MotoGP arrives in Aragon this weekend | Preview | Stats | Schedule

2021 FIM MotoGP World Championship
Round 13 – Aragon

Most successful current riders at Aragon

• Marc Marquez – 6 wins (5 x MotoGP, 1 x Moto2)
• Sam Lowes – 3 (3 x Moto2)
• Jaume Masia – 2 (2 x Moto2)
• Franco Morbidelli – 2 (1 x MotoGP, 1 x Moto2)
• Alex Rins – 2 (1 x MotoGP, 1 x Moto3)
• Brad Binder – 2 (2 x Moto2)
• Pol Espargaro – 2 (1 x Moto2, 1 x 125cc)

Honda most successful manufacturer at Aragon

Honda’s last MotoGP win here: Marc Marquez in 2019 from pole. Honda is the most successful manufacturer here with seven MotoGP wins: Casey Stoner in 2011, Dani Pedrosa in 2012 and Marc Marquez in 2013, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019.

Yamaha have three wins in MotoGP at MotorLand with Jorge Lorenzo in 2014 and 2015, and Franco Morbidelli in 2020/2 (Teruel).

Ducati’s only MotoGP win at Aragon: Casey Stoner won the first race at Aragon in 2010 from pole.

Since Stoner’s win in 2010, with Nicky Hayden also on the podium, Ducati have had five podiums: Cal Crutchlow (third in 2014), Jorge Lorenzo (third in 2017), Andrea Dovizioso (second in 2018 and ’19), and Jack Miller third in 2019.

Suzuki’s only MotoGP win at Aragon: Alex Rins at the 2020 Aragon GP.

Aprilia’s best result at MotorLand: sixth for Aleix Espargaro in 2017 and 2018. A sixth-place finish was Aprilia’s best result in MotoGP (since 2002) until Aleix Espargaro finished third at the 2021 British GP.

KTM’s best result at MotorLand: fourth for Pol Espargaro in 2020/2 (Teruel).

Spain dominates at Aragon

Spanish riders are very successful across all classes at Aragon, winning 24 of the 36 races so far. The only non-Spanish riders with a win at the circuit are Casey Stoner (MotoGP in 2010, 2011), Andrea Iannone (Moto2 in 2010), Romano Fenati (Moto3 in 2014), Miguel Oliveira (Moto3 in 2015), Sam Lowes (Moto2 in 2016, 2020/1, 2020/2), Franco Morbidelli (Moto2 in 2017 and MotoGP in 2020/2) and Brad Binder (Moto2 in 2018, 2019).

Casey Stoner’s victories, Andrea Dovizioso’s second place finishes in 2018 and 2019 and Franco Morbidelli’s win in 2020 the only times a non-Spanish rider has stood on the top two steps of the podium in MotoGP at Aragon.

Since 2010, only two riders have won the MotoGP race from pole at Aragon: Casey Stoner (2010, 2011) and Marc Marquez (2013, 2016, 2019). Marquez has been on pole five out of seven times he’s raced in MotoGP at Aragon.

MotorLand Aragon is one of just five circuits where Valentino Rossi has raced in the premier class and not had a victory along with Austin, the Red Bull Ring, Buriram and Istanbul.

Record-breaking premier class race at the British Grand Prix

Luca Marini finished the British GP in 15th place crossing the line just 21.018 seconds behind race winner Fabio Quartararo, which is the 8 th closest top 15 of all-time in a full length premier class Grand Prix.

The following list shows the ten closest top 15 finishes of all time in the premier class of Grand Prix racing. Four of them have already occurred in 2021 (only races that have completed full race distance):

MotoGP Facts and Stats

At the British GP, Fabio Quartararo won for the fifth time so far this year, becoming the first Yamaha rider to win five times or more in a single MotoGP season since Jorge Lorenzo who did it seven times on his way to the title in 2015.

This is Fabio Quartararo’s eighth win in MotoGP, equalling Maverick Viñales and Max Biaggi in sixth place on the list of Yamaha riders with most premier class wins. In addition, this is Fabio Quartararo’s ninth win in GP racing. He still in second place in the list of French riders with most GP wins, behind Johann Zarco who is leading with 16 victories.

