The start of the 2020 MotoGP season is now just a matter of weeks away, with testing set to get underway at Malaysia’s Sepang circuit at the start of February. Anticipation is high ahead of the new season with a number of questions hanging over the next episode of the world’s fastest circus.
The defining question is simple; can anyone beat Marc Marquez? In the last seven seasons, Marquez has only been beaten to the title once and the Repsol Honda star has taken the premier class crown for the last four years consecutively. Last season, Marquez annihilated the field – finishing the year over 150 points ahead of closest rival Andrea Dovizioso, but there is reason to be hopeful of a closer 2020.
The Spaniard underwent surgery on his right shoulder, to try and reduce the chances of it dislocating, this winter and isn’t expected to be fully fit until the start of the season. Of course, we’ve seen this fail to hinder the wonderkid before – he had the same operation on his left shoulder this time last year and in 2014 he broke his leg ahead of the season’s start and both years he still went on to win the title.
However, the competition is looking fiercer than it has in a while ahead of the upcoming season, so now is not the time for Marquez to let his guard down.
Rookie sensation Fabio Quartararo was the only rider to be able to consistently challenge Marquez towards the end of last year; a remarkably strong end to a rookie campaign. Remaining with the Petronas Sepang Racing Team Yamaha squad, Quartararo will benefit from the continuity in 2020 as well as the latest machinery from Yamaha. Can the youngster win his first race and if so, can he launch a challenge against Marc Marquez on a satellite bike?
One thing that looks to be in Quartararo’s favour is Yamaha seem to have taken some steps in the right direction with the YZR-M1 with initial feedback from all riders after last year’s Valencia and Jerez tests positive. If the M1 can take a step forward, that should go some way to making Marquez’ life more difficult.
Maverick Vinales was very positive about the new Yamaha, which could bode well for the Spaniard who has been unable to take the fight to Marquez in the premier class despite being tipped as the ‘next big thing’ when he switched to Yamaha at the start of 2017. We saw flashes of brilliance from Vinales in 2019 at both Assen and Malaysia, and he crashed out while fighting for victory in Australia – so there’s reason to be hopeful he could take the fight to Marquez on an improved Yamaha. The M1 has always been acclaimed for its sweet chassis, and if the engineers can coax some more horses out of the inline four motor, there’s hope that both Quartararo and Vinales can take the fight to the dominant Marquez.
Then, of course, there’s Valentino Rossi. Winless since Assen 2017, the upcoming season is last chance saloon for the nine-time World Champion, who has said he’ll make a decision on whether he’ll continue beyond this year after the first couple of European races. Rossi, 41 in February, is hoping an improved Yamaha YZR-M1 will give him what he needs to return to the sharp end after 2019 proved to be his worst season in MotoGP since his ill-fated switch to Ducati in 2011. If he’s competitive, he’ll continue for at least another year. If he’s not, he’ll hang up his leathers…
Having finished second for the last three seasons, Andrea Dovizioso will undoubtedly win races for Ducati this year but whether he can take the fight to Marquez over a full season is another matter. Dovizioso, who has persevered with the Italian marque to turn the machine that so many riders struggled with into a rideable, race-winning bike, has asked Ducati to improve the bike’s turning. Initial feedback from Dovizioso during testing last year suggested Ducati may have (pardon the pun) turned a corner with this, although other reports suggest that Ducati’s top brass have grown tired with finishing second and lay some of the blame at Dovizioso’s feet with hot rumour that Bologna are setting out to secure a big-named signing for 2021. A strained rider-manufacturer relationship won’t bode well for any title challenge.
Joining Dovizioso on the factory Ducati again is Danilo Petrucci, despite reports late last season that he could be swapped with Jack Miller. Petrucci blows hot and cold – his incredible Mugello victory showed what he is capable of on his day, but he finished just sixth in the overall standings last year.
Out to secure a factory Ducati seat for 2021, Jack Miller will be pushing hard this year with Pramac Ducati with one key goal – beating Petrucci. However, the Aussie won’t be the only Ducati-mounted rider with their eyes on securing a seat in the factory squad. Having walked away from his deal with KTM, Johann Zarco will return to the grid with Avintia Ducati, who become an official Ducati satellite team this year, suggesting the factory is putting resources behind the Frenchman that are way beyond what the backmarking private team would usually expect.
Having won two races in 2019 at the hands of Alex Rins, Suzuki continue with the Spaniard and team-mate Joan Mir in 2020. Rookie Mir struggled with injury for a lot of 2019 but showed some flashes of potential. The battle between the two GSX-RR-mounted riders could prove fruitful in 2020 and could even push the Japanese marque further forward. Having narrowly missed out on the championship rostrum last year with Rins in fourth, they’ll be aiming for top three overall. The Suzuki is considered a strong all-round package, and a few small improvements from the engineers could make them more regular podium contenders this year.
Marquez was the only Honda rider to win a race last year and Cal Crutchlow was the only rider to score podiums on an RC213-V other than the Spaniard, so HRC will be hoping for a more colourful year in 2020. Crutchlow has shown he can win races, so if Honda take a step forward he’ll be looking to sign off what he says could be his last season in MotoGP in style. The 34-year-old from Coventry is the UK’s sole full-time representative in the class, with British fans wondering who (if anyone) will replace him when he comes to hang up his helmet.
Following the departure of Jorge Lorenzo, Alex Marquez joins his brother in the Repsol Honda team and while he didn’t set the world on fire in testing, he didn’t disappoint either, so he’ll be looking for a steady-rookie season – rookie of the year has to be his goal.
KTM will be an interesting watch next year as they look to take further steps with the RC16. Talented rookie Brad Binder joins the experienced Pol Espargaro in the factory Red Bull KTM team following Johann Zarco’s departure, while Miguel Oliveira and newbie Iker Lecuona line-up in the Red Bull KTM Tech 3 squad. Aprilia too will be ones to watch. The Italian factory has struggled in pretty much every area in recent years, but they’re reported to be fighting back with an all-new bike for 2020. That makes them a great unknown, especially as contracted rider Andrea Iannone faces a ban for failing a drugs test at the end of last year. If he is ruled out, test rider Bradley Smith or Czech rider Karel Abraham, given the flick for Zarco at Avintia, will be in line to join Aleix Espargaro on the new RS-GP.
One thing is for certain – although there’s every reason to believe 2020 could be fascinating on track, if it isn’t, it will be fascinating off the track as the 2021 grid starts to take shape. Almost all riders are out of contract at the end of the year and with deals getting done earlier and earlier these days, performance in the first quarter of the season will be vital to securing a future in MotoGP. Will Rossi retire? Will a new Brit go to MotoGP? Will Ducati make a marquee signing and can anyone lure Marc Marquez away from Honda will be just some of the questions we’ll find out in the next six months or so.
Before then, the season gets underway for real in Qatar on March 8th.
