MotoGP 2021 – Round Seven
Catalunya – Preview

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Featuring a highly abrasive surface with fast and sweeping corners, a 1,047m straight and elevation changes throughout its 4,627m (2.894 miles) length, the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya was built in 1991, reconfigured and resurfaced in 2018, with some changes made in 2020 to improve safety at Turn 10. It’s a track that is a favourite amongst riders and fans, and often serves up exciting racing along with a fantastic atmosphere, which could be the case this year with limited numbers of spectators being allowed in.

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Most succesful riders at Catalunya

• Valentino Rossi – 10 wins (6 x MotoGP, 1 x 500cc, 2 x 250cc, 1 x 125cc)
• Jorge Lorenzo – 6 wins (5 x MotoGP, 1 x 250cc)
• Max Biaggi – 4 wins (4x 250cc)
• Marc Marquez – 3 wins (2 x MotoGP, 1 x 125cc)
• Dani Pedrosa – 3 wins (1 x MotoGP, 1 x 250cc, 1 x 125cc)
• Alex Marquez – 3 wins (2 x Moto2, 1 x Moto3)

Yamaha most successful manufacturer at Catalunya

Yamaha is the most successful manufacturer with 13 wins. 10 in MotoGP: Valentino Rossi (2004, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2016), Jorge Lorenzo (2010, 2012, 2013, 2015) and Fabio Quartararo (2020); three in 500 cc: Wayne Rainey (1992, 1993) and Luca Cadalora (1994).

Honda’s last MotoGP win in Catalunya: Marc Marquez in 2019. Honda have had 11 premier class wins including five in a row with Alex Criville, Carlos Checa and Mick Doohan from 1995 to 1999, in addition to the wins with Valentino Rossi (2001, 2002), Dani Pedrosa (2008), Casey Stoner (2011) and Marc Marquez (2014, 2019).

Ducati’s last MotoGP win in Catalunya: Jorge Lorenzo in 2018 from pole. Ducati have taken four MotoGP wins at the Catalunya circuit, including their very first in the class with Loris Capirossi in 2003.

The only win for Suzuki was in the 500 cc class in 2000, with Kenny Roberts. In 2020, Joan Mir finished second ahead of teammate Alex Rins for the only podiums at Catalunya for Suzuki in the MotoGP in era.

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Not since 2016 had Yamaha won at Mugello, but Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) put in a stunner last time out to take back to the top step and make it four Yamaha wins in the first six for the first time since that very same year. Joining him on the podium, for the first time since 2014 at the Italian track, there was no Ducati. The form book took a twist and instead it was Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Miguel Oliveira putting the cherry on top of an impressive weekend for the Austrian factory, and reigning Champion Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) getting back on the rostrum. Now, as the paddock heads for Catalunya – and a new Turn 10 – what can we expect?

As ever… Quartararo. The Frenchman won last year at the venue despite a late charge from a Suzuki train headed by Mir, and it’s where he was on pole as a rookie and took his first premier class podium. Now recovered from arm pump surgery and back to his best, Quartararo must surely arrive as favourite.

Fabio Quartararo

“I am really looking forward to this next round in Catalunya. It’s a little sad to say it, but in a way I am hoping to forget about last weekend. Even though I rode one of the best races of my life, it was a dark Sunday. Of course, we will keep remembering Jason, but I am ready to start a new race weekend. I like the Catalunya track, I won here last year with Yamaha, so I think we can do a good job. We will do our best!”

Team-mate Maverick Viñales, who said they lost their way with the bike somewhat on his side of the garage after his stunner in Qatar, will be aiming to stem the flow of momentum and get back alongside el Diablo at the front, and Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) will be looking for a less dramatic start to his race to claw back his impressive earlier form in 2021 too. And can Valentino Rossi (Petronas Yamaha SRT) get further into that top ten?

Maverick Vinales

“The Italian GP was a weekend to forget for us, for various reasons. My thoughts are still with Jason‘s friends, family, and team, but we also need to make some serious steps this weekend. We will keep working on understanding what does and doesn‘t work for us and why. It‘s has happened a few times already that I am fast during the practice session, but then suddenly I lose that feeling with the bike later in the weekend. We need to improve on finding a good set-up in just the first two 45-minute FP sessions. For sure, we will be pushing again here this weekend.”

Franco Morbidelli

“Barcelona is another historical track and I hope that it will be good for us. Last year we were fast there, I took the pole position and so we have a good indication for our set from the 2020 race weekend. I expect that we can be on the same level as last year. I don’t know if it will be enough to be on top, as it is quite a tricky track, but we will try to do the best job that we can there. I’m really looking forward to facing another race this weekend.”