This is the 11th win for France in the premier class, one less than Japan and Rhodesia, tied in seventh place on the list of the most successful nations in the premier class. This is Fabio Quartararo’s 18th podium, equalling Christian Sarron as the two French riders with the most podiums in the class. Johann Zarco is his closest rival in third with 11 podiums.

Fabio Quartararo is still leading the MotoGP classification with 206 points ahead of Joan Mir (141), which is the highest margin in the MotoGP classification after the opening 12 races since 2019 when Marc Marquez had a 78-point advantage over Andrea Dovizioso after the British GP.

Fabio Quartararo

“It’s a totally different situation compared to last year. In 2019 I didn’t do a bad race but now I have a totally different feeling on the bike, I’m in a different situation and I feel much better. Of course it’s not my favourite track but at some tracks I didn’t like I was pretty fast this year, so it’s not so important. It’s not my favourite place here but of course I will do the same work as always and try to fight for the best position. I think what I didn’t have last year… the consistency. We were fast in Jerez, Barcelona and even Misano, it was just up and down. This year I’m really consistent and it’s changed a lot and I think to fight for the championship it’s the main key, so if I need to say something I would say the consistency I could maintain this year.”

At the British GP, Alex Rins finished second to take his first podium since he was also second at the European GP last year. This is his 13th podium overall in MotoGP.

Alex Rins

“As what we did in the first part of the season, all the ups and downs, we deserved that podium, myself and the team. We’ve arrived at this track with a lot of confidence. It’s a track I really enjoy, the layout is unbelievable but you know, all the riders are super fast, and the level in MotoGP is super high. Let’s see where we are, we will give our 100%. It was hard to accept, but in the end we worked hard with the team, my personal team and race team, and after the summer break we arrived in Austria with a different mentality, trying to go race by race and trying to learn and enjoy the ride and in the end I think it is the best idea. We suffered a little bit in Austria for the layout but in Silverstone we were able to show our real potential and yeah, let’s see how we go here.”

Aleix Espargaro crossed the line in third place to take his second podium in the premier class along with Aragon back in 2014 (on a Forward Yamaha).

With his podium at the British GP, Aleix Espargaro gave Aprilia their first podium in the MotoGP era (since 2002) and their first podium in the premier class since Jeremy McWilliams was also third at the 2000 British GP. Each of the six Aprilia’s premier class podiums is a third place.

With Aleix Espargaro crossing the line in third 4.105s off the race winner Fabio Quartararo at the British GP, this is the closest gap to the winner for an Aprilia in the MotoGP era since 2002.

Aleix Espargaro

“I have a little more confidence after the Silverstone result. Obviously the podium was very important but the most important thing for me was the level we have showed at every GP, in different conditions we’re always close to the top guys so obviously now after the podium I feel a bit more relaxed. Now let’s try to do better, to keep fighting for the podium. This is a circuit that I really like, where the bike has worked quite well in the past. The weather looks better than last season, where we struggled a lot because it was cold so I can’t wait to ride the new bike here. I’m very happy Maverick joined our team. I think he arrived in the best moment of Aprilia’s racing story. We’ve been talking for a long time with Maverick about Aprilia, about joining us in the future, but after the thing in Austria, I’m super happy he can be racing again with us. As my teammate I think we have a very strong team also with Sava in the test team role. I think the future is bright for us, obviously to improve from where we are now is not going to be easy, the level is very high, the riders ahead of me are very strong and also their machines, but the challenge is very beautiful so Maverick and I are ready to go for it!”

Jack Miller finished fourth as first Ducati, which is his best result since he was third at the Catalan GP earlier this year.

Jack Miller

“It was really nice to be strong at the end of the race, it’s been a while. Being able to show I was able to maintain the tyres, especially at Silverstone which is one of the most brutal tracks on tyres, maintain them and put in a solid second half of the race was key. I enjoyed it a lot. I had to have a lunge on the last lap on Aleix, it was one of those things, you don’t just roll over and give it to him. And I think it would have made his podium a bit more special for sure, it was a lot of fun and hopefully we can do it all again on Sunday here in Aragon. We have a more consistent bike underneath us this year if we look at performance on every track. I think we’re in a good position but we won’t know until we go out for FP1 tomorrow. As you said the weather is a lot warmer than when we were here last year and it feels more like an Aragon GP now. We were on the podium here in 2019, last year both races were shocking, in the second one I only made it to Turn 2, so hopefully his year we will be able to turn the luck around. Six races left, we’re sitting fifth in the championship and yeah we need to get some more points on the board.”

