and impressive.

While their grid positions hampered the Suzuki duo’s ability to consistently fight for race wins last year, their ability to preserve the rear tyre always made them strong at the end of races, and that hasn’t appeared to change. The question marks hanging over the squad is how it will cope with the absence of successful team manager Davide Brivio. At the conclusion of the test, Team Suzuki Ecstar Project Director Shinichi Sahara said “we are 100 percent ready to start to season.”

HRC has released a statement saying Marc Marquez’s recovery continues to be 'satisfactory'. The statement read: “Fourteen weeks after surgery for an infected pseudoarthrosis of the right humerus, the medical team has clinically and radiographically verified satisfactory progression of bone consolidation. Marquez can now intensify his strength and mobility recovery programme with a view to gradually returning to competitive racing.”

Meanwhile, brother Alex Marquez (LCR Honda) broke his toe during one of five crashes he suffered in just four days as he comes to terms with pushing for a time attack on the 2021-spec RC213V.

It’s important to note, however, that after every crash (apart from the last one), he was able to improve his lap time. “But from all the crashes, I learned something,” he said. “I’m sad for the team, cos they had to repair many bikes, but it’s better to crash in the test than in the race.”

Engine development is frozen for the 2021 season, but that doesn’t mean riders are restricted to run the same engine they used last year Instead, they are allowed to chose any spec which has previously been approved. This is good news for Yamaha, who struggled with reliability last year.

Like last year, each manufacturer is allowed one bodywork update, and they have the option to either start the season with the updated aerodynamics package or introduce it during the season. Just as in previous seasons, the bodywork needs to pass a strict approval process which, due to the arrival of ride-height adjusters, has been updated to include the bike in both its standard and adjusted heights.

The rule that says a rider can’t improve his lap time if a yellow flag is thrown will continue to be strictly imposed, while LED light panels will compliment flag-waving points at most circuits this year and will be mandatory at all circuits for the 2022 season to improve visibility.

The lap times were quicker than they’ve ever been at the Losail International Circuit during the preseason tests, but the tyre compounds are harder. Michelin Two-Wheel Motorsport Manager Piero Tarramasso confirmed this year’s compounds are a step harder than they were last year, which means last year’s so-called soft tyre is now this year’s medium-spec tyre, and so on.

Given engine development is frozen for four of Noale factory’s rivals in 2021, the positive performance at the preseason tests represents a huge opportunity for Aprilia. Although they’re not getting ahead of themselves – the factory had a promising performance during 2020’s preseason also, which never materialised into race results – Aleix Espargaro remains quietly optimistic. While his rookie teammate Lorenzo Savadori is struggling with a shoulder injury and finished 26th and 2.5s off the pace, Espargaro ended the test in sixth overall, less than half a second off Miller.

Valentino Rossi may be overshadowed by his Yamaha-mounted rivals, but he’s confident his race pace is where it needs to be. The 42-year old said he’s a fan of the new 2021 chassis and aerodynamics package, which he still receives despite being in the independent Petronas team (though teammate and 2020 championship runner-up Franco Morbidelli misses out).

On the second last day of the test, Rossi set what is his fastest-ever lap of the Losail Circuit, which bodes well for fans of the nine-time world champ. “We improved day by day and I think we are ready for the start [of the season],” he said. “I feel good with the bike, I feel better than last year – we are in the park, especially with race pace.”

Morbidelli starts the season as a title favourite, he finished fourth overall just 0.14s slower than Miller.

The fastest KTM of the preseason was Miguel Oliveira down in 16th place and 1.343s off the pace, but given project lead rider Pol Espargaro’s switch to Honda and three of the four KTM riders are navigating a new crew chief, it’s probably not surprising at this stage of the season.

New recruit Danilo Petrucci ended the test in 19th place, just over 1.7s down on Miller, but said he spent a lot of time testing new parts rather than working on a set-up for the race. Petrucci is optimistic that there’s more to come, and said he’s looking forward to being able to make the bike feel like his own come race weekend. As was the case during his time at Ducati, finding a good weight balance is imperative for him, given he weighs more that the other KTM riders.

He says his target for 2021 is to be the top-finishing KTM.