It’s becoming a tradition on this blog that every season I lead in with my thoughts on each rider, stating where I think they rank up against their competitors. This year’s grid is shaping up to be one of the most competitive we’ve seen in a long time, but that’s not going to stop me from giving some sincere critiques and solid impressions. Today’s blog will serve as rhe stepping off point for the rest of the season, the rankings on which I will base a lot of my early assumptions of how the championship will unfold in 2022.
As with previous editions, I’ll be rating each rider on a scale of 0 to 5, with 0 being someone that I don’t expect to score a single point all season and 5 being an absolute guarantee for the title at the end of the season. I’ll also be providing a brief summary of my general thoughts on each rider in the lead up to the first race of the season, based on their performance in pre-season testing and their results from previous years. Finally, I’ll be giving my tips for the top contenders in the championship, and who I think will take titles such as top rookie, top satellite rider etc. Who will be my number one pick for 2022? Let’s find out!
Maverick Vinales
Solomon’s rating: 3.0
Maverick is a rider looking for redemption this season. After a difficult end of relations with previous employer Yamaha, he’s been picked up by Aprilia and given a second chance that he desperately needed. Now reunited with former teammate Aleix Espargaro, and armed with the most competitive Aprilia we’ve ever seen, I genuinely see him as a dark horse contender for this season, and expect him to challenge for top fives, the occasional podium, and perhaps even Aprilia’s first win.
Aleix Espargaro
Solomon’s rating: 3.2
One of the oldest riders in the championship and the only one without a win in any class, Aleix has become a staple within the MotoGP class during his time here. He’s been an Aprilia rider since 2017, and while he’s been their leading light for that time he’s never really been able to convert into the promised level of results. While I expect him to nab some decent results this year, he finally seems to have a teammate that could usurp him, and this may be the beginning of the end for his career if he can’t find some extra form.
Jack Miller
Solomon’s rating: 3.3
Thriller Miller has officially achieved ‘Veteran’ status within the MotoGP grid, having ridden in this class since 2016. The Ducati man has seen some reasonable success in that time – last season being his most successful with two wins and a number of podiums – but this year poses a major challenge to him from within his own factory. There’s a lot of hungry young riders gunning for his seat in the Ducati team, and if he can’t string together some impressive results at the start of this season, he may be forced to seek employment elsewhere for 2023.
Francesco Bagnaia
Solomon’s rating: 4.7
For a lot of people, Bagnaia enters this season as the favourite to take down the title come November. His form at the end of last season was genuinely incredible, qualifying on the front row almost every race and converting into four wins, and he will be coming into this year with a huge amount of confidence. The bike he’s on also looks to be one of the best in the class, so he should realistically pose a challenge to the rest of the grid pretty much from the get go. There’s no doubt in my mind – Pecco will be a title contender in 2022.
Johann Zarco
Solomon’s rating: 2.6
I was pretty high on Zarco’s chances last season, and it certainly seemed like he had found his footing in the early stages, but a slow fade in the second half of the year saw him fall out of championship contention altogether. Given his tumultuous history in the premier class, Zarco isn’t a rider who can afford to struggle for form like this, and his championship-winning pedigree in Moto2 just doesn’t shape up anymore when compared to this hyper competitive grid. If he wants to retain his spot in the Pramac squad, he’s going to have to fight tooth and nail for it.
Jorge Martin
Solomon’s rating: 4.0
Martin enters his sophomore year in MotoGP as a proven race winner and solid title contender. His rookie season could have been one of the best had he not been sidelined by injury, and a few unfortunate crashes muddied an overall positive year. Now his rookie season is over, the pressure is going to be higher, but he doesn’t strike me as the kind of person to buckle under it. Add in the possibility of a factory contract on the line for 2023 and you’ve got a real star in the making here.
Luca Marini
Solomon’s rating: 2.6
With his half-brother Rossi no longer in the paddock, Marini must now trust in his own talents to get by in 2022 and beyond. He’s always struck me as a methodical rider who slowly works at things until he can start converting into positive results, and we actually saw some positive form from him at the end of last season. Don’t expect Luca to set the world alight in 2022, but I’d keep an eye on him for the occasional podium tilt.
Marco Bezzechi
Solomon’s rating: 2.2
The first of our rookies for 2022, Bezzechi finds himself in the enviable position of starting his MotoGP career on board a proven winning motorcycle, the Ducati GP21. His bike won’t remain as strong as the factory spec competition continue to tweak and update as the season goes on, but it should start him off in a good place. Yet another rider worth keeping a side-eye on for a potential surprise result.