At the British GP, Pol Espargaro finished fifth which is his best result since he joined Honda this season.

Pol Espargaro

“Well… I don’t trust so much in these kinds of steps, like you work good during one weekend after a tough season and everything changes. I trust in the hard work, for sure the season hasn’t been what we wanted, at the end we were working hugely to make it in one weekend, ok it was Silverstone, but our goal isn’t to make one weekend for the season. We want to keep this pace for the rest of the season, or if it’s not possible this year, do a good pre-season next year and hammer next year. For us, all of Honda’s goal, we are so far back in the Championship that we don’t have a chance to fight for something, let’s say, interesting. We’ll keep our heads down, maybe it’s going to happen that we arrive here and we suffer again. Trust me when I tell you that I’m working hugely, Honda too, to try to be the best package possible in the second half of the season or at the start of the next one. I’ve been in the last races, last year I was fighting with some of them, but last year I was fighting with different riders, not the ones I was facing at Silverstone. For sure the way they approach the overtake, and the way they overtake you, is much different. It allows you to ride in a different way, much smoother, relaxed, no one is going to come overtake you in a crazy way when you are in first or second. They are smoother in their overtakes and everything is much easier when you are in front and you don’t need to be stressed and recovering positions, just trying to overtake the other guy and protecting the inside every lap. So the race was much easier, even if I finished in the top five. As you say this place is good for Honda, at least last year, but as Jack said this year the temperature has changed a lot. We face sometimes, from one week to another the track changes so much, so from one year to another we don’t know, especially with the temperature we’re going to face for the weekend.”

With Yamaha, Suzuki, Aprilia, Ducati, Honda and KTM within the top six, this is the first time there are six different manufacturers in the top six of a premier class race since the Yugoslavian GP back in 1972.

Maverick Viñales will be racing with Aprilia from the Aragon GP. If he wins before the end of the season, he will become only the second rider to take two wins on bike from two different manufacturers in a single premier class season along with Mike Hailwood in 1961 (TT/Norton, Nations/MV Agusta).

Maverick Viñales

“I’m more than excited, I’m very hungry and motivated to start this story with Aprilia. The six races ahead are just a present to prepare better for next year. Our priority is trying to learn, for sure it is very different, I need to learn a lot and learn quick. For sure, this year set up a lot of fire inside of myself. All we want is to push. I’ve been away for a while, but I think we come back in a good way. After the two tests I feel positive to be here and get experience on a weekend and we just need to learn.”

At the Aragon GP, Takaaki Nakagami, who finished 13th at the British GP, will be scheduled to start his 200th GP race, becoming the first Japanese rider to reach that milestone in GP racing.

Only one of the four rookies in MotoGP™ this year has previously won at Aragon in any of the smaller classes: Jorge Martin in 2018 from pole position. He also finished third last year in Moto2™ (Aragon GP). However, Enea Bastianini has had five podium finishes at Aragon in any classes: third in 2016, 2017 and 2018 in Moto3™, second in 2021/1 and third 2021/2.

2021 MotoGP Standings

2021 Gran Premio TISSOT de Aragon Schedule

Moto2 Facts and Stats

At the British GP, Remy Gardner won for the fifth time in Moto2 along with Portugal 2020, Italy, Catalunya, and Germany this season. With five wins in the intermediate category, Gardner is now tied with Casey Stoner in second place on the list of the most successful Australian riders in the class behind Kel Carruthers (seven wins).

Kalex riders have won all the Moto2 races so far this season. With six races to go on the current calendar, they are now World Champions for the eighth successive time in the class.

Marco Bezzecchi finished second at Silverstone for his 13th Moto2 podium and sixth this year, one less than last season.

At the British GP, Jorge Navarro finished third for his first podium finish since Valencia in 2019 when he was also third.

This is the fifth podium for a Boscoscuro rider in Moto2.

