2022 Provisional MotoGP Rider Line Up

By David Emmett | Tue, 16/11/2021 - 17:03

The FIM today released the provisional entry lists for all three grand prix classes, which featured very few surprises. The biggest changes were among the riders who were forced to change numbers. Fabio Di Giannantonio switched from 21 (taken by Franco Morbidelli) to 49, while Marco Bezzecchi kept 72, Darryn Binder kept 40, and Raul Fernandez stuck with 25, the number abandoned by Maverick Viñales at the end of the 2018 season.

The most noteworthy, if not surprising, change came with the VR46 team. In previous lists of teams accepted to MotoGP and Moto2, the VR46 Racing Team were still using the name Aramco VR46, after the Saudi Arabian oil company. That deal has proved to be chimerical, and the team is now listed as VR46 Racing Team.

Provisional MotoGP line up for 2022:

No. Rider Nationality Team Machine Independent
Team
4 Andrea Dovizioso Italian WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP Team Yamaha *
5 Johann Zarco French Pramac Racing Ducati *
10 Luca Marini Italian VR46 Racing Team Ducati *
12 Maverick Viñales Spanish Aprilia Racing Aprilia  
20 Fabio Quartararo French Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Yamaha  
21 Franco Morbidelli Italian Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Yamaha  
23 Enea Bastianini Italian Gresini Racing MotoGP Ducati *
25 Raul Fernandez Spanish Tech3 KTM Factory Racing KTM *
30 Takaaki Nakagami Japanese LCR Honda Idemitsu Honda *
33 Brad Binder S-African Red Bull KTM Factory Racing KTM  
36 Joan Mir Spanish Team Suzuki Ecstar Suzuki  
40 Darryn Binder S-African WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP Team Yamaha *
41 Aleix Espargaro Spanish Aprilia Racing Aprilia  
42 Alex Rins Spanish Team Suzuki Ecstar Suzuki  
43 Jack Miller Australian Ducati Lenovo Team Ducati  
44 Pol Espargaro Spanish Repsol Honda Team Honda  
49 Fabio Digiannantonio Italian Gresini Racing MotoGP Ducati *
63 Francesco Bagnaia Italian Ducati Lenovo Team Ducati  
72 Marco Bezzecchi Italian VR46 Racing Team Ducati *
73 Alex Marquez Spanish LCR Honda Castrol Honda *
87 Remy Gardner Australian Tech3 KTM Factory Racing KTM *
88 Miguel Oliveira Portuguese Red Bull KTM Factory Racing KTM  
89 Jorge Martin Spanish Pramac Racing Ducati *
93 Marc Marquez Spanish Repsol Honda Team Honda  
MotoGP
Aprilia
Ducati
Honda
KTM
Suzuki
Yamaha
Alex Marquez
Alex Rins
Aleix Espargaro
Brad Binder
Enea Bastianini
Fabio Quartararo
Francesco Bagnaia
Franco Morbidelli
Jack Miller
Joan Mir
Johann Zarco
Jorge Martin
Luca Marini
Marc Marquez
Maverick Viñales
Miguel Oliveira
Pol Espargaro
Takaaki Nakagami
Andrea Dovizioso
Fabio Di Giannantonio
Marco Bezzecchi
Darryn Binder

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Comments

But Suzuki won't step up and do what they ought by running a satellite team. They are the ones screwing it all up. VR46 tried to go Suzuki but corporate did what they always do: half-ass it by not committing. Really burns me up.

We shall see. On the one hand we get bikes on the grid for riders to race...great. However, if they ever did get to have such an advantage that we see a Ducati 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8 finish hmmm. I don't think there will be any new manufacturers joining so no worries about a mountain of red dissuading that but...Aprilia ? Suzuki ? KTM ?  You could have HRC and factory Yamaha in the mix with Ducati, you need to make a step to get on par with those three and that's why you finish 7th...12th?...14th? The only option being to throw more and more money at the problem for ever decreasing gains.

I think Stoner made a valid point that by limiting things as much as they do the rules now mean it's more expensive than ever to gain anything. That's sort of the point, hard to get ahead, bikes very close, good racing but there are tiny gains to be had if you are willing to dig deep enough.

Prior to his last few races, Rossi hardly featured on the TV screens. Imagine if it wasn't Rossi but the results were similar...what would Petronas get out of it then ? It's too expensive for simple glory.

I'm not worried yet because the 6 Ducati we saw on track this year were usually distributed across the field. I think things are close enough that even with the best bike, if it is the best bike (I still think Yamaha), the rider is the one who makes the difference over the season, the bikes are 'same same but different'. The performance of Bastianini and to a lesser extent Marini demonstrate this pretty well. They haven't got the 'best bike'.

but the bikes that Bastia, Diggia and Bezzechi will ride next year finished 1, 2, 3 on Sunday.

I'd prefer that than maybe even the "old" Yamaha that DB40 will ride - presumably Fabio's old one. 