Enea Bastianini
Solomon’s rating: 3.7
Bastianini was a real surprise package in 2021, taking two podiums in the back half of the season on board a 2019-spec bike that had no right to perform as well as it did for him. Now he’s on the 2021 Ducati, and that should raise alarm bells for his opponents, as the year-old bike has far fewer weaknesses than what he rode last year. He’s fast, he’s good looking, and he’s got world championship pedigree from his time in Moto2 – what’s not to love?
Fabio Di Giannantonio
Solomon’s rating: 1.9
Rounding out the Ducati armada for 2022 is rookie Fabio Di Giannantonio, and he definitely feels like a dark horse for the rookie of the year title. He’s a rider who hasn’t ever been top of the tables, but he can put together some real consistency when needed, and he’s riding for the Gresini team that have supported him every step of the way along his career. I’m giving him a lower score than some of his rookie counterparts, but my gut tells me I might be way off with this one.
Pol Espargaro
Solomon’s rating: 3.9
The Pol Espargaro we’re seeing this year is perhaps the most confident one I’ve ever witnessed, and for good reason. His plea for Honda to provide him with a bike he can compete on have been heard, and testing the revolutionised Honda before the start of the season showed him right up with the best of them. That said, Pol has never won a race in MotoGP, and he’s never going to get a better opportunity than this. If he can’t make things happen in 2022, he’s going to struggle to remain in the series going forward.
Marc Marquez
Solomon’s rating: 4.5
Marc Marquez is definitely one of the bigger question marks surrounding the 2022 season. A lot of what we can expect from him this season is tied directly to how recovered he is from his shoulder injury and his double vision – if he isn’t quite at 100% then he might struggle to keep up with the younger guys, but if he’s close to fully recovered then he’s immediately a championship contender. With Rossi out of the picture, Marc now represents the most decorated rider in the entire grid, and while some of the older riders know exactly what he’s capable of, there’s a few younger guys that could probably use a reminder of just how dominant he can be.
Takaaki Nakagami
Solomon’s rating: 1.9
I often struggle to remember just how long Nakagami has been in this class, but it turns out he graduated up to MotoGP in 2018. That’s a long time to go without any real success, with a single pole position the only real claim to fame the 30 year old has. In the past he’s lacked pressure to succeed since his seat in the LCR squad is usually designated for a Japanese rider, but now that there’s an oncoming wave of Japanese talent in the lower classes Nakagami is going to need to step his results up in 2022 to preserve his time in MotoGP.
Alex Marquez
Solomon’s rating: 3.0
The younger brother of Marc, though I’m sure he’s tired of hearing that, Alex is a champion in his own right who has never managed to convert that into consistent success in the premier class. He’s got a pair of podiums that he took in his rookie season in 2020, but issues with the Honda over his first two seasons appear to have seriously held him back. With the brand new Honda underneath him, this is the perfect time to prove that Alex has what it takes to remain in this class, and potentially even go toe-to-toe with his older sibling. I expect big things from this Marquez.
Brad Binder
Solomon’s rating: 3.6
As with all of the KTM riders for this season, a lot of what Binder is capable of achieving will come down to just how much trouble they’re in with their current bike. Pre-season testing showed them struggling to match the other manufacturers in pace and consistency, but Brad and his team remain confident that they will put together some strong results in 2022. I’ll admit that he has shown some incredible form in previous seasons, but I really do worry that this year won’t be a good one for the KTM team. Only time will tell.
Miguel Oliveira
Solomon’s rating: 2.4
Miguel is a rider who should in theory be at the top of his game right now. Having battled for world championships at each stage of his career, he finally managed to start putting together wins and podiums last year, but his form completely evaporated and he slunk down the order to finish well outside the top ten in the championship. His teammate may already have a contract for next year, but Miguel does not, and with the sheer amount of talent KTM has waiting in the wings he most assuredly finds himself in the hot seat for this year.
Raul Fernandez
Solomon’s rating: 2.7
The world was blown away last year by Raul’s unbelievable rookie season in Moto2. The young Spaniard took eight wins and a slew of podiums despite his lack of experience, and took the fight to teammate Gardner all the way to the end of the season. Now he finds himself a rookie in the premier class, and Raul will be hoping to continue that upwards trend and fight his way into the upper echelons of the class. Will he win a race this year? I certainly wouldn’t put it past him.
