What is MotoGP, who is racing and more

The start of a new MotoGP season is always an exciting affair and 2022 is no different, as a stacked grid gets set to do battle for the world championship.

Six manufacturers, 12 teams and 24 riders will contest the 2022 season.

Two new teams joins the fray in the form of nine-time grand prix world champion Valentino Rossi’s VR46 Racing, which will field Ducati machinery, and RNF Racing Yamaha – which has been rebranded after Petronas SRT pulled out of grand prix racing last year.

Gresini Racing has broken ties with Aprilia for 2022 and returns to being a true independent team this season having agreed a deal to be a Ducati satellite squad.

Ducati is the manufacturer with the most representation on the grid with eight bikes spread across its factory squad, Pramac Racing, Gresini and VR46. This is the first time since 2016 that Ducati has fielded eight bikes.

Aprilia and Suzuki are once again the only manufacturers with no satellite teams and will field just two bikes each.

What is MotoGP?

MotoGP is a world championship dedicated to grand prix motorcycle racing and is the highest echelon of bike racing on the planet.

It started in 1949 at the Isle of Man TT and has run every year since. While there have been multiple classes of racing in the world championship, the three main ones have been the premier class, intermediate class and lightweight class.

The names of these championships have changed over the years to reflect the changes in motorcycles, with MotoGP (formerly the 500cc world championship) coming into existence in 2002, Moto2 (formerly the 250cc world championship) in 2010 and Moto3 (formerly the 125cc world championship). ) in 2012.

What championships can be won in MotoGP?

In the MotoGP world championship there are three main championships to be won.

The first is the coveted riders’ title, awarded to the rider with the most points at the end of a season.

The second is the manufacturers’ world championship. This is awarded to the manufacturer with the most points at the end of the season. Manufacturer points are awarded each race to the highest scoring rider from each marque.

The third is the teams’ championship, which is awarded to the highest scoring team at the end of the season. This works like the constructors’ championship in Formula 1, whereby the points scored by each rider per race is taken into account.

MotoGP also awards a title to the highest placed satellite team and to the rookie of the year.

Raul Fernández, KTM Tech3

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

How are points awarded in MotoGP?

MotoGP riders earn points for placing between first and 15th, with the maximum of 25 going to the winner of each race.

The rider in second scores 20 points, while the third-placed rider scores 16 points. The rider in fourth earns 13 points, 11 points goes to the rider in fifth and 10 to the rider in sixth.

Then the amount of points on offer continues to decrease by one for each place down to 15th.

Who is the reigning MotoGP world champion?

Factory Yamaha rider Fabio Quartararo is the rider with the target on his back in 2022 after becoming the first Frenchman to win the MotoGP world championship last year.

Quartararo’s team Yamaha did not win the manufacturers’ or the teams’ titles, however, with that honor going the factory Ducati squad.

Ducati won seven races in total between Francesco Bagnaia, Jack Miller and Jorge Martin, while Yamaha managed six between Quartararo and Maverick Vinales.

How many world champions are on the 2022 grid?

Only three riders on the current grid have won the MotoGP world championship: Fabio Quartararo, Joan Mir and Marc Marquez.

But those who won world championships in Moto2 and Moto3 pushes that number up to 13.

All riders on the current grid barring Aleix Espargaro have won a grand prix in at least one class of the world championship.

Are there any new riders on the 2022 grid?

Five riders will make their MotoGP debut in 2022.

Tech3 KTM will field an all-new line-up of reigning Moto2 champion Remy Gardner (son of 1987 MotoGP world champion Wayne Gardner) and 2021 Moto2 runner-up Raul Fernandez.

At VR46, Moto2 race winner Marco Bezzecchi steps up to MotoGP this season, as does fellow Moto2 race winner Fabio Di Giannantonio at Gresini Racing.

At RNF Racing Yamaha, Darryn Binder steps straight up from Moto3 to MotoGP. He is the first rider since Jack Miller in 2015 to make the jump directly from the lightweight class to MotoGP.

