The 2021 MotoGP series came to an end earlier today in Valencia, Spain. The recent dominance of Ducati was on full display with rookie Jorge Martín starting from pole position, and a trio of Ducatis sweeping the podium.
Pecco Bagnaia took another win (his fourth this year) just ahead of Martín in second and Jack Miller in third.
This race also marked the end of the incredible career of nine-time World champion Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) who finished the race in 10th position. Rossi intends to remain very active in the sport with his VR46 Riders Academy, among other activities.
New champ Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha) finished in 5th position today. For full results of today’s race, take a look here. You can find additional details on the MotoGP site.
We’ve speculated a lot over the season about crashes and crash frequency, some believing there has been an increase, others (including me) believing there has been little change. I found an article containing some statistics and it would seem the former were correct and I was not.
Interesting that even with his truncated season, Marquez had the 2nd highest crash tally this year.
I hope it’s ok to post this link, delete if not..
The Race: The brutal MotoGP statistics that expose Honda’s biggest flaw.
https://the-race.com/motogp/the-brutal-motogp-statistics-that-expose-hondas-biggest-flaw/
Congrats to Fabio for a great season. Pecco had a nice end of season, congrats as well.
Hopefully Marc will be fully healed for next season. Best wishes for Pol’s recovery as well.
FQ secured the championship 3 rounds ago by scoring the most points. Pride be damned, why put in monumental risk and effort in races that are no longer a factor in what you were trying to achieve?
I am very much looking forward to next season with several bikes, brands and riders in contention for the title.
However, I will miss one very special ICON not being there. I’ve sure enjoyed watching the GOAT the last couple decades. Still able to achieve a top ten in this field at 42 years of age! Grazie Vale.
Because champions don’t want to let others know that they can be beaten or intimidated. Champions RULE, they don’t follow.
Like when Mir said there was no pressure to defend his title. Right there everyone understood he wasn’t going to try and show why he was crowned Champion but to be content to know he had the title. Mir will be a one time champion.
Marquez would not just cruise around, Rossi would not just cruise around, Lorenzo would not just cruise around, Stoner would not just cruise around, they would fight and scrap for every position in every race for the entire season. As Champion you can’t show any mercy, weakness or complacency to your competitors, and you shouldn’t be satisfied with a bunch of 5ths and 6ths in the last 1/2 of the season.
Going into Valencia, Pecco already had 2nd place in the championship wrapped up. No one could pass him. Mir in 3rd was too far behind, so why did Pecco try so hard to win? Why didn’t he just let Martin, and Miller and Mir, go once he was pushed to 4th? Why did he fight his way past all three of them for a victory that has no gain in the championship for him?
Because he wanted to show them that they couldn’t beat him. That he was better/faster than they were. And everyone in the paddock knows that Pecco isn’t just going to cruise around. If you want to beat him, you are going to have to BEAT him.
yep…two types of race fans i guess.
those few race fans whom deem a rider cruising around collecting enough points to win a championship is a great accomplishment worthy of all kinds of nonsense praise.
while the majority of true race fans deem a great champion is a rider who can and does prove they are the best rider on the track and are true champions.
funny…
after Algarve 2021…who was it that Rossi humorously wished did not Pole again in Valencia (and almost did) so as not to break his(Rossi’s) Pole Position record?
-it wasn’t FQ.
who was it on the last qualifying/race of his career that Rossi thanked for towing him around to the best grid position he had in how long?
-it wasn’t FQ
when was the last time Rossi (factory and satellite Yamaha team rider) mentioned anything good about fellow Yamaha rider FQ?
—shot in the dark here but it seems to me that Rossi, a great rider and legend of the sport and a highly educated race fan, seems to recognize a certain rider rather often this year. i wonder if that’s because Rossi recognizes greatness in that certain rider?
Pecco and Rossi are great friends Paul and I believe Pecco was the first graduate from the VR46 academy. While Quatararo took his place on the factory team. Who would you think he’d mention more?
