Unfortunately, the 2020 season opener at Qatar has been cancelled due to concerns of spreading the coronavirus and Thailand round, scheduled fo March 22nd, has been postponed due to the outbreak. There are hopes the Thailand round could be rescheduled for later in the season. Moto2 and Moto3 races will take place in Qatar, as those teams were in the country for testing before the increased travel restrictions.
As of now, the first scheduled MotoGP race will be in the United States at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas on April 5th before venturing to the only South American round, the Argentine Grand Prix on April 19th.
The first European round will be the Spanish Grand Prix on May 3rd from Jerez and that will round out what would have been the first quarter of the season. The second quarter will begin on May 17th at Le Mans for the French Grand Prix. The first back-to-back of the season will feature the Italian Grand Prix from Mugello on May 31st and the Catalunya Grand Prix from Barcelona on June 7th. The first race of Northern Hemisphere's summer will be the German Grand Prix from Sachsenring on June 21st and the Dutch TT fro Assen concludes the first half of the season on June 28th.
The second half begins on July 12th and for the first time since 1982 the Finnish Grand Prix is on the calendar. The recently opened Kymi Ring will host the race. After Finland, MotoGP will take its summer break and return on August 9th at Brno for the Czech Republic Grand Prix. Red Bull Ring will host the Austrian Grand Prix the following week. Silverstone will host the British Grand Prix on August 30th and Misano will round out the summer portion of the season and the third quarter of the season on September 13th.
Aragón moves back to October 3rd before the three-week Asia-Pacific trip starting on October 18th at Motegi for the Japanese Grand Prix. Phillip Island hosts the Australian Grand Prix on October 25th. The penultimate round will be the Malaysian Grand Prix from Sepang on November 1st. The final round of the 2020 season will be at Valencia on November 15th.
Teams:
Repsol Honda Team
Marc Márquez: #93 Honda RC213V
What did he do in 2019: Márquez won his eighth world championship with 420 points after winning 12 of 19 races, finishing second in seven of 19 races and having one retirement after falling at Austin, which ended a streak of 12 consecutive victories in the United States dating back to the 2011 Moto2 race at Indianapolis. Márquez also won ten pole positions and had 12 fastest laps in 2019.
What to expect in 2020: Another year and another shoulder surgery Márquez is recovering from at the start of the season and things are more tense heading into 2020. Last year, the shoulder injury didn't slow Márquez that much but the bike has not been great in testing. He was 13th at the Sepang test at the start of February when he described himself being at 60-70% fitness and he was seventh at the Qatar test. If he is healthy, Márquez is a near lock for the championship but factoring in recovery and a shaky bike, it will be a more difficult season. He could start slow and eventually figure out the bike but if his shoulder is still bugging him it might be too much to overcome.
Álex Márquez: #73 Honda RC213V
What did he do in 2019: This Márquez brother won his second world championship, as he took the Moto2 title with five victories and ten podium finishes and looked the title up in the penultimate race at Sepang.
What to expect in 2020: I do not think Álex is going to challenge his brother and after watching so many other Honda riders struggle with the bike in 2019, and how preseason testing has gone, I do not think Álex will be right at the front from the get-go. I think it will be a year where the results improve over the course of the season and there could be a handful of races where he ends up on the podium but it would not surprise me if he is the third-best Honda rider in the championship, ending up somewhere between sixth and 11th.
Mission Winnow Ducati Team
Andrea Dovizioso: #04 Ducati Desmosedici GP20
What did he do in 2019: Dovizioso was MotoGP vice-champion for the third consecutive season on 269 points after picking up victories at Qatar and Austria and standing on the podium after nine races and scored points in 17 of 19 races.
What to expect in 2020: After watching the last three seasons it is hard to say Dovizioso will not be in the mixed. He was far off Márquez in 2019 but he had a good cushion over the rest of the field, however, it appears Yamaha has closed the gap but last year Yamaha topped the Qatar test and Ducati was not up at the front and look at how 2019 turned out. Dovizisio doesn't make mistakes. He brings the bike home and in a good position. I do not see that changing.
Danilo Petrucci: #9 Ducati Desmosedici GP20
What did he do in 2019: Petrucci was sixth in the MotoGP championship on 176 points and he picked up his first MotoGP victory at Mugello. His only other podium finishes were a third place finish at Le Mans and a third place finish at Barcelona. He did score points in 17 of 19 races.
What to expect in 2020: A good year but not as good as Dovizioso. I think Petrucci could win another race but he is not going to put together four or five victories. I think his 2020 season will look similar to his 2019 season, maybe a tad worse in that he may only get two podium finishes.
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP
Maverick Viñales: #12 Yamaha YZR-M1
What did he do in 2019: Viñales was third in the MotoGP championship on 211 points with victories at Assen and Sepang. He had seven podium finishes, three pole positions and scored points in 15 races but suffered four retirements over the course of the season.
