12 things you need to know ahead of MotoGP 2022

Compared to last season this year will see one extra team, two extra riders and two extra rounds. The addition of Valentino Rossi’s Mooney VR46 squad takes the count to 24 grid slots this year, the Gresini teams moves from its affiliation with Aprilia and takes on satellite role with the Ducati factory instead, while the once-named Petronas Yamaha squad takes WithU backing and is now the WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP Team.

As well as planning a full calendar with no double-header rounds in Europe for the first time since before the pandemic, the MotoGP schedule takes in two extra rounds for the 2022 season. First up will be the Pertamina Mandalika Street Circuit in Indonesia playing host to round two on 20 March before the KymiRing in Finland will host round 12 on 10 July, assuming it satisfies all homologation requirements between now and then.

Up until this year, it was not usual for some riders to be on two- and three-year-old machinery as bikes were handed down and distributed throughout the satellite teams. But it didn’t necessarily dictate they’d be running way down the order. Franco Morbidelli was running two-year-old machinery during his time in the satellite Yamaha squad and was not only a regular podium finisher, but finished runner-up in the 2020 title chase. And 2021 rookie Enea Bastianini is another example, he raced his two-year-old Ducati to two podium finishes in his impressive rookie season.

All 24 riders on the 2022 starting grid will be on current or one-year-old machinery, which should make for some much closer racing. The many records set last year in terms of close finishes and the number of different riders finishing on the podium are very likely to tumble.

In terms of who’s been working the hardest over the winter break, it looks like a tie between Honda and Aprilia, with Ducati and Suzuki a close second and third. With Honda development swayed far too heavily towards Marc Marquez in recent years, his absence through injury during the last two seasons highlighted that the Japanese factory had lost its way.

Now, with the COVID-induced development restrictions finally lifted, it’s clear Honda hasn’t been sitting on its hands and has rolled out an all-new machine. The early indications are it’s just what’s needed to get the factory back to its dominant ways. When asked about his quickest-ever lap of the Mandalika circuit, a very happy Pol Espargaro replied: “It doesn’t matter, it’s just one lap in a test, but what is good is that it shows the high potential of our bike in one lap and this was something we needed to improve on over last year, seeing how fast the Ducatis were over one lap.

“But the most important thing is the pace – we have great pace – and we’ve had no crashes, so the bike is safer … we are ready to start the battle.”

And Suzuki’s Alex Rins – who was near the top of the timesheets during both tests – agrees. He said if the race was tomorrow, Honda looks the most prepared and race ready of all the factories. Oh, and Marc Marquez is fully fit.

We shouldn’t read too much into the times set during the five days of testing at both Malaysia’s Sepang circuit and the three days at the new Mandalika street circuit in Indonesia, but the closeness of the riders’ times proves we’re in for some great racing this season. After the final three days, it was Pol Espargaro on the greatly improved Repsol Honda RC213V who topped the combined times from Mandalika with just 0.855s separating him and rookie Fabio Di Giannantonio down in 21st place.

Results are always imperative, but given all but a handful of riders are out of a contract at the end of this season, everyone will be riding for their futures. Marc Marquez is still locked into his unprecedented five-year deal with HRC until the end of 2024, Brad Binder’s KTM contract with the factory KTM squad is tight until the same time and Franco Morbidelli’s contract with the factory Yamaha squad is through to the end of 2023. But other than Pecco Bagnaia, who’s just signed a two-year contract extension with the factory Ducati squad, and rookie Darryn Binder whose WithU Yamaha contract has an option for 2023, everyone else will be out of a job at the end of this year.

As 2021 Moto2 world champ Remy Gardner steps up to join Jack Miller in the premier class, Australia will have representation in the Moto3 category with Joel Kelso making his full-time grand prix debut with the experienced CIP Green Power KTM squad. Miller’s back with the factory Ducati Lenovo team but with some very fast and determined Ducati riders desperate to prove their speed this year, he’ll need some strong and consistent results if he wants to remain there for the 2023 season. Gardner’s debut year is with the Tech3 KTM outfit, but will have a factory-spec bike and full factory backing.

