MotoGP

Petronas Yamaha offers a sneak preview of Monday’s 2021 online presentation with its revised MotoGP line-up of Valentino Rossi and Franco Morbidelli. Monday, March 1, will see nine-time champion Valentino Rossi officially unveiled as a Petronas Yamaha MotoGP rider, alongside countryman and VR46 protegee Franco Morbidelli. Ahead of the event, which will also feature the official presentation of the latest Petronas Moto2 and Moto3 line-up, the Sepang team has released the following teaser video:

Several MotoGP riders were busy testing at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya yesterday and had the chance to ride through the redesigned turn 10. The corner has been modified following safety concerns raised in recent years, with riders concerned about the sharp, dangerous braking point. In the 2019 race Jorge Lorenzo missed his braking point and took Valentino Rossi, Maverick Viñales and Andrea Dovizioso out of the race. There was simply nowhere to go for all of the riders. The design used since 2016 was the corner first introduced by Formula One in 2004. However, the new modified design is similar to that of the original corner, used up until 2016, albeit slightly tighter. Riders involved in yesterday’s test, all on road bikes, included world champion Joan Mir, new Repsol Honda recruit Pol Espargaro, new factory Yamaha rider Fabio Quartararo and new factory Ducati rider Jack Miller. Alex Rins, Aleix Espargaro, Johann Zarco and LCR Honda duo Taka Nakagami and Alex Marquez were also present. Speaking about the updated corner, Aleix Espargaro said: “Seriously, I have to congratulate the circuit because it’s a much better corner. The old one was horrible and super tight. This new one reminds me more of the old corner but with a better run-off area. They’ve done a great job.” Zarco added: “Personally I prefer this new layout because it has better corner speed, and I can enjoy it much more than before.” Meanwhile, Nakagami added: The new turn 10 was really good. I think they did a really great job and I enjoy it a lot. The new surface has really good grip and the shape of the new turn 10 is really really nice.” Alongside the premier class riders some Moto2 and Moto3 names were also in attendance, including Remy Gardner and Red Bull KTM Ajo teammate Raul Fernandez. Reigning Moto3 champion Albert Arenas (Aspar Team Moto2) and Marcos Ramirez (Tennor American Racing) were also getting some laps in. Representing the WorldSBK paddock was Tito Rabat, Dominique Aegerter and Ana Carrasco. The official testing in Qatar gets underway on March 5 with the Shakedown day – rookies and test riders only. That’s followed by two days of action on March 6-7 and then on March 10-12.

Double 125cc world champion and veteran MotoGP team boss Fausto Gresini has died at the age of 60 in hospital in Italy after a two-month battle with COVID-19. The Italian was taken ill with the virus just before Christmas and was hospitalised on 27 December in Imola. As his condition worsened, he was transferred to a specialist COVID care ward in Bologna, where he remained up to his death. Having initially been put into a coma and onto assisted breathing, Gresini showed signs of improvement in January and was brought out of his coma. But in recent weeks doctors had to put him back into a coma as he battled pneumonia caused by the virus. The Gresini team confirmed on Tuesday morning that the Italian had passed away. “The news we would have never wanted to give, and that unfortunately we are forced to share with all of you,” the statement read. “After nearly two months battling against Covid, Fausto Gresini has sadly passed away, few days after turning 60. “All of Gresini Racing are close to Fausto’s family in support: his wife Nadia and the four children Lorenzo, Luca, Alice and Agnese… as well as everyone who had the chance to get to know him and love him throughout the years.” Gresini raced in the 125cc world championship from 1983 to 1994, winning the title in 1985 and 1987 on Garelli machinery. During his racing career, on top of his two world titles, Gresini 21 races and tallied up an impressive 47 podium finishes. Upon his retirement from racing, Gresini founded the grand prix team which bears his name in 1997 and fielded Alex Barros on a Honda – with the Brazilian scoring a podium at Donington Park. Gresini’s team would win the 250cc riders’ title in 2001 with Japanese star Daijiro Kato, promoting him to MotoGP the following year where he scored two podiums. In an emotional 2003 season following Kato’s death in a crash during the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka, Sete Gibernau would win four times for Gresini on his way to runner-up in the standings. Gibernau repeated the feat in 2004, with Marco Melandri taking his Gresini Honda to runner-up in the standings in 2005. Gresini’s final MotoGP victory came at Estoril in 2006, when Toni Elia pipped Valentino Rossi by 0.002s in a thrilling encounter. In 2010, Elias took his Gresini machine to the very first Moto2 world title, with Gresini Racing winning a third world title in 2018 in Moto3 with Jorge Martin. Gresini parted ways with Honda for 2015, becoming Aprilia’s official factory entrant. In early December Gresini confirmed it would return to being a standalone team again in MotoGP from 2022.

