At long last, we reach the final race of 2021. It certainly has been a rollercoaster of a season (and no, we’re not back at Portimao again this week), with a number of surprise packages and a lot of drama throughout the year. I think the biggest relief among viewers will be that we appear to be on the far side of the coronavirus pandemic now, and with fans being allowed back at circuits and the 2022 calendar looking very promising – if a little long – we may finally be returning to a sense of normality within MotoGP.
So it is fitting that we return to Valencia as the home of the season finale. For as long as I can remember, Valencia has been the circuit that has played host to the last race of each season in MotoGP, and as a result it has a lot of history within the paddock and the community. Titles have been won and lost here, the wins often sweeter and the defeats regularly harsher, and many riders have said farewell to the sport from this particular circuit. Such a massive amount of emotional weight being tied to a single track has done wonders for embedding it into MotoGP lore and ensuring that it remains in the calendar for the foreseeable future.
Which is good, because the track itself isn’t particularly interesting. Almost entirely flat and primarily counter-clockwise, the circuit of Valencia is one of the shorter tracks in the current calendar, and has a habit of producing some pretty middling races. The main issue is there simply aren’t enough good spots for overtaking, which can often lead to riders simply chaining together and riding in formation for most of the race. The sheer number of laps involved means you’ll get some opportunities to attack, but there simply isn’t a history of hard fought battles here. As a result, last year’s showdown between Franky Morbidelli and Jack Miller was something of a surprise and a spectacle rather than the norm.
The other big issue with this track is the weather. Thanks to it being the only European track we usually visit towards the end of the season, it’s often quite a chilly track when the paddock arrives, and this can lead to some serious difficulties for teams. Tires will have to be scrutinised heavily for their potential before the race on Sunday, setups will likely have to be altered to accommodate, and there is always a decent chance that the heavens will open up at an inopportune time and dump rain all over the circuit. Were we racing in the southern hemisphere where the weather is warmer this time of year, that wouldn’t be nearly as much of an issue.
Thankfully, as a weird upside to the pandemic-altered calendar for 2021, teams and riders are already familiar with riding at European tracks in colder November weather, because they’ve already done plenty of it. Not only did we have the race in Portimao last week, which was affected by the colder elements, but the second weekend in Misano too. With two race weekends worth of data regarding these trickier weather conditions – one where it was biting cold and one where it was horrendously wet – it should actually be fairly easy for teams to get their setups locked in early in the weekend. Couple that with the fact that we raced here in Valencia twice in 2020, and it looks like this will be one of the easier finales for the engineers involved.
Another hinderance for the viewers this weekend is that there simply isn’t that much left to play for in 2021. Not only has Fabio Quartararo been crowned champion, but second and third in the standings have been locked in as well thanks to the strong results from Bagnaia and Mir last time out. The manufacturer’s trophy has been sewn up by Ducati; Johann Zarco is the top independent rider; Pramac are the winners in the independent teams standings. The only two fights left to decide in Valencia are the rookie of the year trophy and the overall team’s championship, and only one of those looks like it’s going to be remotely close.
The team’s championship will go to the Ducati Lenovo team. It’s that simple. Despite the factory Yamaha squad remaining in contention all this time thanks to the awesome work done by Quartararo, Ducati have been a far more consistent team all season. Not only have they not had to deal with any internal rider struggles, but both their men have put together strong seasons with plenty of podiums and an impressive five wins combined. Sure, the math says that it’s still possible that Yamaha could put on an upset come Sunday, but realistically that’s just not going to happen.
The more interesting fight is going to be Bastianini vs Martin for the title of top rookie in 2021. The two Ducati riders are now split by just three points heading into the final race, with both riders having now finished on the podium multiple times across 2021. Martin has arguably been the stronger rider across the course of the season, especially after he came out of the gates swinging with that fantastic pole position in Doha, but he’s also had the worst luck of the two. Missing four races due to injury completely derailed his season, and the fact that he’s still in contention for this award is a testament to just how hard he has pushed in the months since his return. That said, Bastianini hasn’t exactly been a slouch of late, and currently holds the upper hand in points.
