Massive Argentina MotoGP preview and predictions

MotoGP 2022 – Round Three
Argentina – Preview

It’s already been a tough task to predict MotoGP so far in 2022, and now the paddock heads back to the Autodromo Termas de Rio Hondo and some unchartered premier class territory for many.

KTM currently have the best seat in the house in two of three Championships, heading the standings in the Constructors’ and Teams’ title fights for the first time ever in MotoGP. Brad Binder is only two points off the top in the fight for the riders’ crown too, and team-mate Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) is in the top five after catapulting himself up the table by 16 places thanks to that awesome win in Indonesia.

Oliveira is also one of the only nine riders on the grid who’ve previously raced the track with the same factory with which they return to tackle the challenge in 2022 too, as Brad Binder faces the opposite challenge of first premier class touch. Can they tame Termas and lead the three leaderboards of the coveted Triple Crown?

At Tech3 KTM Factory Racing, meanwhile, the rookie duel continues and it’s still split between the two by the single point taken by reigning Moto2 Champion Remy Gardner in Qatar. Gardner also took his first ever Grand Prix podium at Termas de Rio Hondo, so will be hoping to add to his tally as Raul Fernandez arrives with only one Moto3 appearance at the track in 2019.

Remy Gardner

“We had two challenging first races in Qatar and Indonesia because the MotoGP class is high level and there is a big gap to which I’m still trying to adapt. Back in Doha, we managed to get a point, and in Mandalika we had a decent pace but the wet race in Mandalika was complicated for me. Anyway, it is good experience in the bag in order to improve for the next races. We are now going to Argentina, which is one of my favorite tracks, so I hope that we can have a good weekend and a great race.”

Just down pitlane, Ducati have an interesting array of experience. Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) is one of the most experienced on the grid in Argentina having first raced the venue in 2015, with only three riders beating his tally.

Termas was the stage for his only premier class pole so far after his awe-inspiring masterclass on slicks on a drying and definitely-not-yet-dry track back in 2018. Can he turn his experience at the circuit into his first podium of the season?

Jack Miller

“I’m happy to be back here in Argentina! In the last GP held here in 2019, I had managed to get a good fourth place, while in 2018, I had taken my first and only pole position in MotoGP in qualifying. The start of this season has been a bit of a struggle, even though we had the potential to aim for the podium in the first two rounds. Let’s hope to have a more linear weekend here in Argentina.”

One rider who arguably did that last time out was another Ducati rider with experience at Termas: Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing), who stormed to third in Lombok. He also has two Moto2 wins in Argentina, but the Frenchman has only tackled the track on a Yamaha and KTM in the premier class, so both he and team-mate Jorge Martin – who remains on the hunt for his first points of the year – take on the venue on Borgo Panigale machinery for the first time. So too does Luca Marini, and it will be interesting to see the Mooney VR46 Racing Team battle as Marco Bezzecchi arrives as a full blown rookie.

Marco Bezzecchi

“The Argentina track is always linked to good memories and I am happy to be able to get back here on the Ducati. I like the track, I won my first race in Moto3 in 2018. I can’t wait to get back on track: making kilometers and work with the whole Team to be able to bring the good sensations of the free practice sessions up to the race.”

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And then there’s Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team). If Qatar was a tough start, Lombok was only slightly less bitter as the Italian struggled to score. We have, however, seen Bagnaia paint MotoGP poetry on now many an occasion, and he’ll be hoping his 2019 experience at Termas, then on an Independent Ducati, will count for something and help him get back in the hunt for the podium as a minimum.

Francesco Bagnaia

“Already after the Qatar race and especially after the last GP in Indonesia, my feeling with the Desmosedici GP has returned to what it was last year. Unfortunately, both in Lusail and Mandalika, we couldn’t show our real potential, so I hope to do it here in Argentina finally. Termas is a track I like, and I am determined to turn our season around this weekend finally“.

Finally, Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing MotoGP) arrives in the truly best seat in the house as he continues to lead the Championship. After a disastrous start to the race in Lombok down in P20 at one point, the Italian brought it back to get another handful of points by the flag despite very little experience in the wet. Having passed that challenge, the next is Termas de Rio Hondo as the number 23 aims to keep and extend that lead – riding at the track for the first time in the premier class.

Enea Bastianini

“I like the Argentine track a lot and due to Covid it’s been a while since we last went there, so it will be great to return. We come from a strange race in Indonesia: conditions were not the best, but we still improved a lot in the wet and that’s not a small thing, so I’m happy. CoTA is quite a particular circuit, and it won’t be easy to get up to speed there. I think it will surely be simpler with the Ducati 2021 compared to last year… I can’t wait to get back on the road.”