And definitely prefer that to pretty much any iteration of the KTM or Aprilia. 

That new Honda had better be good, or they're in a *huge* hole.

Maybe Ducati will finish 1,2,3 in 2022 also....doubt it though. Ducati managed three 1-2's out of 18 races this season, one of which was a 1-2-3. It looks a lot better if you consider that out of 54 podium places across those 18 races Ducati claimed 24 of them. They also claimed 7 victories compared to Yamaha's 6 victories.

Ducati suffered because Martin missed 4 races and he must have been off his potential for a good while after that accident. Also if you look at Zarco's form over the season it definitely took a dip in the lead up to his arm pump surgery. Nevertheless, Ducati had 4 riders on '21 machines, all made podiums, 3 made wins and Bastianini on the '19 bike scored two unforgettable podiums.

Yamaha had three '21 machines and a single '19 bike. Unfortunately, Rossi didn't play much of a part in the results and neither did Marini in the Ducati results. So maybe we can say Ducati had four '21 bikes + one '19 bike and Yamaha had two '21 bikes and one '19 bike. However, beyond Fabio, Yamaha's rider line up is a nightmare.

Top of the class comes Maverick with a win and a 2nd but he stepped out at the half way stage and had a torrid time leading up to this. Two races were then covered by Cal until Franco stepped up. Franco scored a nice podium in Jerez on the '19 but also missed five races and returned on the '21 far from full fitness. Those 5 missed races were covered by 3 different riders and then his '19 bike was took up by Dovi. What a mess. The only place there was order in Yamaha (excluding Rossi) was Fabio and with that bike over the season he was the best. How would the Yamaha look compared to the Ducati if they had even just one more bike on form ? What if they had two more than that ? Darryn gets that bike next year.

Peco has had an amazing finish to the season but he's been in the close company of a Honda and a Yamaha...Suzuki's lurking. Jack finished off with two podiums. Martin 1 podium. I don't see any revolution in the order beyond Peco's form. There's plenty of room for revolution in 2022 and just as the '21 Yamaha was a step up from the '20 bike there's no reason to doubt there is more to come...from all manufacturers.

Just my opinion, looking beyond the rider line ups and looking beyond grunt of the Ducati...the Yamaha is still the better bike over the season. Given how close the field is these days if Ducati stands still and Yamaha, Honda and Suzuki take a very small step forward then next year the 8 bike Ducati swarm can fight from 8th down. I don't think that will happen but i do expect a resurgent Honda, a better equipped Yamaha on the rider front and Suzuki will be lurking somewhere near the front.

Unless Dorna and the FIM compel Suzuki and Aprilia to provide 4 current year bikes I don't see it changing. Ducati's got money, Ducati's got build capacity. The Japanese team may be left regretting their obsession with control every facet of 'their' tean's existence if the constant inflow of extra data and track time hands Ducati the edge. I don't see it as being bad for Moto GP. If anything it's the opposite, the other companies have to give 2022 spec bikes to all of their riders, or face being sinking under the red sea.

You're right and each manufacturer with 4 current spec bikes would be the ideal situation, but if they don't have the financial ability or will to do so would the grid be better or worse without Suzuki and Aprilia if they chose to leave? Anyone on a Ducati next season should have a competitive, maybe this will push Suzuki and Aprilia to support satellite teams or HRC , Yamaha or KTM to supply another team? We are in an era of "Data is King" 

Fairness..... I promise that none of these teams care about making things "fair" unless they believe that another team has (or does) something puts them at a disadvantage. Every factory on the grid could have made the move to increase their number of bikes on the grid when the opportunity arose. That fact that they didn't isn't Ducati's fault.

I also think that Ducati's habit of creative innovation within the rules is a very good thing. That's the way I liked to race.

If the other manufacturers don't step then what are Ducati supposed to do? Reminds me of that mick doohan quote when asked about his domination: "what do you want me to do - slow down?"

The grid may look a bit like when the Duc 999 was all over the front of the WSBK grid, Hodgson's - ish time. That was pretty boring.

Not blaming Ducati. Nor anyone. If wishes were fishes I'd have a sushi restaurant, but I REALLY really wanted a shift with bikes on the grid for a long time. Yamaha giving Herve old bikes drove me nuts. Suzuki staying at two when they were SUCH a desirable bike and new Teams were arriving in want. 

However, with the racing SO beautifully close and a robust grid I am going to hold judgement a bit. The competition amongst the Red riders is fun interest so far. Yamaha has Quarty, Suzuki has Mir, Honda has a recovering Marc, and all three bikes are not far off. 

Valencia finishes the season with a Red warning shot. Bagnaia, Miller an Martin are all doing the business. Brilliant bike, and a couple of kids are tucking in right behind Bastiannini. I am going to enjoy the Ducati Cup within the circus, and eyeing the response from everyone else. (Just watch, this all new Honda will be impressive. Et al).

