The two title rivals from last year finally had their first duel of 2022, after they both had rough starts to the year. They truly were in a class of their own once again, and could soon be first and second in the championship. Tyre wear and overheating were major issues on a hot day in Spain.
For the second year in a row, Ducati reigned supreme on a track which shouldn’t suit them. The flowing corners and lack of straights should be the worst case scenario for the turn and squirt nature of their bike; however, they have made it work once again. This weekend may also signal the point where the new 2022 bike surpasses the old bike, in terms of pure performance. Bagnaia had a perfect weekend, his qualifying lap was sublime, 4 tenths faster then anyone else, and from there he could control the race. He never really looked under threat for the win, and this result could build a lot of momentum for him. Miller did what he could to finish 5th, the gap to Pecco will not be nice, although being second Ducati is no bad thing. Bastiannini bounced back from a difficult Portimao, but his title chances are wavering, and with that the factory seat. Bezzecchi had a really strong weekend, as he builds confidence in the MotoGP bikes. Martin needs to get consistent results under him, as he is blowing hot and cold at the moment.
The race was seemingly decided at the start for Quartararo, as his tyre overheated behind the Ducati, so he could never really challenge for the victory. Their pace looked pretty equal anyway, so with the power of the Ducati, it would have been hard for him to stay ahead either way. He now has a grip on the championship, and with him rebuilding belief in the bike, he surely is the title favourite once again. The other three Yamaha’s continue their struggles, with Morbidelli getting only 1 point from the race.
Aleix Espargaro just like last year is able to find consistent pace on most tracks, the difference this year is that he is closer to the front. If he can get a string of podiums this year, and finish top 5 in the championship, it would be stellar for the team. He had to wait for Marquez and Miller to make a mistake in the battle for 3rd, as he didn’t have the straight line speed to pass them. That is the one major weakness of the bike, but he made the most of it when he got into 3rd. Vinales needs to be matching Espargaro soon, as the excuses are starting to run out. The confidence in traffic is clearly still not there, like we saw at Yamaha.
Honda are starting to build pace once again, after their amazing start to the year at Qatar. Marquez was right in the fight for 3rd, although he was clearly struggling in the last few laps. He may have lost some of his edge, but he is still Marc Marquez. Nakagami got the result he needed, with rumours of him being replaced for next year. Pol and Alex were just outside the top 10.
Suzuki yet again, just couldn’t do anything when it counted. Mir ended the first lap in 6th, and stayed there all race long, just off the back of the fight for third. In a race all about tyre wear, to be the fifth best bike is not a good showing at all. I wonder if the straight line speed gains have come at a cost elsewhere. Rins was not able to replicate his heroics from last time out, and actually fell back in the race, to not even score points.
Binder was top KTM, just squeaking into the 10th spot, as they try and find solutions to their problems. This time though, Olivera could keep up with him pretty much too. You have to wonder how much longer KTM will stick around if they are the slowest bike on the grid.
As we suspected last time, Yamaha, Ducati and Aprilia are coming to the fore when it counts, and could set up another fascinating title fight. Le Mans is next, where anything can happen, and usually it does, often with the help of rain!
-M
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