Darryn Binder, RNF MotoGP Racing

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

MotoGP 2022 rider and team full line-up

Aprilia Racing

#12 Maverick Vinales
#41 Aleix Espargaro

Ducati Lenovo team

#43 Jack Miller
#63 Francesco Bagnaia

Gresini Racing MotoGP Ducati

#23 Enea Bastianini
#49 Fabio Di Giannantonio

Mooney VR46 Racing Team Ducati

#10 Luca Marini
#72 Marco Bezzecchi

Pramac Racing Ducati

#5 Johann Zarco
#89 George Martin

LCR Honda

#30 Takaaki Nakagami
#73 Alex Marquez

Repsol Honda Team

#44 Pol Espargaro
#93 Marc Marquez

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing

#33 Brad Binder
#88 Miguel Oliveira

Tech3 KTM Factory Racing

#25 Raúl Fernández
#87 Remy Gardner

Team Suzuki Ecstar

#36 Joan Mir
#42 Alex Rins

Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP

#20 Fabio Quartararo
#21 Franco Morbidelli

WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP Team

#04 Andrea Dovizioso
#40 Darryn Binder

Maverick Vinales, Aprilia Racing Team

Photo by: MotoGP

Where will MotoGP race in 2022?

The 2022 MotoGP season will be the longest in history, with 21 races scheduled to take place across 17 countries.

The 2022 season begins on March 6 and will end on November 6 in Valencia, Spain.

Full 2022 MotoGP calendar:

6 March – Qatar, Losail
20 March—Indonesia, Mandalika
3 April – Argentina, Termas de Rio Hondo
10 April – USA, Circuit of the Americas
24 April – Portugal – Portimao
1 May – Spain, Jerez
15 May – France, Le Mans
29 May – Italy, Mugello
5 June – Catalunya, Barcelona
19 June – Germany, Sachsenring
26 June – Netherlands, Assen
10 July – Finland, KymiRing
7 August – Great Britain, Silverstone
21 August – Austria, Red Bull Ring
4 September – San Marino, Misano
September 18 – Aragon
25 September – Japan, Motegi
2 October – Thailand, Buriram
16 October – Australia, Phillip Island
23 October – Malaysia, Sepang
6 November – Valencia, Ricardo Tormo

Are there any new MotoGP races in 2022?

The 2022 MotoGP calendar features two new circuits for events it has run in the past.

The Indonesia Grand Prix will be staged at the Mandalika International Street Circuit on March 20, marking MotoGP’s first street circuit and its first visit to Indonesia since 1997.

The Finnish Grand Prix for the premier class has not been staged since 1981 (though did play host to smaller classes in 1982) but returns in 2022 at the new KymiRing.

Both of these circuits are still to be homologated by MotoGP’s governing body the FIM, so could be dropped if the circuits are not deemed safe enough to race in.

Due to the COVID pandemic, races in Argentina, Japan, Australia, Thailand and Malaysia have not been staged since 2019 but will return in 2022.

Enea Bastianini, Gresini Racing

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

How many sessions are there each MotoGP weekend in 2022?

For the MotoGP class, there are four free practice sessions, a qualifying session split into two 15-minute segments, a warm-up session and a race.

The first three practices are 45 minutes long, with the combined order decided at the end of FP3 who makes it straight into the pole shootout session in qualifying and who must go through Q1.

A fourth practice at 30 minutes takes place directly before qualifying on Saturday, while the top two riders at the end of Q1 earn a place in Q2 to fight for pole.

A 20-minute warm-up session takes place on Sunday ahead of the race, while the grand prix itself generally lasts around 45 minutes.

Moto2 and Moto3 follow a similar format, though the top 14 riders gain direct access to Q2 at the end of FP3 based on combined times while a further four can make it through Q1.

Neither class has an FP4 session, while Moto3 practice sessions last 40 minutes.

How can I watch MotoGP in 2022?

For viewers worldwide, MotoGP is available to watch via Dorna Sports’ official video pass at motogp.com.

The video pass for the entire year is available for purchase for £166.75. That works out at just £7.90 per race weekend for comprehensive live coverage of all classes and all sessions.

MotoGP’s video pass is available on desktop and on all mobile devices either through a browser or the official app.

UK viewers are able to watch MotoGP on BT Sports with a subscription. Highlights have previously been available on free-to-air broadcaster ITV4.

However, it is not yet known what MotoGP’s free-to-air UK plans are. Last year, ITV broadcast two races live.