Whoever wins out of the two of them, it has been a fantastic showing for Ducati as a whole. They will field 8 riders across 4 teams next season, and it’s a blistering lineup. Bagnaia has risen to be their latest star Italian in the factory team, Miller has done wonders as a wingman and factory development rider, and the rookies have all had strong showings at least once this year. The only problem this really raises is how they will retain their men for 2023 and beyond. Should Martin continue his rise upwards, they may be forced to vacate a factory seat in order to retain his services – but then where does Miller go? Bastianini looks set to ride a year-old machine next season despite thoroughly beating Luca Marini this year, so will he be persuaded to jump ship and join another manufacturer? I don’t envy the decision makers and managers in Ducati for the job they have in the coming months.
This weekend is also a farewell for several riders. The premier class will be wishing a fond farewell to both Valentino Rossi and Danilo Petrucci, who are both retiring at the conclusion of this race, and the intermediate class will be losing long-term stalwart Tom Luthi. It is always a shame when the paddock loses a rider with a lot of history in grand prix racing, and in the case of Rossi we are talking about one of the greatest careers MotoGP will ever see. Nine world championships, almost 200 podiums – these are numbers that simply will not be matched or surpassed any time soon. Marc Marquez will certainly give it a go in the later stages of his career, but none will forget the legacy that Rossi has managed to put in place, so for many this will be a very emotional weekend.
I do think that Rossi has done a wonderful job of setting up his legacy in the sport. The VR46 rider academy has been incredibly successful in promoting young Italian riders through the ranks of the sport, and not only will they soon have four graduates in the MotoGP class but their own official team to boot. Many people have been asking who will replace Rossi as the selling point for MotoGP in Italy, and I think that question misses the point somewhat. There doesn’t need to be a single rider like Rossi representing Italian fans anymore, he has ensured there is a whole procession of strong riders to back. That is a real legacy, if you ask me.
In the case of Petrucci and Luthi, they will likely be smothered somewhat by the celebrations of Rossi’s career, but it should still be remembered that both men have had incredible careers in their respective classes. Petrucci has been a pivotal rider for Ducati for many years, and was considered to be one of the best wet weather riders for years. His race win in Mugello in 2019 was an incredible sporting moment, and I genuinely recommend watching it at some point if you haven’t already. As for Luthi, while he never really made it in the premier class, he was consistently one of the best intermediate riders for a great many seasons, often acting as the reference point for young riders wanting to make an impact in the class. Unlike Moto3 which is full of young riders itching for glory, Moto2 tends to be a class with a wider spectrum of ages for its riders, and I do think it was good to have a class veteran there to keep the young upstarts in check. Both of them will be sorely missed next season.
Iker Lecuona and Xavi Vierge are also bidding their goodbyes, though in their cases it is to make the leap over to the World Superbike Championship. I’ve written about Lecuona several times this season, making some strong arguments as to why he should have been retained in MotoGP, but in the end there were no positions left available for him in the grid for next season. Thankfully, this doesn’t necessarily mean the end of his career in MotoGP. Lecuona is still young, and given time and the opportunity to grow in WSBK he may yet return to the grand prix paddock in future years. I personally hope we will be seeing him back in a MotoGP team sooner rather than later.
Finally, we got word before the start of the weekend that Marc Marquez would once again not be joining the grid in Valencia. Marc’s condition appears to be related to the nerve damage he had at the end of 2011 that threatened to end his career, causing double vision that made it almost impossible to ride. Marc will be absent for this weekend and the Jerez test that kicks off the testing season for 2022. I honestly just feel bad for the Spaniard at this stage, given the amount of recovery time he’s had to put in over the last 18 months. I wish him the speediest recovery possible, and hope that when next season rolls around he is fighting fit and ready to remind the world exactly what he is capable of.
Solomon Talks Bikes 