Choosing between what should be and what is? The latter. If you can't get out of it, get into it. 

Personally, I don't see a problem with having eight Ducatis on the grid. Some seem to only be satisfied when there's an equal amount of every manufacturer on the grid, and then they also have to be equally fast, handle equally well and all win an equal amount of races. To me, that actually seems boring. There has to be someone and some bike to beat, that's what creates tension and excitement. Every week a different outcome and everybody getting their turn at victory makes it a lottery, and in a way strangely predictable. Motorsports, or any sports for that matter, is not some sort of communism where everybody deserves exactly the same outcome (except for some privileged few of course, but that's another story), it is a battle to find out who is fastest. if there's one bike/rider combination that's winning more than others, the rest just has to up their game. Then there's someone to try and beat.

Not so long ago the Ducati was the horrible bike nobody wanted to be on, now it seems to be the best bike on the grid for many different riders. Hats off to them, and to Aprilia, who provided the neccesary engineer and knowledge to them.

I'm happy we have 24 fixed bikes on the grid next year!

WINTER TEST SCHED:

1) Two-day official test after the final round (Jerez, 18/19 November...TOMORROW!).

Let's get together in here this weekend and check in about what was displayed. It will be really interesting.

- A three-day "shakedown" test before the first official test after the winter break, for the official test teams and rookie MotoGP riders (Sepang, 31 January-2 February).

- BREAK - "Sneak a production bike out on Misano, don't get injured on dirt bikes" time

2) Official two-day test after the winter break (Sepang 5-6 February).

3) Official three-day test after the winter break (Mandalika, 11-13 February)

The Duke isn't likely to be an easy bike for new/small teams to set up and run. Because of this, I think we will only see three or four consistently competive Dukes on the grid next year. Much as this year. The factory wants the rider championship and I think it will focus its technical support accordingly.

That's one way if looking at it. While reviewing the last Round yesterday I had the opposite thought. I was noticing and appreciating how well integrated the Pramac Team is with the Factory one. They act like family, walk arm in arm at a quick pace smiling together. Pramac gets top kit. And strong riders! The program looks well integrated to me, much more than any other except perhaps KTM. Take note Honda, the Customer era is gone. 

Hey, another note...the revolutionized Yamaha Test Team in Europe is on the way. Covid paused it. Cal is there. So are gifted and in the groove personnel. Will we see it soon? And results? MOTOR. MORE MOTOR! With the aero AND shapeshifter devices, Blue HAS to bring significant improvement or be left behind the V4's. Let's go boys!

I am curious to see how Remy Gardner and Raul Fernandez will do. Now we'll see whether the decision of KTM to quit their own Moto2 project has consequences for the preparation of their new riders. Oliveira, Binder and Lecuona all came from the KTM Moto2 chassis, so they were used to the feeling of the KTM steel tube frame and WP suspension. That made for a perfect base to step up to the RC16. And we all know how difficult is was for Zarco and also Petrucci.

Remy and Raul are used to an aluminium twin-spar frame with - as far as I know - Öhlins suspension. That might make things more difficult for them. Expecting Remy to take a slightly more cautious approach and Raul going all-in from the get go, making him a bit more crash-prone I think. Interesting rookies for sure! Rooting for Remy especially, I like his personality and it would be so cool to see the Gardner name at the front again!

Can't wait to see them line up next year. The off-season always sucks so much.

I tell you what though, I'm already ruminating on the MM93 situation. This is just like last off-season in that I'm checking a few times a day to see what news is coming out of their camp. I note that you mentioned the black hole of information that leaks from their clique but it's not unusual - all of the top tier athletes do this these days. As much as it sucks for journos and the fans, control of the narrative becomes an important part of the holistic package of competing at the top. Let's face it, Rossi wielded his manipulation of the media like a 12-inch d*** at a party.

Whether it's his dominance or from Doohanesque recovery from injury, it has definitely been the story to follow. I only wish we had more news because a competitive Marc on a competitive RCV is going to be a cat amongst the pidgeons at the front, and that's what I want to see.

Can't wait to see the rookies go at it on the KTM's either. As has been mentioned earlier, Remy is the race strategist and cooler head, Fernandez is the hot-lapper. How that will play out once they get a taste of Michelin rubber, WP and endless power at the right wrist remains to be seen!

A healthy Marc would put a dent in the red juggernaut, but.....will he be healthy? NO NEWS from his camp, or HRC since the 9th (at least I couldn't find anything new) and that seems to be bad news. David, anything? 

There were a few reiterations of the same info. Same assessment, and being watched, need to wait and see, no change so far.

Only addition was that he is being more cautious and patient than he used to be. He jumped to more aggressive measures of a surgery more quickly last time than he/they plan to this time. 

Thassit though. My expectations are high. Concerned though. And, disappointed he is getting hurt! I feel protective of the fantastic riders. Can't be mad at Honda for this particular one.