MotoGP 2022 kicks off this weekend at Qatar | Preview | Schedule

MotoGP 2022 – Round One – Qatar – Preview

Losail International Circuit will host the now iconic flood-lit opening round, and in 2022 there are 24 riders waiting for the lights to go out – 14 of whom are World Champions, which is a new record. Five are premier class rookies, 12 are premier class race winners. One has eight World Championships. One wears the crown. Another signed off 2021 with the momentum. And yet more have reset, recharged and come back to the fight with a little more in the tank for 2022…

Qatar is now firmly positioned as the opening Grand Prix of the MotoGP season and is still the only night race on the calendar, providing a unique atmosphere for spectators, and presenting its own challenges for the riders. In addition, the sand that blows off the surrounding desert can make the track very abrasive and as the temperature drops in the evening, the ensuing dew point can make the track surface slippery and reduce grip levels.

Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) must lead the headlines as both the reigning Champion and a winner at the track in 2021. Yamaha is the most successful manufacturer at Losail and they took both victories at the track last year, so that’s also a good omen for Quartararo, Franco Morbidelli (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP), two-time Qatar winner Andrea Dovizioso (WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP) and his new team-mate, rookie Darryn Binder.

But pre-season testing saw a few glances of discontent for the Iwata marque in their ongoing battle to increase top speed, among other things, and it seemed reviews were mixed. Now the proof of the testing will be in the racing, so what have Yamaha got in the locker… and will there remain harmony between man and machine?

Fabio Quartararo

“I‘m happy we‘re starting the 2022 season now. I spent the off-season usefully, but I still prefer to be midseason and have my eyes on the goals that we need to achieve. We have good memories of this place from last time. I won my first GP with the factory team in Losail last year. The goal for this week is to hit the ground running. We need to make a good start on the Friday and try to make another step compared to last year.”

Franco Morbidelli

“We are in Qatar now and ready to start the new season. This GP weekend will be important for me to see where we stand in terms of fitness level during a race weekend. But judging by the tests, I‘m in pretty good shape. We made good steps during the tests, especially in Indonesia, so I‘m looking forward to getting to work here.”

Andrea Dovizioso

“I’m really happy and can’t wait to go to Qatar. The Losail International Circuit is an absolutely nice track and I have very good memories there from recent years. Obviously, this makes me very excited not just to arrive there, but also to ride this layout with my Yamaha YZR-M1 and at the same time, to start the season!”

Darryn Binder

“I’m super excited to be heading back to Qatar. I have very good memories from the two races there last year. On top of that, I’m even more excited as it’s my MotoGP debut. We’ve had eight days of testing so far this year. We’ve been taking it step by step and I’m feeling confident that I feel at least comfortable on the bike. I’m ready to start the GP weekend in Qatar and just take it as it comes, lap by lap. We’ll have to see how it goes and where we are and work from there. I’m really looking forward to get this first race under my belt and move on to the next one. I can’t wait to get to Doha!”

Razlan Razali – Team Principal WithU Yamaha RNF

“We look forward to the first race and I’m sure this is the same for fans around the globe. We have had some decent testing in Sepang and Mandalika. Both riders trying to understand their machinery, especially Darryn Binder being the rookie of the rookies from Moto3 to MotoGP. It was also a test for the whole crew, being a new team. This will be another first test for us as a new team on a race weekend. On the side of Darryn, we have nearly all new team members, so it’s going to be a challenge. But we are ready. A lot of preparations have been made and we’re looking forward to the first race and to entertain the MotoGP fans all around the world!”

For many races in the latter half of 2021, and ominously at times, that harmony was personified elsewhere: Ducati. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) had a few stumbles on his way to the top step in the premier class, but when he did get there, he couldn’t keep away. After an all-Ducati podium to round out the season as well, the momentum was steamrolling and hopes will remain high going into 2022.

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Testing wasn’t the all-out assault on the time-sheets some expected, but then cards may well remain close to chests. Bagnaia, Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team), Jorge Martin (Pramac Racing), Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing MotoGP), Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) and Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) are quite an experienced armada for the Bologna factory, and Losail is tied as their second most successful track.

Enea Bastianini

“I must say we are super ready. Testing was very good and as a team we are gelling very well together as a team. I like the Qatari track and I did quite well in my MotoGP debut last year. We have more experience now so it’s time to stop talking and start racing! My physical preparation went very well, and I felt the bike as my own since the first day in Malaysia.”

Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) and Fabio Di Giannantonio (Gresini Racing MotoGP) both look pretty pacy too, adding some extra intrigue to the fight for Rookie of the Year.

Fabio Di Giannantonio

“First race of the year and first MotoGP race of my career… we’re so charged up for it. We are eager to take to the track also considering what we did during testing, as we made steps forward both with the bike and the team. I must admit that the last month has been quite complicated fitness wise as I’ve had some issues that affected me Malaysia onwards, but then I was able to work well so we’ll be ready. The realistic goal is to continue to learn and grow, the optimistic one is to score my first points!”

Luca Marini

“This race always has a special atmosphere: the first GP, the unique setting of the desert and a really beautiful track, one of my favorite on the calendar. This year will be different because I will be riding the Ducati of the Mooney VR46 Racing Team which will make its debut in MotoGP. A new working group, but one that I wanted. The atmosphere in the Team is excellent, the air is positive. We just have to keep working and doing our best starting from this Sunday.”

Marco Bezzecchi

“The long wait is over: I’ve been waiting for this day since the last race in Valencia and can’t wait to get out on track. The first MotoGP race will be special, something I will always remember. Racing with the strongest riders in the highest category of our sport is a dream for every rider. We arrive here after a good pre-season, I worked well with the Team and with Ducati, but the first GP will be another story. There will be the new bike with the colors of the VR46 and Mooney. I want to do well and enjoy the moment.”

So what of Suzuki? By comparison to Yamaha most especially, it was a fairly glowing preseason for the Hamamatsu factory. Smiles, gains, and quietly confident progress seemed to sum it up for 2020 MotoGP World Champion Joan Mir and team-mate Alex Rins, with one thing on their shopping list – more power – seemingly delivered.

Shinichi Sahara – Suzuki Project Leader & Team Director

“In the pre-season test sessions, we felt progression with our bikes with some updates from the Hamamatsu factory. Those new items have been put into play by the Team, and both Joan and Alex adapted very quickly during the winter. Joan is Joan, he is one of the best riders and super motivated. Alex showed speed and consistency in the winter testing that worried all his rivals. So, I can say we are ready and in very good shape. But I also think we still have some room for another step of improvement to be even stronger in terms of bike performance and team management. The factory in Hamamatsu never stop developing and pushing, and we also plan on some further updates for the GSX-RR during the season. Our new Team Manager, Livio Suppo, will also reinforce the team’s performance. I’m quite confident his knowledge and experience will bring extra strength to us. Now what we should do for the race weekend is keep our heads cool to avoid any mistakes, we are ready!”

In Qatar, Suzuki haven’t finished better than fourth so a podium would be a good way to underline said progress and start building some foundations. Both Mir and Rins will also be exceptionally keen to avoid a repeat of what happened on the line to the number 36 last year as two Ducatis pipped Mir to the post.

Joan Mir

“Starting the season in Qatar is fantastic, it’s what we always think of when we think about the opening round! The darkness and the lights make it a very special race with a different atmosphere compared to everywhere else. I have been taking time in this break to rest but also to train very hard, and the team have done a great job all winter, this weekend we’ll begin our work with Livio, so I feel ready to start!”

Alex Rins

“I like visiting Qatar, as soon as you arrive you know you’re about to start another adventure and another new season! I can feel that the 2022 GSX-RR has a lot of potential and I’m eager to go on track for the first time on Friday. We will welcome our new Team Manager into the team this weekend, and I can’t wait to work all together.”

Livio Suppo – Suzuki Team Manager

“I’m very excited to start working with the Suzuki Ecstar team – Joan, Alex, and the whole crew. Of course, I will do my best to come back to the paddock and adapt as quickly as possible to the team and their way of working, I’m looking forward to starting. However, I’d like to underline that it’s important this weekend to try and give some smiles for a few hours to the people who are suffering in these moments. And good luck to everybody. Let’s make sport, not war!”

Someone who knows that feeling at Losail is eight-time World Champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team). The number 93 has more MotoGP wins than the rest of the grid combined, but a couple have got away in Qatar courtesy of Dovizioso and time will tell whether the 2022 edition will prove different. It’s been a long road to recovery but recovered the Honda rider is, and facing that down could be enough of a challenge for the rest of the grid on its own.