Thanks. That explains everything that has happened regarding pecco and FQs successes and not so much successes this year.
Champions do what Fabio just did: win the championship.
Fabio is the very definition of a champion. He is not yet the definition of a multi-time MotoGP champion, but he most certainly is a champion.
To place a finer point on this discussion…
How many races do you believe Fabio wins this past season if he and Pecco swapped rides? How many races does Pecco win? Podiums? Finishes outside of the top four?
Crashes?
Would you bet on Fabio to have won more often or less often than he did on the Yamaha? How about Pecco?
What Fabio did on that Yamaha over the course of the entire season was downright remarkable. No other Yamaha rider, not even the mercurial, blazing fast Maverick, was in the same stratosphere as Fabio.
Consider your beloved Honda. Take away #93, and what are Honda’s results these past couple of seasons?
I think we can all agree that #93, not the bike, is the main reason for Honda’s recent successes.
It’s no different with Fabio, and Yamaha.
VLJ says:
November 15, 2021 at 1:58 pm
Champions do what Fabio just did: win the championship.
—Well, you seem to be forgetting that FQ was not a champion when he won the 2021 Champion ship…and few true race fans care for his performance in 2021…same as Mir’s in 2020 (although i’d wager Mir gave more of his best in 2020 than FQ did in 2021).
Fabio is the very definition of a champion.
—nope.
He is not yet the definition of a multi-time MotoGP champion,
—yep
but he most certainly is a champion.
—he sure is this year.
To place a finer point on this discussion…
How many races do you believe Fabio wins this past season if he and Pecco swapped rides? How many races does Pecco win? Podiums? Finishes outside of the top four?
—how long has pecco been riding ducati in motoGP and how long has FQ been riding yamaha in MotoGP?
Crashes?
—exactly. you are not crashing if you are not trying.
Would you bet on Fabio to have won more often or less often than he did on the Yamaha? How about Pecco?
—speculation added to confuse what happened.
What Fabio did on that Yamaha over the course of the entire season was downright remarkable.
—i disagree
No other Yamaha rider, not even the mercurial, blazing fast Maverick, was in the same stratosphere as Fabio.
—i agree. funny how FQ is now doing the same thing MV did…laying blame to the bike, the bike that he just rode to the championship win, for his recent “lack luster” perormance. hahahahahaha!!!
Consider your beloved Honda.
—Honda has not been a beloved tool in MotoGp for quite some time.
Take away #93, and what are Honda’s results these past couple of seasons?
—obviously
I think we can all agree that #93, not the bike, is the main reason for Honda’s recent successes.
—agree…however Honda has had to make the bike faster to compete with the Duc’s top speed and this is what happens, the bike being harder to ride. Yamaha will be forced to do the same.
It’s no different with Fabio, and Yamaha.
—disagree… MM still managed success with the bike being harder to ride and still underpowered vs the Ducs. we’ll see if Yamaha and FQ manages the same in 2022 but so far…no.
Paul, just…wow. Even the most basic, clear-cut definitions seem to elude your grasp.
As does reality.
With no help from any other Yamaha rider, and despite a 10-15 kph speed deficit including a similar deficit in acceleration, Fabio just beat down every other rider in the championship.
In other news, since you clearly didn’t watch the races or simply don’t know what you’re watching, let’s go through each of your errors…
“Few race fans care about Fabio’s performance in 2021.”
Who are you to speak for the fans? I can guarantee you that any real fan of MotoGP, which you clearly are not, “cared” and greatly respected Fabio’s performance this year.
You know how I know this?
Well, either they were rooting for Fabio, or they were rooting for the guy(s) Fabio beat, which means they were forced to pay attention to Fabio’s performance.
Regardless, they cared about Fabio’s performance.