Over at Yamaha, there’s plenty to discuss too. Qatar was a disappointment for reigning Champion Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) before incredible wet weather grip in Lombok saw the Frenchman slice up into second for his first MotoGP podium in the rain. But the Iwata marque – and Quartararo especially – looked hard to bet against in the dry in Indonesia, so it’s a mixed bag so far in 2021, with both disappointment and searing pace on show. Quartararo has raced at Termas before, in 2019, and although only once it was with Yamaha.

Fabio Quartararo

“It‘s nice to be back at the Termas track. None of us have ridden here since 2019, so that means that we are all pretty much starting from the same point. This is not my personal best track, but I think we can do a good job here. In Indonesia I was feeling a lot better with the bike. We tried something new, and that paid off. I‘m very curious to see if that will also be the case here.”

Team-mate Franco Morbidelli has one more MotoGP race in Argentina under his belt, but he’s tackled the track on two different machines. Morbidelli had a pretty solid weekend in Indonesia too, so what will the two factory guys have for Termas? The Iwata marque have already won at the track twice with two different riders.

Franco Morbidelli

“Considering my starting position, we did a good job in the last race in very difficult conditions. My crew and I are gaining more and more experience together, and that results in better races even when the circumstances aren‘t in our favour. It‘s nice that we get to visit Termas de Río Hondo again after a long time. My feeling with the bike was good at Mandalika, and I hope to have the same feeling again this weekend.”

Andrea Dovizioso (WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP Team) is, meanwhile, one of the three most experienced riders on the grid at Termas – but all his races, including podiums, were with Ducati. Now he faces a new challenge of taking on the track on the YZR-M1, and after a technical issue stopped him early in Indonesia, he’ll want to get back in the points as a minimum.

Andrea Dovizioso

“After the sad result in Indonesia, I really want to be back and do better. We had the ability to get out some good things in Indonesia, but eventually didn’t have the chance. The Termas de Rio Hondo Circuit is a pretty unique track, we didn’t go there for two years, so I’m curious how the conditions of the place will be. Nonetheless, we arrive there optimistic. I think it can be a good track for the Yamaha.”

On the other side of the garage the vibe was the opposite in Lombok, however, as Darryn Binder steamed up inside the top 10 and was as high as eighth before a fair but aggressive move from his brother, no less, saw the younger South African classified 10th. That’s put him top in the battle for top rookie so far in 2022 though, and it was truly a stunner that will have lifted his confidence even if Argentina proves dry – at a track where he already has a Moto3 podium.

Darryn Binder

“I’m really excited to get to Argentina. We haven’t been in Termas de Rio Hondo for a couple of years now. The last time, we were there, I’ve got some good memories. So, I can’t wait, especially after finishing 10th in Indonesia left me really happy and motivated. I’m ready to arrive there, start at zero again, just keep chipping away and trying to improve and get faster. I’m just really keen to get another race underway!”

So what about Suzuki? In some ways dark horses of consistency – despite some high profile difficulties including that Free Practice fire for Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) and a seriously tough qualifying for his teammate, 2020 MotoGP Champion Joan Mir, in Indonesia. Rins has a fifth and a seventh so far and Mir two sixth places, but they’ve been there on race day in the wet and the dry – just lacking an extra step to get into the podium fight. Can they make that in Argentina? Rins arrives for his fourth race at the venue on the Suzuki, a rare slew of experience, and it’s where he took his first premier class podium. Mir has raced there before too, in 2019. So far, after what we saw in testing, it feels like there’s a pool of potential bubbling just under the surface of some more muted results… will Argentina see it boil over into podiums or even a push for victory?

For Honda, Lombok promised much and delivered little. After Marc Marquez’ huge Warm Up high-side it was Pol Espargaro battling alone in Repsol Honda Team colours, and he did take some points on the new RC213V’s debut in the wet but it was a far cry from the podium and race-leading escapades of Qatar. Qatar will bring the number 44 some good hope on the way into Termas though – as will Honda’s record of four wins at the track, with both Marc Marquez and Cal Crutchlow – and Pol Espargaro is one of the three riders expected on the grid who’s raced at the venue since 2014, in his case with Yamaha and KTM. Will that experience help him blast out the blocks on the Honda?