Gresini Racing has moved to reassure MotoGP fans that COVID-infected team owner Fausto Gresini has not died, contrary to reporting from Italy. A report had emerged in recent hours that the two-time 125cc world champion, who has been hospitalised since December, had finally succumbed to the coronavirus. Gresini Racing tweeted a short time ago, however, “Despite the news currently circulating, Fausto is still with us, albeit in extremely critical conditions.” The condition of Gresini, who has turned 60 during his hospital stay, was said last week to have deteriorated to ‘critical’ by Dr Nicola Cilloni.

The LCR Honda MotoGP team has unveiled the second of its two challengers for the 2021 season for, sporting a largely unchanged paint scheme for Takaaki Nakagami. The Japanese racer’s RC213-V will once again display the red and white colours of title sponsor Idemitsu that has backed the three-time Moto2 race winner since 2014. LCR and Nakagami have run a very similar livery across his first three seasons as a MotoGP rider, with the main changes this year coming from Idemitsu’s new logo that the Japanese petroleum company switched to this year. The ’21 campaign will also mark the first time Nakagami enjoys a current spec Honda, having competed with a year old machine up to this up to this point in his premier class career, scoring a best result of fourth so far. He looked set to break his top class rostrum duck at several points during his ultra consistent ’20 campaign, losing out on a likely runners-up result in the Styrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring after a red flag scuppered his chances due to him running out of new tyres. He looked good for a possible first victory in the Alcaniz GP at Aragon following a first ever pole position the previous day, though he let the pressure get to him and crashed out of the contest just five corners in, making the same error while trying to pass Pol Espargaro’s KTM for third at Valencia just a few weeks later. Nakagami put his change in form down to implementing several aspects of lead Honda ace Marc Marquez’s riding style in order to make the most of the RC213-V’s potential, putting him in great stead to establish himself at the forefront of the MotoGP field in conjunction with finally having a latest-spec bike at his disposal. The Lucio Ceccinello run-outfit heads into its 16th year of premier class competition looking to return to the podium after not achieving the feat for the first time since ’14 last season, with a grand total of 14 rostrums having been collected across this period-including three victories for recently departed pilot Cal Crutchlow.

LCR Honda has shown off its refreshed paint scheme that will adorn Alex Marquez’s RC213-V for the 2021 MotoGP season. The Italian outfit will wade into battle with new signing Marquez alongside slightly increased backing from long time associate partner Castrol, its RC213-V sporting a white, green, red and blue livery. Castrol has been involved with LCR for several years, becoming the principle sponsor of the team and recently departed rider Cal Crutchlow for several contests, though ’21 will mark an increased presence of the British lubricants brand on the bikes livery and rider leathers. Marquez joins the Lucio Ceccinello-run squad following a mixed rookie premier class campaign with the factory Honda organisation last season, the ’19 Moto2 world champion taking 14th overall in the riders standings with a pair of runner-up results as his personal bests. Honda elected to replace Marquez with KTM convert Pol Espargaro to join brother Marc Marquez for this year even before the Covid-19 delayed ’20 season began, though he will at least retain a the same full-factory spec RC213-V machinery that Crutchlow has enjoyed in recent campaigns. Takaaki Nakagami will be Marquez’s team-mate-now also with a current spec Honda-though the Japanese racer will instead race in the colours of long-time backer Idemitsu. LCR failed to capture a rostrum result in ’20 as Crutchlow suffered with injury throughout the shortened campaign, though Nakagami came close to breaking his duck several times. A strong run to second was cut short by a red flag in the Styrian Grand Prix as he failed to save a second set of new tyres for the restart-meaning he ultimately finished seventh-while a victory shot from pole position was lost after he crashed at Aragon, before he then went down as he tried to take third from Espargaro in the European GP at Valencia. The team has scored three victories to date in the premier class ranging from ’16-’18, all secured by Crutchlow, with a further nine podiums racked up since the organisation made its MotoGP debut in ’06.