Valentino Rossi

“The Barcelona track is one of my favourites and I always really enjoy riding there. It’s a great place and I have some very good memories from it. So I’m positive ahead of the upcoming CatalanGP, because we also improved throughout the weekend in Mugello, I was able to do some overtakes and, in the end, I finished inside the top-ten. The result still isn’t what we really wanted but we are improving and it is good to head to this next race with some points. We hope to bring this positivity to Barcelona, to continue improving and see what we can do.”

Joan Mir and Team Suzuki Ecstar team-mate Alex Rins had some serious speed at Mugello, and the reigning Champion and his team-mate completed the podium in Barcelona last year. Are we now on to the promised better venues Mir cited earlier in the season? And are we about to see that same metronomic brilliance at slicing through to the front appear week in week out?

Joan Mir

“I’m looking forward to this race especially because it’s basically my home GP – I’m from Mallorca but Montmeló is the closest I can get to home turf! I really like the track and I enjoy riding here because you always get that special feeling with your home race. Usually I’m pretty quick around this circuit, so I’m ready to get going on Friday and see how the bike is working, I want to have good pace from FP1 onwards. The track is unusual in the sense that it has a bit of everything, it’s a “complete” track. And in that way you need to have everything working perfectly – set up for hard braking, for top speed, it’s another level. Aside from that, you’re always touching your shoulder on the ground! It’s exciting to ride.”

Rins, meanwhile, is more a man looking for redemption. After speed and progress to the front in the last few, crashes have then ended the Spaniard’s races and he’s left with a mountain to climb. Having shown how fast he is in the latter stages of 2020, if Rins can stay on he’ll be another name to automatically add to the podium fight… and that added to his rostrum at the venue last year.

Alex Rins

“After four zero-point scores in a row, the positive thing is that we’re able to get straight back on the bike and try again. First of all I need to fully understand what’s been happening with these front end crashes, then I need to see how my feeling and pace are. In Mugello I actually had good speed and I felt very strong, so I hope that it will be the same here in Montmeló. I want to work hard with the team and I really want to finish the race and put the bad results behind me. The track in general suits us pretty well, although we have a slightly different layout this year. It’s also nice to ride in Spain again, close to where I live, and it’s always a pleasure to ride this track in particular because I’ve been riding it since I was a very young kid so I am really familiar with it.”

At KTM though, the trajectory is already back on the up after an incredibly impressive charge in Italy. The Austrian factory didn’t come out the blocks swinging with the same armoury as 2020 earlier this year, but it surely would only have been a matter of time… and Mugello says yes. It was not only another podium, but also another top five for the second KTM across the line as Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) equalled his best of the year so far despite never having ridden Mugello in MotoGP before. A new chassis and some serious juice were on show as Binder even equalled the top speed record too… where will they shuffle into the fight in Barcelona? Can that form continue?

Hervé Poncharal – Tech3 KTM Team Manager

“After the great improvements seen by all four factory KTMs in Mugello for sure the Tech3 KTM Factory Racing team is going to Catalunya with full confidence after the good team result we achieved in Mugello. This is a track, where I believe our bike should also be quite competitive. The long straight will help us to show how strong the KTM engine is. Last year we were quite competitive there. Our main issue has been the cold temperatures, which didn’t allow us to use the tyre we felt good on, but I don’t think we will face the same this year. So, we are moving to Montmeló with high spirits.”

Ducati, meanwhile, arrive from a slightly more muted weekend. It was supposed to be their turf at Mugello, but with Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) crashing out early on after having been the fastest Borge Panigale machine, it was left to Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) to pick up the baton. And he put on a real show duelling Quartararo early on, before then just slipping from the podium places into fourth. He’s second in the standings, however, and is always a threat. His team-mate Jorge Martin also returns from injury this weekend, so that’ll be something to keep an eye on in the Pramac garage.

Francesco Bagnaia

“It’s only been a few days since the Italian GP, and it’s already time to get back on track. On Sunday, we will be racing at Montmeló, where I was able to make a great comeback last year, finishing sixth after starting fourteenth. This year it will be important to start the weekend on the right foot from Friday and then have a good qualifying session on Saturday. Compared to 2020, we will be racing at a different time of year, and the layout of the circuit has slightly changed after the modification made to Turn 10. I’m ready to get back on track to move on after everything that happened at Mugello.”

