Barcelona, Catalunya, Spain

The 2024 MotoGP calendar is back up to the agreed maximum of 22 races. Kazakhstan is back on the calendar for next year, and all four Spanish circuits are on the calendar alongside Portimão. After the successful Indian round of MotoGP, Buddh International Circuit stays on the calendar. But apart from that, the calendar is pretty conventional.

The season kicks off in Qatar on March 10th, a date that was published earlier. Two weeks later, the MotoGP circus makes a quick stop off in Portimão before heading to the Americas, with Argentina happening on April 7th, and Austin a week later.

After a two-week break, MotoGP resumes its usual European round, going from Jerez to Le Mans to Barcelona and then Mugello. Kazakhstan fits in between Mugello and Assen, with a weekend off either side of the track situated north west of Almaty. Then Assen in its traditional slot of the last weekend in June, and the Sachsenring a week later.

There was a lot to chew over at the Barcelona round of MotoGP, and Misano is nearly upon us. So here's a few more things that we learned in Barcelona that matter: Maverick Viñales becoming the first rider to break the new tire pressure regulations; Honda's continuing problems; Fabio Quartararo going back to the future; and what the Misano test might bring, and what it definitely won't bring, and what that might mean for the future of Marc Marquez.

There were a number of records broken at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, including the first ever Aprilia 1-2 in MotoGP. But there was also a less commendable record set: Maverick Viñales because the first MotoGP rider to be punished under the new tire pressure regulations. The factory Aprilia rider was found to have completed less than 50% of the race with this front tire pressure above the minimum set by Michelin, nominally 1.88 bar. As it was his first transgression, he received a formal warning. The next time he is found to have broken the tire pressure rules, he will be handed a 3-second penalty.

MotoGP championships are hard to win and incredibly easy to lose. Yesterday, Pecco Bagnaia rode a stupendous race to finish second behind an unstoppable Aleix Espargaro in the sprint race. Today, Bagnaia took off at the start, and saw his race finish after just two corners. He highsided in front of a storming pack, lucky that his teammate Enea Bastianini had messed up the first corner and wiped out five other riders, clearing out the field somewhat and putting the rest on a state of high alert.

The fates smile on Bagnaia on Sunday at Montmeló. Brad Binder was unsighted by Maverick Viñales and Miguel Oliveira, and so had no warning that Bagnaia had crashed in front of him. Yet he managed to deflect his bike just enough that he merely clipped Bagnaia's leg, rather than hit the Italian. Amazingly, though Bagnaia was removed to the medical center by ambulance and examined both there and in a local hospital, he came away with no fractures, just a lot of bruising.