For the first time since 2012, the Factory Yamaha team goes into a MotoGP season without Valentino Rossi, having signed Fabio Quartararo to join Maverick Vinales for 2021. Yamaha has unveiled its factory MotoGP colours for the 2021 season with its revised line-up of Maverick Vinales and Fabio Quartararo. “It’s great that Valentino continues in the sport, with the full factory support of Yamaha, but he’ll be next door at Petronas with Frankie. I think it can be good for him,” said Yamaha Racing managing director LinJarvis. “From our side, having Fabio join us, a young really exciting rider coupled together with Maverick, we have these young superstar riders with all the potential to win. We’re excited. It’s a generation change, but I think it will work well. Eight-time MotoGP race winner Vinales – who joined Yamaha from Suzuki in 2017 – remains with the squad, with three-time race winner Quartararo making the step up from Petronas SRT. Yamaha’s livery is largely similar to that it ran last season, as its title sponsorship with Monster Energy remains in place. Yamaha won half of the 14 races run last season, but endured a wildly inconsistent season, with its top runner in the championship SRT’s Franco Morbidelli in second on a 2019 M1. Vinales was the top placed 2020 Yamaha rider in sixth in the standings, having won at the Emilia Romagna GP. Quartararo’s strong early-season form deserted him in the final rounds, with the Frenchman fading from title contender to eighth in the championship despite a haul of three victories. Meanwhile Morbidelli, on the ‘2019’ A-Spec machine, rose to finish as Yamaha’s top rider in the standings, behind only Suzuki’s champion Joan Mir. Vinales was best of the Factory-spec riders, in sixth overall. Valve problems – in the form of reliability issues at Jerez and ultimately a penalty for changing supplier – hung-over Yamaha for much of last season, meaning riders were unable to make full use of their engine allocation. Although engine design remains frozen for 2021, the Yamaha riders will at least have a full line-up of engines available for this year, which means they can use maximum revs once again (having cut back by 500rpm until Misano last season). For the chassis, there will be some big decisions to make in terms of whether to switch back to a frame similar to Morbidelli’s specification, or push further in the direction of the 2020 Factory spec. “The engine is just one element of the bike,” Yamaha MotoGP Project Leader Takahiro Sumi said of the Covid technical freeze. “We are looking to improve our engine performance by working outside of the engine unit itself. We are also working on the chassis and can update the aerodynamics this year.” While Vinales, 26, has been a clear step ahead of Rossi in terms of results for the past two seasons, he is likely to face a tougher challenge from 21-year-old Quartararo. Each will be eager to prove they are the future of Yamaha – “healthy competition” as Sumi called it – but first they must work together to solve the turning and rear grip problems that left both without a podium during the last six rounds of 2020. “Consistency is the key word for this season,” confirmed Yamaha team director Massimo Meregalli.

The Ducati MotoGP squad has unveiled a revised livery for its 2021 Desmosedici at its official team launch presentation, with Lenovo becoming its title sponsor. Ducati comes into 2021 with an all-new rider line-up at its factory squad, with Jack Miller and Francesco Bagnaia stepping up from Pramac. The Italian manufacturer’s 2021 machines feature a slightly altered, more predominantly red livery compared to what it ran last season, while also confirming long-time sponsor Lenovo as its title partner. Ducati will be looking to defend its constructors’ crown from 2020 and end a 13-season wait for another riders’ world title. “There are times in life when you need a change, and I think now is the time to do that,” Ducati general manager Gigi Dall’Igna said of his new line-up. “We’re betting on two young riders who have a lot of experience with Ducati and so in a certain sense there is continuity and I really believe in their talent.” Sporting director Paolo Ciabatti added: “Jack and Pecco were riders for the Pramac team and both have been brought into the official team. “So I believe that deciding to freshen up the team by adding new resources was the right choice for the future.” Ducati will once again field six bikes on the grid in 2021, with the two factory team riders running alongside the works-supported Johann Zarco and rookie Jorge Martin at Pramac, and the all-rookie Avintia line-up of Enea Bastianini and Luca Marini on GP19s. Avintia launched its season in Andorra last week, while Pramac is yet to announce its launch plans for 2021. Ducati scored two victories in 2020 courtesy of Andrea Dovizioso in Austria and Danilo Petrucci in France, while Zarco, Bagnaia and Miller added six further podiums to the marque’s total haul of nine. “The emotions I felt seeing my all-red Desmosedici and wearing my new suit for the first time were incredible!” Miller said. “I still have to realise that I’ll be part of the official Ducati Team this year. It’s taken a long way to get this far, and finally being “in red” gives me a great sense of satisfaction, but also the right motivation to continue working with commitment and dedication towards my future goals.” “This will be a significant season for me because for the first time I’ll be wearing the colours of an official team,” Bagnaia added. “I’m proud to have achieved this first goal, and this year I will set my sight on even greater results. “It has always been my dream to become part of the official Ducati team. I will try my best not to disappoint any expectations. I’m sure I have all that I need to be competitive right from the start and aim high.” Due to COVID-19 cost-saving measures, Ducati’s 2021 bike – as is the case with Suzuki, Yamaha and Honda – will be largely carried over from 2020, with engine development frozen. Once the season starts, one aerodynamic development will be permitted for each non-concession manufacturer, while normal update rules regarding chassis and suspension will be allowed.