Pol Espargaro

“I am looking forward to getting our season back on the right line after a difficult weekend in Indonesia, what has happened is in the past and now we focus on the future. We are close to the top of the championship and the objective is to put together a weekend like in Qatar. I have had some consistent results in Argentina in the past and we know what the Honda this year can do. It’s time to keep working and show our potential.”

The other side of the Repsol Honda Team garage will see Stefan Bradl return, the HRC Honda Test Rider set to replace Marc Marquez in Argentina as the eight-time World Champion recovers after his heavy Warm Up fall. Bradl is familiar with the new Honda RC213V having completed multiple tests with the bike already in 2022. The German Test Rider is on a run of nine-point scoring finishes in a row in the MotoGP class and has a best finish of fifth in Argentina.  Since its return to the Grand Prix calendar in 2014, Honda have won four of the six races held in Argentina.

Stefan Bradl

“The most important thing is sending my best to Marc and hoping that he recovers quickly. Until then, I will do my best for Honda HRC and the Repsol Honda Team in his place. I have already done a few tests this year so I am familiar with the new Honda RC213V but of course coming into a MotoGP weekend is a different situation. I have some good memories of Argentina; I was fifth there in 2014 and seventh there when I last raced in Termas in 2016. We will work with the team to define the plan for the weekend, I have no doubt it will be a busy one.”

At LCR Honda Castrol, Alex Marquez faces the track for the first time in MotoGP and takes on a new challenge, although he has been on the podium there in the lower classes, whereas Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) will miss the event due to a recent positive PCR test. Taka has had no symptoms and took two more tests to be sure. All of them have returned positive. The Japanese rider will miss the Argentina GP this weekend but is hoping to be able to return to the paddock for the Americas GP next week.

Takaaki Nakagami

“Unfortunately, I will not race this weekend in Argentina. I got a positive PCR test just before flying to Termas. I am really sorry for my team, sponsors and fans. I don’t have any symptoms and I am feeling good, I am just very sad and disappointed. I am hoping to be back on track in Austin for the Americas GP. Fingers crossed.”

At Aprilia, the experience-ometer is high too. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) is the final one of the likely three riders who have raced in every MotoGP race at Termas de Rio Hondo, although not all with Aprilia. The RS-GP is also a different beast this season, and in Qatar we saw serious form before a tougher Lombok so the Noale factory shouldn’t be counted out of fighting at the front.

Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) is also a former winner at Termas, and has raced the venue on two other machines prior to 2022. What can Aprilia do this season with a mixture of experience and fresher, fighting fit form?

Maverick Viñales

“If it were up to me, I’d have raced in Argentina as soon as the Indonesian race was over. At Mandalika, we made an important step forward in terms of settings which did not come out fully in the race due to the difficult conditions, but which makes me highly optimistic for the upcoming rounds. I’m convinced that we are extremely close to finding full confidence but in the current MotoGP championship, every tiny improvement takes a lot of work for both the team and the rider. It’s a matter of putting a lot of details together and creating a perfect synergy but we are on the right path.”

2022 MotoGP Championship Standings

Moto2

We’ve seen two stunning runaway wins so far in 2022, with Celestino Vietti (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) proving the class of the field in Qatar and then Somkiat Chantra (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) putting in a history-making masterpiece in Mandalika. Now it’s more fresh turf for the newer faces in the field, so can Vietti and Aron Canet (Flexbox HP 40) keep their 100 per cent podium record rolling? And what will Chantra have in store off the back of his maiden win?

Starting with the most recent winner, there’s a good omen from back in 2019 as the Thai rider has both experience and success in Argentina, having taken his first Moto2 top ten at the venue in only his second race in the class three years ago. That could bode well, but if experience is to prove king then Sam Lowes (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team), third overall as it stands, is arguably in the best position as he arrives with two previous podiums at Termas de Rio Hondo. Augusto Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) has ridden the track too, although suffered an injury at the venue in 2019, and Jake Dixon (Autosolar GASGAS Aspar Team) also knows Termas – and the Brit was on pole and the pace last time out before his crash.

Jake Dixon

“In Indonesia we were very strong and I hope to be able to do so again in Argentina. I want to fight for the front positions and I think we can do it. We arrive at the third race of the year after having achieved my first pole position in the World Championship, but we still have to continue growing and fighting for my first podium and my first victory. The objective this weekend will be that, to opt for the podium in a circuit in which I already competed in 2019.”

It will be interesting, then, to see if Vietti and Canet can come out swinging in the face of experience, with more podiums for the two this weekend likely to prove statements of intent: three podiums at three very different tracks and in very different conditions would go a long way to prove their speed is here to stay throughout the season.