So what of Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team)? The Queenslander can’t be counted out either, despite a more solid Italian GP compared to his stunners preceding it. But he was happy with good points and being near the front to the finish, with a record at Mugello that hadn’t been kind. Will Barcelona see Miller bring it back to the fight for the podium?

Jack Miller

“After a few days off, we’re back racing at another track that I like a lot: the Montmeló circuit. I know the track very well also because living in Andorra, I often come here to train with my Panigale V4 S. Now it is finally time to go back there with my Desmosedici GP! I feel ready for this Grand Prix: in 2020, I finished the race in fifth place, but this year the goal will definitely be to fight for the podium!”

At Honda, that fight for the podium remains the goal. After some impressive pace at times, it’s not fully come together yet in 2021, although Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) has been fourth, equalling his best. Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) remains under the microscope as the eight-time World Champion continues his return, team-mate Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda Team) is still finding his feet and Alex Marquez (LCR Honda Castrol) hasn’t quite had the form shown last year yet. For all three though, it’s familiar and true home turf… and they’ve got some impressive CVs at the venue. Can they reset and impress once again at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya?

Marc Marquez

“Although our last race was not good, overall Mugello was a weekend with some positives for us as it was quite consistent. We know where we are, we know where we want to go and we will keep following the correct steps week by week. In Montmelo it seems that there will be some fans in the grandstands again, the fans give a great atmosphere, and it will be very nice to see some people in the stands again at the home GP.”

Pol Espargaro

“After a difficult race, sometimes the best thing is a race the very next week. We need to keep moving, this is MotoGP and we return to action again. We approach this new weekend the same way as the previous; with our full focus and the goal to improve. In Mugello we found some things which will help us moving forward. Your home race is always special, even if all the fans can’t join us again this year. Montmelo is really special for me, growing up so close to it and being where I made my World Championship debut in 2006, it’s something you can’t describe racing here. We keep working, we keep improving, we keep moving.”

Aprilia Racing Team Gresini, meanwhile, continue their roll in 2021, with Aleix Espargaro leading the charge. And last time out may have been home turf for the factory, but this time it’s home turf for him as he hails from right next to the track. With a good record there and continued momentum, what can the Noale factory do in Barcelona?

The gap for Quartararo in the points is now more substantial, but it’s not yet a whole race win. So one Grand Prix is all that that could turn it on its head.

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2021 MotoGP Standings

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Moto2

Remy Gardner (Red Bull KTM Ajo) was already a Grand Prix winner heading into Mugello, but he’d not yet been on the top step in 2021. The Australian has ironed out his form to almost perfection this season, although the cherry missing from the top was that win. Now, after defeating his teammate on the last lap in one of the closest Moto2 finishes of all time, it’s mission accomplished.

For Gardner, the pressure has certainly eased. With a new KTM MotoGP deal already signed and that win ticked off, he can concentrate fully on keeping that consistent record. Will he ease off though? And what about teammate Raul Fernandez? The rookie keeps on impressing and he may have ultimately lost at Mugello, but it was another tour de force. And the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya is more of a known quantity, so Fernandez and Gardner will be tough to beat. For the rest, and each other.

Marco Bezzecchi (Sky Racing Team VR46) remains third thanks to his consistency, and the Italian – who has made a habit of such clean last laps that he’s now gained from a couple of high profile late penalties for riders ahead of him – but he’s still looking for that step to bridge the gap to those ahead. For Joe Roberts (Italtrans Racing Team), on the losing side of that penalty, Mugello was the opposite. He may not have stood on the podium but the American took a leap forward that he’ll want to continue in Catalunya, and get some revenge for the rostrum lost. Can he keep that form?

Both Sam Lowes (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) and Fabio Di Giannantonio (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) had been two of those often just up the road in 2021, but now consistency is biting a little harder as both suffered a DNF at Mugello. For Lowes, it was from second when chasing for the lead and Diggia a little further back, but both will have a clear focus: finish. Finish well. And pick up some more big points as Roberts homes in…

The rookie battle, behind Raul Fernandez, is also heating up as Tony Arbolino (Liqui Moly Intact GP) continues his storming of the front, and Ai Ogura (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) remains an impressive performer. Can they keep their roll going and make life harder for the riders who, so far, have just had the edge?

Moto2 Championship Points Standings

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Moto3

His advantage remains impressive at the top, but Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) has been more of a top ten points scorer in the last two races. The rookie continues to impress and he did just take his first front row though… and now we return to the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, aka much more familiar turf. Even for a rookie. So can he get back on the roll that saw him previously enjoy the biggest leading margin in the Championship… ever?