Valentino Rossi admits he ‘doesn’t understand’ why MotoGP promoters Dorna Sports allowed Marc Marquez to stage a return just days after surgery on his broken arm at Jerez last year. Marquez broke his right humerus in a crash during the season-opening Spanish Grand Prix last July and underwent an operation immediately afterwards, before being cleared to ride the following weekend in the Andalusian GP. This aggravated his injury and ultimately led to him requiring two more operations over the rest of the year, with the six-time MotoGP world champion missing the entire season. In an interview with Corriere della Sera, Rossi believes Dorna broke its own rules implemented to stop hasty returns from injury following Jorge Lorenzo’s Assen comeback in 2013 48 hours after surgery on a broken collarbone. “This mistake was wanting to run again too soon as soon as the operation [ended], and I don’t understand how they allowed it to happen,” Rossi said. “Let’s see: Dr [Claudio] Costa was a pioneer, he revolutionised treatments and reduced immobilisation times. “So, after Lorenzo’s very fast return to Assen in 2013, Dorna introduced rules to avoid taking excessive risks. “With the return of Marquez, they all jumped at once, surely like never before.” Marquez’s latest operation in December is likely to rule him out of the opening races of 2021, though Honda is yet to officially offer a recovery time. Rossi believes Marquez will return as “strong as before”, but dismissed him as being his “strongest rival” and admits it is “impossible” to “forgive” him over the events of 2015. The Italian still believes Marquez conspired with Lorenzo to ensure Rossi lost the 2015 title (something no evidence has ever been given for) which resulted in their infamous Sepang clash. “I’m sorry he can’t ride,” Rossi added. “If he is cured, something that no one knows at the moment, he will return as strong as before. “What he did to me I cannot forgive him. When I think of those days, I have the same feelings as then, and six years have passed. “I find it difficult that one day they can change.”