What to expect in 2020: After testing it feels like 2020 could be Viñales' year. Yamaha was good at Sepang and the manufacture was dominant at Qatar. The bike might be there but Viñales cannot have as slow of a start to 2020 as he did to 2019 otherwise he could keep Márquez in the fight and allow fellow Yamaha rider Fabio Quartararo in the mix. He will win a few races but if Márquez is on his game and Honda gets the bike figured out it is going to be tough for him to put together a championship push.
Valentino Rossi: #46 Yamaha YZR-M1
What did he do in 2019: Rossi scored 174 pints and was seventh in the MotoGP championship, matching his worst career MotoGP championship finish. Rossi had runner-up finishes at Argentina and in Austin but those were his only podium finishes and he scored points in 15 races.
What to expect in 2020: A good season but far from a great season. I think there is a chance he finishes outside the top seven in the championship. He could get a few podium finishes but a victory is getting harder to see. He was the slowest Yamaha rider at the Qatar test while the other three were 1-2-3. That says it all.
Petronas Yamaha SRT
Fabio Quartararo: #20 Yamaha YZR-M1
What did he do in 2019: Quartararo's rookie season saw him finish fifth in the championship on 192 points with five runner-up finishes, another two third-place finishes and six pole positions and he scored points in 14 races.
What to expect in 2020: Quartararo will get that elusive first career MotoGP victory and he will earn himself a promotion to the Yamaha factory team. There is a chance Quartararo could be a championship contender. I think he could come close, especially if he gets off to a great start. I think he will finish better than fifth in the championship and push for a top three finish.
Franco Morbidelli: #21 Yamaha YZR-M1
What did he do in 2019: Morbidelli's sophomore season saw him finish tenth in the championship on 115 points with his best finish being fifth on four occasions. Morbidelli scored points in 13 of 19 races.
What to expect in 2020: A better season and perhaps he takes points away from his teammate. I expected Quartararo to be quick in testing but I did not expect Morbidelli to be quicker. If the Yamaha is this good, Morbidelli can get on the podium but I am not convinced he can top Quartararo for best in the team. However, I think there is a chance Morbidelli could beat Rossi in the championship.
Team Suzuki Ecstar
Joan Mir: #36 Suzuki GSX-RR
What did he do in 2019: Mir was 12th in the championship on 92 points with his best finish being fifth at Phillip Island and he missed two races due to a pulmonary contusion. Mir scored points in 12 of his 17 starts.Joan Mir: #36 Suzuki GSX-RR
What to expect in 2020: Mir gets into the top ten of the championship and will improve his career-best finish. He will be challenging for a podium finish a few times but I am not sure he will be challenging for a race victory.
Álex Rins: #42 Suzuki GSX-RR
What did he do in 2019: Rins was fourth in the championship with 205 points after victories at Austin and Silverstone. His only other podium finish was a runner-up finish at Jerez. Rins scored points in 16 of 19 races.
What to expect in 2020: Rins could end up in the championship fight but he is going to need a big leap forward. He won two races but he only had one other podium finish. Results could dip a bit in 2020.
Pramac Racing
Jack Miller: #43 Ducati Desmosedici GP20
What did he do in 2019: Miller was eighth in the championship on 165 points. He had five podium finishes, all third-place finishes. He scored points in 15 of 19 races.
What to expect in 2020: Miller was the top Ducati rider at the Qatar test but I see a slight dip in 2020. He could still end up on a podium a few times but five times is a lot. I could see him scoring closer to 120 points.
Francesco Bagnaia: #63 Ducati Desmosedici GP20
What did he do in 2019: Bagnaia was 15th in the championship in his rookie season with 54 points. His best finish was fourth at Phillip Island. He scored points in ten of 18 starts and missed the Valencia finale after breaking his collarbone in a practice crash.
What to expect in 2020: A better championship result and much closer to Miller. I think he could end up scoring close to 100 points, pushing for top ten in the championship.
LCR Honda Idemitsu/Castrol
Takaaki Nakagami: #30 Honda RC213V
What did he do in 2019: Nakagami scored 74 points and was 13th in the championship but missed the final three races due to a shoulder injury and surgery that followed. Before missing the final three races, Nakagami's best finish was fifth at Mugello and scored points in 11 of 16 races.
What to expect in 2020: Nakagami did well but never really challenged Crutchlow and I think that will continue in 2020. I think he could end up 13th in the championship with 74 points again but this time running all 19 races.
Cal Crutchlow: #35 Honda RC213V
What did he do in 2019: Crutchlow was ninth in the championship on 133 points with three podium finishes, including a runner-up finish at Phillip Island. He scored points in 13 of 19 races.