Fabio won the most races of any rider in 2021; i.e., he won more races than Pecco. He earned the most podiums. He crashed the least despite having to ride the hardest, because he had to make all his time in the corners, both in qualifying and during the race. He won on a bike no one else could ride, while Pecco did extremely well on a bike that also allowed transformative seasons from Jack Miller, Johan Zarco, and rookies Jorge Martin and Enea Bastianini.
I wasn’t rooting for Fabio either, but no true race fan worth his salt can deny him the respect his 2021 season earned.
Fabio is not the very definition of a champion?
Umm, paul, Fabio is the 2021 MotoGP World Champion. By any measure, any definition, he is categorically a champion.
Pecco has been riding for Ducati in MotoGP since 2019, the same year Fabio joined Yamaha in MotoGP. They came up together from Moto2. How do you not know this? More importantly, why would you try to posit an argument in Pecco’s favor of, “Fabio’s been riding for Yamaha in MotoGP for how long? How long has Pecco been riding for Ducati in MotoGP?” without knowing your facts?
That’s just woefully sloppy on your part.
Crashing equals trying?
I thought winning equals trying. You know, beating your opponent, even if he’s on the much faster, better bike?
Fabio finished ahead of Pecco eleven out of eighteen races this season. Fabio won more races than Pecco. Fabio garnered more podiums. Fabio earned a higher average per-race points score.
He did all this despite Pecco having the luxury of doing most of his passes on straightaways, while Fabio could only sit there helplessly as red bullet after red bullet (as well as the occasional blue and orange or solid orange bullet) blew by him like he was standing still.
By any measure, Fabio was forced to work much harder than Pecco was to achieve the same result, and his results outshone Pecco’s.
Why does Valentino thank and talk up Pecco more than he thanks and talks up Fabio?
Again, do you even watch racing?
VR46 Academy much? Daily riding partners? Real-life close friends? Pecco’s racing godparent, mentor, and closest advisor?
Notice the helmet Pecco was wearing?
My god, how do you even find your car keys each day? They mentioned the very close Valentino/Pecco relationship at least a dozen times during P3, Q2, and the race.
The “your beloved Honda” comment was directed specifically to mickey, since he is a die-hard Honda fan. So am I, in the main. As I said, I was definitely not rooting for Fabio. I wasn’t rooting for Marc either, but I certainly do not root for Fabio.
Can’t help but respect him, though. There isn’t a single team manager in the paddock who would not trade their number one rider for Fabio. Not even Ducati. They made that perfectly clear when they tried like hell to sign Fabio and Maverick, and failing that, were forced to resort to Plan B: Jack and Pecco.
You need to watch more, listen more, and pay closer attention. Open your eyes. Grand Prix motorcycle racing has a lot to offer. You’re missing a great show.
One correction…
Okay, there is one MotoGP team manager who might not trade his number one rider for Fabio.
Alberto Puig.
At this point, however, even that may not be a certainty. If you’re Honda, who would you rather bank on going forward now, twenty-two-year-old, current World Champion Fabio Quartararo, or twenty-eight-year-old, beat-to-shit Marc Marquez?
Fabio did throw away at least one race this year due to arm pump, for which he underwent corrective surgery and now seems to be fine. That’s it for #20, in terms of physical concerns.
Marc?
Who the hell knows now with that guy?
Honda would at least have to think about that one.
There is no doubt, however, that the team bosses in every other garage would trade any of their current riders for Fabio, without a moment’s hesitation.
The only two wildcards are Raul Fernandez and Pedro Acosta, but from the 2021 MotoGP rider roster? Yep, only Honda might have to give it some thought before pulling the trigger to acquire Fabio.
VLJ, just…wow. Even the most basic, clear-cut definitions seem to elude your grasp.
—indeed
As does reality.
—indeed
With no help from any other Yamaha rider, and despite a 10-15 kph speed deficit including a similar deficit in acceleration, Fabio just beat down every other rider in the championship.
—“beat down” heh? hahahahahahahahah!!!! apparently some fans have a very different understanding of the term ‘beat down’
FQ circulated race tracks collecting points.
the only person to ‘beat down’ anyone else this year was pecco.