Despite reigning world champ Fabio Quartararo finishing just 14-thousandths of a second behind Pol Espargaro after the last day in Indonesia, the factory has failed to take any clear step forward for the second year in a row. With Yamaha riders bemoaning the YZR-M1’s lack of top speed for the last two seasons, Quartararo couldn’t hide his disappointment in the package he’s presented for 2022 and even the quickest Yamaha rider is still around 9km/h slower than the fastest Ducati through the speed traps.

There were some pretty strong words from the world champ in Indonesia, who said he’s willing to look towards a different manufacturer for his contract renewal.

“I expected a bigger improvement from the bike and that makes my future open, I have to look at the best option for me,” he said during his media debrief.

On the other side of the garage, Franco Morbidelli is acquainting himself with a new Australian crew chief, former Öhlins technician Patrick Primmer. And when he’s fully recovered from his knee ligament injury, he should be a regular podium finisher.

Not only will the Italian firm be a strong contender for the constructor’s title this year, but given its straight-line speed and the oldest bike being the GP21 Bagnaia raced to runner-up spot last year, getting a good qualifying position will never be more important for their rivals.

Always at the forefront of development, Ducati has added a front-squatting device that GP22 riders can activate on the exit of the corners and it’s caused some controversy in the paddock with some manufacturers calling for a ban before the start of the season.

As well as the factory Lenovo and Pramac Ducati squads, Luca Marini (Mooney VR46) will also have the latest GP22 machine at his disposal, while rookie teammate Marco Bezzechi and the Gresini Ducati pairing of Enea Bastianini and Fabio Di Giannantonio will be campaigning GP21 bikes. It’s worth noting that Bastianini went under Sepang’s all-time lap record on just his third day on the GP21, and that Luca Marini topped day two at Mandalika on the new GP22 bike.

Five new faces are joining the premier class for 2022 with Moto2 world champ Remy Gardner and his season-long rival teammate Raul Fernandez pairing up in the Tech3 KTM squad. Marco Bezzechi joins fellow VR46 Academy rider Luca Marini in the new Mooney VR46 outfit, Fabio di Giannantonio sticks with Gresini and moves up to the premier class alongside Enea Bastianini, while ‘dive-bomb’ Darryn Binder leapfrogs Moto2 and has been granted a guernsey in the WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP Team alongside veteran Andrea Dovizioso.

In the combined times at Mandalika, Bezzechi was quickest (1m31.901s) in 20th pace ahead of Do Giannantonio (1m31.915s) in 21st place. Then it was the KTM pairing of Fernandez (22nd, 1m32.401s) and Gardner (23rd, 1m32.598s) ahead of Binder in 24th with a 1m33.049s.

The only factory still with concessions which allows extra testing and more mid-season development abilities, Aprilia has never looked stronger ahead of a MotoGP season. The factory has taken big strides with the RS-GP over the break and has arrived with a bike that’s not only faster and more powerful than last year’s, but with greatly-improved handling. Both Maverick Vinales and Aleix Espargaro praised the result of the work put into the bike and hovered around the top of the time sheets for most of the five days of testing.

The Suzuki looks very strong in race trim, too. And despite Joan Mir’s team being hit with COVID, forcing many members to sit out the Indonesian test and the 2020 world champ himself sidelined on the final day with gastro, many believe Mir has the goods to fight for the win at Mandalika’s round 2, such was his impressive race pace. Rins was rarely out of the top five – though speed has never been his problem – but most importantly, the top-speed complaints both riders had towards the end of the last year, weren’t mentioned in either of the two tests. It looks like the complete package the Suzuki’s often lauded for might be back.

As well as a new team boss in the very experienced ex-Pramac Ducati man Francesco Guidotti, KTM has taken a new approach to development this year and has simplified its program. So as well as an upgraded engine and a new carbon-fibre swingarm, the team has also working hard on electronics. And while quickest KTM man Brad Binder said he’d still like more rear grip, he said KTM is in “10-times better” shape heading into the first round this year than it was this time last year.

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