Marc Marquez

“Well, what can I say about the start of 2022? After what we have overcome recently my motivation to start the season is huge, we have come through something difficult and now it’s time to enjoy. But not just enjoying riding, enjoying competing and enjoying fighting at the front again. This is my tenth year in the MotoGP class and now I am one of the most experienced in the class, there’s many new competitors but the goal is still the same: to fight for the World Championship. We arrive with a new bike, so we need to see how it behaves in Qatar, but we have built a good base and I am looking forward to the weekend and to racing again. It will be my first-time racing in Qatar since 2019, but I am ready. Let’s get the season started!”

Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda Team) looks to have made a key step with the all-new RC213V too, and Alex Marquez (LCR Honda Castrol) and Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) will be looking to prove the same.

Pol Espargaro

“Coming from the good tests we had, of course I am excited to get started with a new season. I have been training to my maximum in the winter to be as physically prepared as possible. We arrive now in a very different situation to 12 months ago, I know Honda, I know my team and although this RC213V is new – I am understanding it more and more. Yes, we had a good pre-season but when you go racing everything is different. This weekend in Qatar is about making a base line and improving on it each week, I want to be fighting at the front each weekend but it’s early. Let’s see what happens, who appears with what and how the slightly different race time will change the conditions. Overall, I’m just happy I get to ride again.”

Takaaki Nakagami

“I’m really excited and it’s a great feeling to be starting the season. We had five great days of pre-season testing at Sepang and Mandalika on the new bike where we had to understand two different tracks. The new bike definitely has great potential, so I’m looking forward to the new season. I’m excited to be here in Qatar because it’s a special track and the race is at night time. Hopefully, we can have a great start to the season and we’ll try to do our best as always.”

Álex Márquez

“It’s the first GP race of the 2022 season and we come from a really solid pre-season where we were fast and had good race rhythm in both Malaysia and Mandalika. I feel ready for the first race, we would like some more test days of course, but this is the way it is, it’s the same for everybody. I will try to enjoy it, Qatar is always special; it’s a nice track and the conditions change a lot from the morning to the evening, from day to night, so it will be interesting to see which rider can adapt best to those conditions. As I said, I am ready, I am feeling good and am looking forward to ride tomorrow. We’ll try to start the season in a good way. I’m really motivated to start my second season with LCR.”

For KTM, Losail isn’t the best place to start the season, having never been the kindest match for the RC16. The Austrian factory’s best result at the track is a P8. However, new Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team Manager Francesco Guidotti already stated in testing that the plan is to find a new foundation from which to continue development, so Qatar being another different track is useful in itself. The talent pool is too: Brad Binder and Miguel Oliveira remain at Red Bull KTM Factory Racing and both look to make 2022 the third year in a row they’ve both taken premier class wins. There are two new kids on the block at Tech 3 KTM Factory Racing as well: 2021 Moto2 Champion Remy Gardner and the rookie who nearly beat him to the crown, Raul Fernandez. They’ll be looking to hit the ground running as we covered in this separate piece where the Tech3 duo look towards this weekend.

Finally, Aprilia. Now MotoGP podium finishers and heading into 2022 with a new, leaner, and reportedly further improved RS-GP, pre-season saw the Noale factory steal plenty of headlines. Aleix Espargaro is now an established frontrunner with the marque and took the factory’s best result at Losail of a sixth place, but Maverick Viñales is a little more settled in now too. The number 12 was also the rider on the top step in the 2021 season opener, and has won at Losail before that too, albeit with a different manufacturer. Can Aprilia come out swinging? Will the top five or the podium beckon? Who will come out on top in the battle of the teammates? We’re about to find out!

As ever, the engines roar for race day once the sun’s gone down in Doha, and for FP1 that equates to 2140 AEDT on Friday night followed by Free Practice 2 at 0200 on Saturday morning. The action will continue on Saturday with Free Practice 3 at 2115 Saturday night, followed by the FP4 session at 0120 on Sunday morning. Qualifying starts at 0200 Sunday morning while the season opening MotoGP race kicks off at 0200 on Monday morning.

2022 MotoGP Round One
Time Schedule (AEDT)

Friday (Sat)

Saturday (Sun)

Sunday (Mon)

2022 Provisional MotoGP Calendar

(*Subject to change*)