What to expect in 2020: Crutchlow is going to be around where he has been since he joined LCR. In his five seasons with LCR, his championship finishes have been eighth, seventh, ninth, seventh and ninth. He will be somewhere between seventh and ninth, get a podium finish or two but I do not think he will be one of the top two Honda riders.
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
Brad Binder: #33 KTM RC16
What did he do in 2019: Binder was vice-champion in Moto2 with five victories, including ending the season with three consecutive victories, but the late charge was not enough and he fell three points off Álex Márquez in the championship. He stood on the podium nine times.
What to expect in 2020: Binder was strong in Moto2. I think this will be a learning year for him. Things will start slow but results will improve over the course season. I think most of his points finishes come in the back half of 2020. His goal should be to finish ahead of the two Tech3 KTMs.
Pol Espargaró: #44 KTM RC16
What did he do in 2019: Espargaró was 11th in the championship with 100 points and his best finish was sixth at Le Mans. He scored points in 17 of 18 starts. He missed the Aragón race due to a broken left wrist in practice.What to expect in 2020: Espargaró looked good in early testing but I think it will be difficult to match his output in 2019. The one thing on his side is consistency and if he can bring the bike home at the end of every race that will earn him better finishes than the bike will necessarily warrant but other riders will have issues and that will elevate him. I think he will be between tenth and 14th in the championship.
Aprilia Racing Team Gresini
Andrea Iannone: #29 Aprilia RS-GP
What did he do in 2019: Iannone was 16th in the championship on 43 points and his best finish was sixth at Phillip Island. He scored points in ten races and missed Jerez and Misano due to practice crashes.
What to expect in 2020: Suspended for a failed drug test for an anabolic steroid. Iannone has appealed his suspension and there is a chance he could compete in 2020 but it seems unlikely.
Bradley Smith: #38 Aprilia RS-GP
What did he do in 2019: Smith ran four MotoGP races as a wildcard entry but scored no points. He did participate in the inaugural MotoE season, where he did not win a race but had three runner-up finishes and a third in six races and he was inaugural vice-champion with 88 points, 11 point off champion Matteo Ferrari.
What to expect in 2020: More races than in 2019 but Smith was slowest during the Qatar test. His goal should be to match Iannone's 2019 output.
Aleix Espargaró: #41 Aprilia RS-GP
What did he do in 2019: Espargaró was 14th in the championship on 63 points with his best finish being seventh at Aragón. He scored points in 13 races of 19 races.
What to expect in 2020: Testing results have gone well, he was 13th at Qatar and I think Espargaró could score more points in 2020 and score points in more races.
Red Bull KTM Tech 3
Iker Lecuona: #27 KTM RC16
What did he do in 2019: Lecuona was 11th in the Moto2 championship with his best finish being third at Buriram. He made his MotoGP debut at Valencia last year after Miguel Oliveira suffered a shoulder injury in the Australian Grand Prix. Lecuona qualified 19th but his race ended on lap 14 after an accident with Danilo Petrucci and Johann Zarco.
What to expect in 2020: This is a big jump for Lecuona and I think he will struggle. He is replacing Hafizh Syahrin, who scored nine points, and I think nine points would be a great season for Lecuona.
Miguel Oliveira: #88 KTM RC16
What did he do in 2019: Oliveira was 17th in the championship with 33 points after running 16 of 19 races having missed the final three due to the aforementioned shoulder injury suffered at Phillip Island. His best finish was eighth at Austria.What to expect in 2020: Early testing results were encouraging for Oliveira and KTM at Sepang. Things kind of took a step back at Qatar. I think he will score more points but it is going to be tough for him to break into the top ten of the championship.
Reale Avintia Racing
Johann Zarco: #5 Ducati Desmosedici GP19
What did he do in 2019: Zarco was 18th in the championship on 30 points. He ran the first 13 races of 2019 with KTM before being released after the Misano race. He returned to substitute for the injured Takaaki Nakagami in the final three races at LCR Honda. His best finish was tenth at Barcelona.
What to expect in 2020: Zarco will only run for Avintia Racing and he was 14th at the Qatar test but I am not sure he is going to be scoring much more than 30 points.
Tito Rabat: #53 Ducati Desmosedici GP19
What did he do in 2019: Rabat was 20th in the championship on 19 points. He ran 17 of 19 races, missing Motegi and Sepang due to a hand injury. His best finish was ninth at Barcelona.
What to expect in 2020: In four MotoGP seasons, Rabat has scored 29 points, 35 points, 35 points and 23 points. I think Rabat will score somewhere between 23 and 35 points.
The season will begin with practice at 5:40 am. ET on Friday March 6th. Second practice will be at 10:00 a.m. ET. Practice will take place at 5:15 a.m. ET on Saturday March 7th with qualifying following at 10:00 a.m. ET. The Qatar Grand Prix will take place at 11:00 a.m. ET on Sunday March 8th.