Avintia has become the first team on the 2021 MotoGP grid to unveil its colours for the new season, with the squad sporting a new look with its all-rookie line-up. The Ducati satellite squad enters its 10th season in the premier class in 2021, fielding reigning Moto2 world champion Enea Bastianini and series runner-up Luca Marini in an all-new rider pairing. Marini – half-brother to MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi – will be backed by the VR46 team in his debut season, and will run the outfit’s livery, having unveiled it during Italy’s version of the X Factor late last year. Bastianini’s 2019-spec Ducati will be run in revised Avintia colours, unveiled at the team’s virtual launch event on Instagram on Friday evening. Avintia’s first season as an official Ducati satellite (having previously been merely a customer team) netted it its first-ever MotoGP podium, courtesy of Pramac-bound Johann Zarco in last year’s Czech Grand Prix. The team will continue to have some technical support from Ducati, though both riders will be on two-year-old bikes owing to the freeze on engine development brought in as part of COVID-19 cost-saving measures. Avintia’s future beyond the 2021 season remains unclear, with team owner Raul Romero admitting to Autosport last year he will not renew with Dorna Sports for 2022 and beyond. This came amid speculation VR46 could take over Avintia’s grid slots for 2021 – something which will be easier in 2022 at the dawn of a new contract period between MotoGP and the teams. With Marini running VR46 colours (above) and elements of the VR46 team set to join him at Avintia this year, this only strengthens the team’s prospects of stepping up properly in 2022. From here, the launches come thick and fast, with the works Ducati squad the next to show off their 2021 colours 9 February, before KTM unwraps its factory and Tech3 liveries on 12 February. The 2021 MotoGP season is due to start on 28 March with the Qatar GP, with a second race at Losail added to the schedule following the postponement of the US and Argentine GPs due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Autodromo Termas de Rio Hondo, home of the Argentine Grand Prix, has suffered extensive damage overnight after a major fire broke out in the pit building. The circuit have confirmed that the fire, which started in the track’s main building, has destroyed the garage complex, media centre, TV broadcast booths, VIP are and race control, leaving the facility an almost complete loss. The fire was first reported just before 11pm local time, with rescuers responding from a number of nearby stations due to the severity of the blaze. The circuit’s museum collection, which was also believed to be at risk, has been saved. Speaking in a statement released this morning, circuit director Hector Farina said that the news could have been much worse. “The racetrack has full insurance against fire, so the issue of economic damage is covered in that sense, but it will surely take a long time to rebuild that important area necessary for national and international competitions. “Thank God there were no victims to mourn, and we want to thank all those who collaborated in this accident that generated moments of great danger due to the wind that ate. “Thank you very much to different firefighters endowments, police officers, municipal staff, racetrack workers. “They did everything they could to prevent further damage. We will work from now on to do everything possible to comply with the schedules we have planned, including the MotoGP in November.” Termas de Rio Hondo first hosted MotoGP in 2014, when the series returned to Argentina for the first time since 1999. Last year’s race was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic, and 2021’s remains officially postponed but was not expected to be held again until 2022 even before the fire broke out.

LCR Honda CASTROL 2021 Team Launch will be online, during a Facebook Live on Friday Feb 19th at 12:00 (CET). LCR Honda IDEMITSU – 2021 Team Launch will be streamed on Facebook Live as well but on Saturday Feb 20th at 10:00 (CET).

KTM says ‘its time for the Next Level’ as the Austrian Factory confirms February 12 as the online launch date for its two MotoGP teams. As its fifth season in MotoGP, KTM has labelled 2021 as ‘Round five’ and ‘time for the Next Level’ after ‘a breakthrough campaign in 2020 that delivered Grand Prix wins, a bundle of podium trophies, pole positions and new landmarks in the riders and manufacturers standings, the company is ready to strike again as MotoGP leaders this year with the KTM RC16.’ KTM came into last season with a best dry race result of sixth but finished it with eight dry podiums from the 14 rounds, including three victories. The first was by rookie Brad Binder at Brno – in only his third MotoGP appearance – followed by two more wins for Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull Ring, Portimao) at Tech3. Pol Espargaro also celebrated five podiums on his way to a new KTM high of fifth in the world championship, before leaving for Repsol Honda. Oliveira is switching across to the Factory team to take Espargaro’s place alongside Binder, with double Ducati race-winner Danilo Petrucci arriving at Tech3 to join Iker Lecuona. While Red Bull continues as title sponsor of the Official KTM team, they have withdrawn from Tech3 in the premier-class. The French team is now titled as ‘Tech3 KTM Factory Racing’ and is thus expected to take on an even more orange livery for 2021. Although KTM has now lost access to technical concessions, due to last year’s success, they are allowed to change their engine design ahead of the 2021 season. But once racing begins – like Suzuki, Yamaha, Ducati and Honda – they will not be able to make any engine modifications. Aprilia is the only manufacturer eligible for concessions in 2021.

