The 2021 season has just ended and the 2022 preseason is already underway for MotoGP. Starts on Thursday, in the Ángel Nieto of Jerez, and he does it with Honda in frame, without the presence of Marc Márquez in the box of his official team, the Repsol Honda, and with the doubt of Pol Espargaró.
The eight-time world champion is out due to diplopia (double vision) problems that he suffers after falling training in the vicinity of his home, with the enduro motorcycle, on October 29. In the case of the Moto2 champion, it was already low in qualifying and in the race of the past Valencia GP, as a result of the hard crash suffered in FP3. The youngest of the Espargaró came out through the ears and suffered bruises on his ribs and right wrist. The one from Granollers is present in the paddockk of the Andalusian track, aware of the importance of these tests, but it was not clear yesterday that he could get on the RC213V and, if he did, be able to check the test program planned by the golden wing. With this panorama, Honda remains in the frame and the weight of these important tests remains in the hands of the tester, Stefan Bradl, who replaced Marc in Portimao 2 but not in Valencia, and the satellites Álex Márquez and Takaaki Nakagami.
If Honda is the cross, the face of the coin is Ducati, which finished the 2021 course without the drivers’ title, which went to Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha), but with the Manufacturers and Teams titles to their credit and, more importantly, with the feeling that their bike, the Desmosedici, is the benchmark of the category, the most balanced and a bike for all audiences, with which they have been able to get on the podium. this year up to five drivers Francesco Bagnaia, Jack Miller, Jorge Martín (these three have won races), Johann Zarco and Enea Bastianini. The five of them, plus Luca Marini, will repeat in 2022 on Borgo Panigale’s bikes and they will be joined by rookies Marco Bezzechi and Fabio Di Giannantonio, bringing a total of eight riders with Ducati. That is why people are already beginning to talk about the Ducati Cup for next year, because to this important number of pilots it is added that by 2022 the engine and aerodynamics freeze that existed for the last two seasons will end, with which Gigi Dall is sure ‘Igna and his team of engineers have some improvements prepared for their Desmosedici.
As for the other brands, Yamaha has the champion rider, but it needs its other riders to be able to show up as well. It depends on that Franco Morbidelli finally recovers from his knee, because from the satellites Andrea Dovizioso and rookie Darryn Binder not much is expected at the moment.
Suzuki needs to give Joan Mir and Álex Rins a more powerful engine, while evolving the holeshot rear. The new engine has already been tested in previous tests and, according to its pilots, it was born on the right foot. The Suzuki went from being the most balanced bike in 2020 to the one that evolved the least in 2021, which allowed Mir nothing more than to be third overall, with no victory to celebrate this year in the blue box.
When it comes to KTM, you need to consistently win. His two official riders, Miguel Oliveira and Brad Binder, are joined this time by rookies Remy Gardner and Raúl Fernández, who have been the great dominators of Moto2.
And in Aprilia, still with five points of concessions of concessions, It is to be expected that the incorporation of Maverick Viñales from the beginning of the season, Added to the work and inexhaustible drive of Aleix Espargaró, he made Noale’s house take another step forward and definitely installed him at the same level as the best.