Celestino Viett

“I am happy to be back in Argentina and motivated to do my best here. I hope to immediately find the positive feelings of the last two races, be fast and understand the track as soon as possible. A track where we haven’t raced since 2019 and where I’ve never ridden the Moto2. We have to work to better prepare for the race and aim for the top positions.”

On the other side of the coin, there are a few riders looking for a lot more than they took home in Indonesia. One is rookie sensation Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo), who had a much bumpier start to his season than many anticipated, and he’ll be taking on Termas for the first time ever. Ai Ogura (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) did some great damage control on race day in Lombok but had an overall tougher weekend after fighting for the podium in Qatar, and Tony Arbolino (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) will be keen to re-join that postcode too.

Moto2 also has home hero Gabriel Rodrigo (Pertamina Mandalika SAG Team) on the grid, with the Argentinean intermediate class rookie looking to make a step forward. Sean Dylan Kelly (American Racing) also has paternal ties to Argentina and so begins a fortnight of important races, and that’s also true of compatriots Joe Roberts (Italtrans Racing Team) and Cameron Beaubier (American Racing) in many ways, who will also want to make the most of Termas to head into Texas on the front foot.

Moto2 Championship Standings

Moto3

2022 marks a long-awaited return to the Autodromo de Termas Rio Hondo, and for the Moto3 class it promises an interesting weekend. The last time we raced at the venue it was Jaume Masia on top, before his tenure with Red Bull KTM Ajo although the Spaniard was still on a KTM. Andrea Migno (Rivacold Snipers Team), Tatsuki Suzuki (Leopard Racing), Kaito Toba (CIP Green Power), Ayumu Sasaki (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team) and most recent winner Dennis Foggia (Leopard Racing) are the other names who’ve found some success in the land of tango, but for the majority of the field it’s unchartered territory. Once again, that could prove key – or a great leveller for many.

Masia will be hoping to repeat his success, and he’s the only returner who’s been on the podium at the track, which is an understatement for taking victory from pole. But Foggia’s show of form last time out – seconds clear despite Mandalika being a brand new venue for everyone – is a warning shot for the field, and he had pace in Qatar too to come from the back.

For Migno, meanwhile, the pace was there again at Mandalika, but the bad luck hit too as Sasaki misjudged a last lap move and both went down. Both will be heartened by more good speed but looking to hit back, and the Japanese rider earned a Long Lap penalty for his error that he’ll have to overcome. Add in Suzuki as he settles in at Leopard, and Toba looking for his second podium of the season, and the veteran armada is a substantial one to overcome.

Izan Guevara (Solunion GASGAS Aspar Team), however, had some stunning speed on new turf and the number 28 took his first podium of the season. He duelled it out with teammate and 2021 title challenger Sergio Garcia (Solunion GASGAS Aspar Team) too, who seemed like he could have had the pace to try and cut into Foggia’s lead but couldn’t make a break for it and had to settle for fourth. Will both the GASGAS riders be back up at the front once again? So far you wouldn’t bet against it, although Garcia missed the 2019 Argentina GP race due to a crash in Warm Up – so it’s new turf, in terms of race distance, for both.

Meanwhile Lombok also saw a new name on the podium: Carlos Tatay (CFMoto Racing PrüstelGP). The Spaniard took an emotional rostrum finish and in some style, slicing his way back through despite a Long Lap penalty. Could that open the floodgates to see the former Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup Champion at the front more often? And what about Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Tech 3)? The Turk was only just off the podium after the heat of the last lap battle as his 2022 pace continues.

However, the rookies will be aware that many of the more experienced riders in the field, including the likes of Garcia, Guevara and Öncü, don’t have experience in Argentina. Diogo Moreira (MT Helmets – MSI) more than many as he races at the closest he has to a home Grand Prix for the moment – and after taking that sixth place in Qatar and then a front row in Indonesia before some bad luck on Sunday. Mario Aji (Honda Team Asia) will be wanting to replicate his pace after a stunning home weekend and first points too, and Scott Ogden (VisionTrack Academy) likewise took his first points in Lombok – creating a good building block for the Brit. Taiyo Furusato (Honda Team Asia) will now join the fold too after injury kept the 2021 Idemitsu Asia Talent Cup Champion sidelined from the first two rounds, but there are plenty of debutants and they’ll all see opportunity in Termas de Rio Hondo.  Young Aussie Joel Kelso is keen to try and bag some more points in South America.

Moto3 Championship Standings

Revised MotoGP weekend schedule
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