Andrea Dovizioso’s manager Simone Battistella says his rider is “ready” should Honda call him up to stand-in for the still-recovering Marc Marquez during the 2021 MotoGP season. Marquez underwent a third operation in December on the broken right arm which ruled him out of the 2020 MotoGP campaign, and which is likely to see him out of action until the spring. With the season due to begin on 28 March with the first of two Qatar races as part of a partially-revised calendar, Honda is likely to need to field a stand-in for Marquez while he continues his rehabilitation. Dovizioso is currently taking a sabbatical after losing his factory Ducati seat at the end of last year, with the 15-time MotoGP winner a free agent should Honda come knocking. While no discussions have been had yet, Battistella says the training regime Dovizioso is undertaking ahead of a planned motocross racing campaign in 2021 means he’ll be ready to return to MotoGP action if needed. “[Honda] hasn’t called yet, but if they do Andrea is really ready,” Battistella told Sky Italy. “He is training motocross at an amateur level, but he is doing it with the same intensity as if he were preparing for the MotoGP pre-season. “We will work this year to fully return in 2022. “As far as Honda is concerned, and making it clear that both Andrea and I feel deeply [sad] about what is happening to Marc, it is clear that they [Honda] are evaluating exactly when he can reappear. “In my opinion, they are rightly afraid of making a mistake in such a delicate situation. “The next month will be crucial for their decision. For our part, we have rejected all offers to be a test rider and thus have freedom to do other things, and also being prepared to return to the starting grid.” Marquez admitted late last year that his attempts to return just days after his first operation following the crash in the Spanish Grand Prix was a mistake. HRC test rider Stefan Bradl filled in for him from the Czech GP onwards, with Marquez’s crew chief Santi Hernandez – who worked with Bradl last year – telling the Spanish Motorsport.com podcast recently the German would be a better option to replace Marquez again than Dovizioso. Dovizioso made his MotoGP debut in 2008 on Honda machinery, before stepping up to the factory squad from 2009-2011 – scoring his first premier class win at Donington Park in 2009.

Former Suzuki team manager Davide Brivio has explained the reasons why the Japanese marque opted for Joan Mir over triple MotoGP world champion Jorge Lorenzo for the 2019 season.After a difficult first season for Ducati in 2017 and average start to 2018, Lorenzo was ousted from the team for 2019 and was linked to a move to Suzuki. Suzuki ultimately opted to sign 2017 Moto3 world champion Mir for 2019, with Lorenzo making an ill-fated switch to Honda before retiring at the end of a miserable season on the RC213V. Mir did have an option to join Honda in 2019, but only for a satellite placement, with the Spaniard keen to join a works outfit. Suzuki was swayed towards signing Mir “the more we got to know” him, with Brivio revealing he knew he’d made the right decision to not pursue Lorenzo when he asked Mir directly if he would join Suzuki despite having an option with Honda. “We started thinking about Mir [for 2019], because winning 10 races [in 2017] and being a Moto3 champion is something that caught our attention,” Brivio, who will join Alpine’s Formula 1 team this year as racing director, told motogp.com. “At that time we had the option of signing Jorge Lorenzo. In the end we had to decide between Lorenzo and Mir. “It was not a choice between two riders, rather it was choosing a philosophy and the direction that we wanted to take in the future: take a veteran rider like Lorenzo or develop a young talent. “The more we got to know Joan and the more we learned about him, the more special he seemed to us. “Joan liked Suzuki, but his representative told us there was a problem because he already had an option with Honda. “So, I asked Joan directly: ‘Are you interested in Suzuki even though you have a Honda option? ‘If you had to choose between Suzuki and Honda, where would you go? “And he said to me: ‘I want to go to Suzuki’. And when he told me that, I thought: ‘he’s the right guy’.” Mir’s signing maintained Brivio’s philosophy of signing youth talent straight from Moto2, having done so with Maverick Vinales in 2015 and Alex Rins in 2017. Last year, Mir won Suzuki’s first premier class world championship in two decades. Speaking to Motorsport.com Tank Slappers podcast following his title win last November, Mir explained his decision to join Suzuki was partly motivated by the significance of winning the title with the brand relative to its rivals.

Avintia Ducati is set to hold the first 2021 MotoGP team launch after announcing a date of February 5 for its online presentation. The team has an all-new rider line-up this season with Moto2 champion Enea Bastianini and title rival Luca Marini taking over from Johann Zarco and Tito Rabat. Avintia is set to run two different liveries, with Valentino Rossi’s younger brother Marini remaining in Sky colours and being run by VR46 within the Avintia structure. Marini’s Sky VR46 Desmosedici was unveiled on Italian TV last December, but Bastianini’s MotoGP livery remains unknown. Barring the arrival of a major new sponsor, it is expected to be similar to the Zarco/Rabat colours of last season. While their bikes will look different, both Bastianini and Marini will be using year-old GP19-based machines. All other Ducati riders will have the GP20. The MotoGP technical freeze means that engine design for all but KTM and Aprilia must remain unchanged until 2022, however the chassis, suspension, electronics and aerodynamics can be updated.