In other news, since you clearly didn’t watch the races or simply don’t know what you’re watching, let’s go through each of your errors…
—please, shall we?
“Few race fans care about Fabio’s performance in 2021.”
—correct
Who are you to speak for the fans?
—who are you to speak for the fans?
I can guarantee you that any real fan of MotoGP, which you clearly are not, “cared” and greatly respected Fabio’s performance this year.
—you surely can not.
You know how I know this?
—We fans know you do not know this.
Well, either they were rooting for Fabio, or they were rooting for the guy(s) Fabio beat, which means they were forced to pay attention to Fabio’s performance.
Regardless, they cared about Fabio’s performance.
—some did, many don’t.
Fabio won the most races of any rider in 2021; i.e., he won more races than Pecco.
—yep…he sure did when there was no one to race against.
He earned the most podiums.
—yep…he sure did when there was no one to race against.
He crashed the least despite having to ride the hardest,
—wrong, he did not ride his hardest, he rode his safest
…. because he had to make all his time in the corners, both in qualifying and during the race. He won on a bike no one else could ride,
while Pecco did extremely well on a bike that also allowed transformative seasons from Jack Miller, Johan Zarco, and rookies Jorge Martin and Enea Bastianini.
—whatever dude!!??!!! how many poles and race wins does JM JZ EB have in last half of 2021?
I wasn’t rooting for Fabio either, but no true race fan worth his salt can deny him the respect his 2021 season earned.
—i know FQ has talent and that does not guarantee respect from all. had he tried harder i would have respected him more.
Fabio is not the very definition of a champion?
—correct
Umm, paul, Fabio is the 2021 MotoGP World Champion.
—he sure is
By any measure, any definition, he is categorically a champion.
—you often prefer mix truths/facts with BS rhetoric so it’s difficult to respond fully so…by measure of accumulated points he is the 2021 champ.
Pecco has been riding for Ducati in MotoGP since 2019, the same year Fabio joined Yamaha in MotoGP.
—i never heard of pecco until this year. i’ve been impressed with FQ for several years.
pecco came into his own this year at the last half of this season.
They came up together from Moto2. How do you not know this?
—i don’t give much of a rats arse for moto3 a or moto2. tip for you…some folks have other things to do in life other than sit in front of a tv/computer all the day long trying to become overloads of talk forums.
More importantly, why would you try to posit an argument in Pecco’s favor of, “Fabio’s been riding for Yamaha in MotoGP for how long? How long has Pecco been riding for Ducati in MotoGP?” without knowing your facts?
—refer to above…but i’ll, add since you like to ask silly questions…FQ’s name has been far more widely mentioned and known in MotoGP, thus raising expectations of FQ, than pecco’s.
—who was expected to win the 2020 MotoGp champion????!!!!! was it pecco????? or was it FQ??????
FQ right??!!!!
That’s just woefully sloppy on your part.
—indeed
Crashing equals trying?
—yep, every time.
I thought winning equals trying.
—if that makes sense to you…good for you.
You know, beating your opponent, even if he’s on the much faster, better bike?
—again, when is the last time FQ won a race?
Fabio finished ahead of Pecco eleven out of eighteen races this season.
—yep…he sure did when pecco was still learning. when was the last time FQ won a race in 2021?
—-answer these Q’s…i dare you…how many races has pecco won since FQ’s last win?
Fabio won more races than Pecco.
—yep…he sure did when pecco was still learning. when was the last time FQ won a race in 2021? how many races has pecco won since FQ’s last win?
Fabio garnered more podiums.
—yep…he sure did when pecco was still learning. when was the last time FQ won a race in 2021? how many podiums has pecco won since FQ’s last podium?
Fabio earned a higher average per-race points score.
—first half, sure.
He did all this despite Pecco having the luxury of doing most of his passes on straightaways, while Fabio could only sit there helplessly as red bullet after red bullet (as well as the occasional blue and orange or solid orange bullet) blew by him like he was standing still.
