MotoGP Features

One of Suzuki's main targets for its 2021 MotoGP title defence is to do better during qualifying – and it's not hard to see why.

Joan Mir's historic world championship winning season for Suzuki was characterised by a slow start - DNFs in two of the opening three rounds - then staying rock solid as the pressure rose in the MotoGP title fight.

The 2021 MotoGP World Championship is looming but which riders head into the new season knowing they have something more to prove...

In many ways, the 2020 season was a case of mission accomplished for Johann Zarco, who gave Avintia its first MotoGP pole position and podium (on a year-old GP19), securing his promotion to Pramac and the latest Ducati machinery for 2021.

It may not have been the 'corporate image' manufacturers wanted, but Cal Crutchlow has no regrets for speaking his mind throughout his MotoGP career.

After losing its MotoGP race to Covid last season, Qatar will make up for lost time by hosting two back-to-back rounds at the start of the 2021 campaign.

Last year's compressed 'Covid' MotoGP calendar, which saw 14 rounds in the space of four months, including the last nine races over eleven weekends, prompted renewed discussion of whether at least some race weekends should be reduced to just two days.

Repsol Honda has released the following interview - watch below - with its new MotoGP signing Pol Espargaro, joining the factory HRC squad in 2021 as team-mate to (currently injured) eight-time world champion Marc Marquez.

The departure of Cal Crutchlow (35), Andrea Dovizioso (34) and Tito Rabat (31) means Aleix Espargaro now becomes the second-oldest rider on the MotoGP grid, after Valentino Rossi.

On paper, Francesco Bagnaia finished the 2020 MotoGP season with one podium to his name and a lowly 16th place in the world championship.

Aprilia's announcement that it will give the second RS-GP race seat, the last remaining place on the 2021 MotoGP grid, to either Bradley Smith or Lorenzo Savadori is sure to add some spice to the team's pre-season testing.

Valentino Rossi is adamant Yamaha can improve its MotoGP engine performance for 2021, despite the current freeze on most areas of engine design. To help limit costs in response to the Covid pandemic, MotoGP announced that the usual in-season ban on engine development would be extended.

The Motorcycle Grand Prix history books will record that Franco Morbidelli got within just 13 points of becoming the first-ever satellite world champion of the four-stroke MotoGP era.

Suzuki may have claimed the 2020 title without the benefit of a satellite team, but it looks a question of 'when' not 'if' the factory expands its MotoGP line-up.

He finished third in the overall standings but we have ranked Alex Rins 'only' eighth in our Top 10 MotoGP Riders of the Year for 2020... 

He just missed out on the overall top ten in his rookie 2020 MotoGP campaign but Brad Binder squeaks into our Top 10 Rider of the Year countdown...

Crash.net has ranked its Top 10 Riders for the 2020 MotoGP season (it wasn't easy)... first up in 10th, we have a revitalised Johann Zarco

2020 was a season of 'missed opportunities' for Yamaha, which won more than twice the number of races of any other manufacturer but still lost out on the MotoGP riders', constructors' and teams' titles.

During his final MotoGP weekend with Ducati, sporting director Paolo Ciabatti paid tribute to Andrea Dovizioso's success with the team, while adding that after eight years there was probably a need to 'turn the page'.

All 2021 MotoGP grid places are now confirmed barring the second Aprilia seat alongside Espargaro, which had been reserved for Andrea Iannone. That seat will now go to either Bradley Smith or fellow test rider Lorenzo Savadori, a final decision being made after pre-season testing.

After recording the highest number of MotoGP falls last season, Johann Zarco remained top of the list during the shorted 2020 world championship.

The 2020 Portuguese MotoGP delivered the first all-satellite top three result since 2004... but is this just the tip of the iceberg for the teams formerly known as 'B'?

You won't get a more resounding winner than Miguel Oliveira after his homegrown dominance on the Portuguese MotoGP, but who else deserves our plaudits and who gets our Sunday shame?

It might not make comfortable reading for Yamaha, but at least their 2021 factory MotoGP team line-up of Maverick Vinales and Fabio Quartararo are in agreement.