The pressure does remain less than some of the whirlwind around the number 37 would suggest, however. He can DNF twice and his teammate would have to win both races for his lead to be cut to nearly nothing… and it would still be his lead. Aforementioned teammate Jaume Masia (Red Bull KTM Ajo) will be keen for the deck to shuffle his way though, and after another podium to put some bad luck to bed he’ll likely be a threat again. Gabriel Rodrigo (Indonesian Racing Gresini Moto3) likewise, who took his very first podium at the venue in 2018 and arrives off the back of his second taken in Mugello. And can Sergio Garcia (Solunion GASGAS Aspar Team get back in the mix?

Dennis Foggia (Leopard Racing) has had speed before his victory too, and he’ll be aiming for more consistency after taking his second win last weekend. Darryn Binder (Petronas Sprinta Racing) is another looking to get back in the groove at the front as he was earlier in the season, and the South African also took his first Grand Prix win at the venue last year, so it’s good turf for him.

One rider with exceptional consistency, however, is Ayumu Sasaki (Red Bull KTM Tech3). The Japanese rider put in an incredibly impressive ride on Sunday and is now third overall. Showcasing some metronomic ability to run at the front in 2021, the number 71 is converting flashes of speed into a sustained campaign so far. He already has a pole position and podium, just not this season… and the standings say it may be only a matter of time.

The flotilla of home heroes, the veteran Italians up in the mix and the likes of John McPhee (Petronas Sprinta Racing) and Tatsuki Suzuki (SIC58 Squadra Corse) will be keen to make sure they’re in the freight train fight too though, so who will come out on top in Catalunya? Acosta? Masia? Another previous winner? Or for some, will the aim remain the long game?

Moto3 Championship Points Standings

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MotoE

Last time out we were treated to a true spectacular in the FIM Enel MotoE World Cup, with Eric Granado (ONE Energy Racing) and Alessandro Zaccone (Octo Pramac MotoE) duelling to the line. Granado came out on top to take only his second MotoE win despite his record of speed, and now we’re back in business in Barcelona… but with Zaccone still very much in the points lead.

The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya is a new challenge for the Cup, so there are no MotoE track records to go on. But looking at the season so far, Zaccone, Granado and Dominique Aegerter (Dynavolt Intact GP) have arguably been the biggest players overall: Zaccone has turned a more surprise win into sustained speed and aggression, Granado found redemption in serious style, and Aegerter has pace and consistency nailed down.

If MotoE has taught us anything so far, however, it’s that predicting race day is a hard task in both theory and practice. Mattia Casadei (Ongetta SIC58 Squadra Corse) is proof of that as the Italian now sits second in the standings following his first podium of the season at Le Mans, and that’s after missing the first preseason test and not seeming to have found his previous MotoE form in Jerez at all. Can the roll continue? He’s a veteran with a good CV in the electric class too. That’s also true of reigning Cup winner Jordi Torres (Pons Racing 40), the only other rider who’s been on the podium already this season, although it’s been a pretty smooth start to his 2021 already. Consistency, speed and solid decision-making have been his hallmarks, and it’s Torres’ home turf we arrive onto. Can he get back on the box?

There are those still looking for that first podium of the year, or in the Cup, who could be threats at the front too. 2019 Cup winner Matteo Ferrari (Indonesian E-Racing Gresini MotoE) is the former as he looks to settle in better to the changes for 2021, although he’s been consistent as ever in sixth overall. And some of the latter? Lukas Tulovic (Tech3 E-Racing) is one. The German has been quick and bounced back from bad luck in Jerez to get right in the freight train battle at the front in France, so surely for the German it’s a matter of when, not if. Miquel Pons (LCR E-Team) too, with the rookie taking a top five already.

And then there’s Fermin Aldeguer (Openbank Aspar Team). One of the stories of preseason with his incredible speed from the off, the 16-year-old raised some eyebrows early. From STK600 glory in the FIM CEV Repsol to near the top of testing in MotoE is how it started in 2021, but how it’s going is even more impressive. Undefeated in the Moto2 European Championship with three wins from three, that earned him a ride as injury replacement at MB Conveyors Speed Up in the Moto2 World Championship at Mugello, and the weekend could not have been a realer deal. In his first event on both the bike and track, he scored four points and was 0.050 off the next rider on the same chassis. So can he bring that touch of magic to MotoE™? He has a single point so far as pace has been undermined by mistakes, but if it all comes together…

Moto3 Championship Points Standings

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2021

Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya Schedule

Source: MCNews.com.au