Second in the Championship, Raul Fernandez crashed out, which is only the second time he has failed to score points in his rookie season along with Germany, where he crashed out as well.

The 12 Moto2 races at Aragon have been won by nine riders: Andrea Iannone (2010), Marc Marquez (2011), Pol Espargaro (2012), Nico Terol (2013), Maverick Viñales (2014), Tito Rabat (2015), Sam Lowes (2016, 2020/1 and 2020/2), Franco Morbidelli (2017), Brad Binder (2018, 2019). Only three of them have won after not starting from pole position: Pol Espargaro, Franco Morbidelli and Brad Binder.

Sam Lowes is the the only current Moto2 rider who has won in the class at MotorLand. Lowes has won three times in Moto2 at MotorLand Aragon and he is the only rider to have taken more than two Moto2 wins at a single circuit since the introduction of the class in 2010.

Simone Corsi (2011), Lorenzo Baldassarri (2018), Jorge Navarro (2019) and Fabio Di Giannantonio (2020/2) are the only others on the current grid to have taken podiums at Aragon in Moto2.

Moto3 Facts and Stats

At the British GP, Romano Fenati won for the 13th time in Moto3, extending his record as the most successful rider in the class ahead of Joan Mir (11 wins). With 9 years 122 days between his first Moto3 win in 2012 and his win at Silverstone, Fenati moved above Pier Paolo Bianchi into sixth place on the list of riders with the longest winning career in 125cc/Moto3. It’s also Fenati’s 29th Moto3 podium, extending his record as the rider with most podiums in the class.

His closest rival is Enea Bastianini (24). The win for Fenati was also Husqvarna’s second GP win.

Niccolo Antonelli finished second at Silverstone for his second podium of 2020 (his ninth in Moto3™) along with Doha in third. This is the second time he’s taken two or more podiums in a single Moto3 season along with 2015 (four).

Dennis Foggia finished third, which is his 11th podium in Moto3. With Fenati, Antonelli and Foggia, this is the first Italian 1-2-3 since the Thai GP back in 2018. Foggia is tied with Pedro Acosta with six so far this season.

Championship leader Pedro Acosta took 11th place for his worst result of his rookie season so far. Acosta is still leading the Moto3 standings with 46-point advantage over Sergio Garcia, which is the highest margin after the opening 12 races in Moto3 since 2017 when Joan Mir led with 226 points ahead of Aron Canet (162) after the British GP.

Izan Guevera finished fourth at the British GP for the best result of his rookie season so far.

Romano Fenati (2014) and Jaume Masia (2020/1, 2020/2) are the only riders currently competing in Moto3 who have won a lightweight class race at Aragon. Foggia (2019), Darryn Binder (2020/1), Kaito Toba (2020/2) and Ayumu Sasaki (2020/2) are the only other riders currently competing in Moto3 who have stood on the podium at Aragon in the class.

On this day…

September 8th

At the 1991 Vitesse du Mans GP at Le Mans (the first time France hosted two GPs), MotoGP Legend Wayne Rainey finished P3 behind MotoGP Legends Kevin Schwantz and Mick Doohan to clinch his second successive premier class title.

September 9th

At the 1951 Nations GP, Alfredo Milani won the 500cc race from Umberto Masetti and Nello Pagani, which was the first podium with three Italian riders in the premier class of GP racing.

September 10th

At the 2006 Malaysian GP, Valentino Rossi won the race after starting from pole thanks to his time set from the three Free Practices. MotoGP and 250cc qualifying were both cancelled due to safety reasons created by the earlier rainstorms.

September 11th

At the 1994 US GP, Luca Cadalora took Yamaha’s first premier class win of the year; the first non-American 500cc winner at Laguna Seca.

At the 1966 Nations GP at Monza, MotoGP Legend Giacomo Agostini won the 500cc race to take the first of his 15 titles.

At the 1960 Nations GP, MotoGP Legend John Surtees won the 500cc race and retired from Grand Prix racing with seven titles. This is the only time so far that a rider has retired as a premier class world champion.

September 12th

At the 1993 US GP, John Kocinski took his first win on what was his third premier class race, giving Cagiva their first win in the dry.

2021 FIM MotoGP World Championship calendar

(Subject to change)