Remy Gardner
Solomon’s rating: 2.4
Reigning Moto2 champion Gardner steps into the MotoGP class for the first time alongside his teammate from the previous season, and that means both riders will likely spend all year being compared to one another. Remy also enters this season with some lingering injuries from last year, but that won’t stop him from working methodically to improve himself and battle it out for the top rookie honours in 2022. He’s a rider who has gotten better and better each time he’s been put on a larger bike, so my bet is that he turns into quite the formidable MotoGP rider – we may just have to wait a little while for him to come good.
Joan Mir
Solomon’s rating: 4.2
Mir enters this season steely-faced and ready to fight, after a disappointing 2021 campaign saw him lose his champion’s crown without giving much of a fight. The Suzuki for this year appears to have a lot of promise, and Mir will know that he needs to seize this opportunity and try to wrestle the championship back into his possession. I was impressed with how he fought last year, even when his back was against the wall, and I fully expect him to give his all in 2022.
Alex Rins
Solomon’s rating: 3.3
Rins is an extremely difficult rider to rate, solely because he has never shown any real consistency in the premier class. He’s a proven race winner, sure, and one of the few guys in the current grid who has soundly beaten Marc Marquez when he was at his prime, but a huge number of DNFs last year has left a bitter taste in my mouth when considering the Suzuki rider. Some of his struggles last year could certainly be pinned onto the bike he was riding, but that won’t be a good enough excuse this season thanks to the radically upgraded Suzuki package. Here’s hoping he can convert that, and prove me wrong in the process.
Fabio Quartararo
Solomon’s rating: 4.2
Our reigning champion enters this season looking to be in good physical shape and form, but distinctly unhappy with how his pre-season campaign went. The Frenchman begged Yamaha to provide him with more horsepower in 2022 so he could continue fighting against the Ducati army, but they’ve clearly failed to give him what he was after, and that’s going to cause some serious internal issues. Add to that the increasingly large list of candidates who could possibly take the title away from him, and Quartararo is going to have to fight hard to retain his crown.
Franco Morbidelli
Solomon’s rating: 2.9
Morbidelli is an incredibly talented rider, we know this to be true – he’s got a Moto2 title under his belt and came second to Mir back in 2020 – but he’s had a pretty tough run of bad luck over the past 12 months. A difficult bike and some serious injuries last year led to him being completely outside of championship contention, and it does appear that he’s not yet fully recovered from those issues. The Italian can breathe a little at least, as he does have a contract for next year in his pocket, but there’s likely some more waiting to do before we witness the fully fit Franco once again.
Andrea Dovizioso
Solomon’s rating: 2.0
Despite being one of the oldest and most decorated riders in the current grid, particularly from his success between 2017 and 2019, Dovi finds himself a long way down on people’s lists of title candidates for this year. That’s because he’s on an unfamiliar bike, having missed half of last season thanks to losing his contract with Ducati, and has returned to the class to find it far more competitive than when he left it. I’m a big fan of Dovizioso, and genuinely consider him one of the most talented motorcycle riders present on the grid, but his time in the premier class may very soon be up.
Darryn Binder
Solomon’s rating: 1.4
The final rookie for this season, Darryn finds himself with very few expectations of him in 2022, largely because no-one expects him to be competitive in this class. That’s a tough reality, but given that he’s making the step directly to the top class from Moto3 it’s an understandable one to be facing. I wouldn’t be shocked to find him prove the doubters wrong once or twice this year – MotoGP has a funny way of giving you exactly what you least expect – but based on testing and my own gut feeling, I really don’t see him being a factor in the 2022 championship.
Finally, here’s my championship predictions across all three classes:
MotoGP
Champion: Francesco Bagnaia
2nd: Marc Marquez
3rd: Joan Mir
Top rookie: Raul Fernandez
Top satellite rider: Jorge Martin
Manufacturer’s champion: Ducati
Team’s champion: Repsol Honda
Moto2
Champion: Aron Canet
2nd: Pedro Acosta
3rd: Augusto Fernandez
Top rookie: Pedro Acosta
Moto3
Champion: Dennis Foggia
2nd: Izan Guevara
3rd: Sergio Garcia
Top rookie: Daniel Holgardo
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