By any measure, Fabio was forced to work much harder than Pecco was to achieve the same result, and his results outshone Pecco’s.
—FQ outshone pecco…?????!!!! what planet are you living on. no one but you is praising/loving on about FQ. Period. pecco is the man.
Why does Valentino thank and talk up Pecco more than he thanks and talks up Fabio?
—easy…Rossi sees in pecco what lacks in FQ.
Again, do you even watch racing?
—nope never.
VR46 Academy much? Daily riding partners? Real-life close friends? Pecco’s racing godparent, mentor, and closest advisor?
—did Rossi tell this or was it pecco?
Notice the helmet Pecco was wearing?
—nope, how could I, I don’t watch racing.
My god, how do you even find your car keys each day?
—what car keys…i dont own a car.
—any ways I’m bored of this, you get the point…and you can assume like-minded responses to the rest of your BS rhetoric. have a wonderful day overlord.
They mentioned the very close Valentino/Pecco relationship at least a dozen times during P3, Q2, and the race.
The “your beloved Honda” comment was directed specifically to mickey, since he is a die-hard Honda fan. So am I, in the main. As I said, I was definitely not rooting for Fabio. I wasn’t rooting for Marc either, but I certainly do not root for Fabio.
Can’t help but respect him, though. There isn’t a single team manager in the paddock who would not trade their number one rider for Fabio. Not even Ducati. They made that perfectly clear when they tried like hell to sign Fabio and Maverick, and failing that, were forced to resort to Plan B: Jack and Pecco.
You need to watch more, listen more, and pay closer attention. Open your eyes. Grand Prix motorcycle racing has a lot to offer. You’re missing a great show.
in 2019 Marquez wrapped up the Championship at the Thai Grand Prix with 4 races remaining in the season
Did he cruise around safely avoiding monumental risk and effort in those 4 remaining races that were no longer a factor in what he was trying to achieve, knowing he had already won the title?
Nope.. He finished 1st, 1st, 2nd, and 1st in those last 4 races
well…he had the best bike of the paddock so why not?…wink, wink, wink, not!!!
Get your news here: Pecco wins 2022 Championship.
You can’t say anymore, “Once Marc gets back….”
Pecco is smashing lap records on his way to wins. He’s legitimately fast.
Fun race to watch all around. Amazing that Marc Marquez finished the season as top Honda in 7th position. Also amazing Rins crashed out of a possible podium spot… again.
Edit: This was supposed to be included in the responses to mickey’s post below…
“FQ who? lol.”
FQ, the very deserving 2021 MotoGP World Champion, that’s who. If you don’t think so, ask the other Yamaha riders what they think about Fabio’s achievement, knowing what they know about that Yamaha. Ask Gigi Dall’Igna. Ask Pecco and Jack. They know what Fabio did. They know the speed he had, the threat he represented. They all also know that he had absolutely zero help from any other Yamaha rider in trying to fend off the hordes of much faster Ducatis.
“I’ll bet he’s glad he built up a huge lead in the first half of the season and that the title didn’t come down to the last race.”
Of course he’s glad he built up a huge lead. That’s why they run all the races. Those early races count just as much as the later races. Add up the results from each race, see who scored the most points over the entire season, and there’s your champion.
That’s how it works. That’s how it’s always worked. That’s how it’s supposed to work.
Too many people try to discredit champions for not being dominant at the end of the season, as if the end of the season is all that matters. A MotoGP season is a marathon. It was, what, nineteen races this year? The entire paddock had eight months to take it away from Fabio, and no one could do it.
“He has plenty to worry about next year.”
Of course he does, starting with the fact that Ducati not only has the far superior bike, but that next year there will be a total of eight of those crazy red rockets to contend with every weekend.
EIGHT!
We’ve already seen how fast the two factory Ducati riders are, and now both Pramac guys are podium threats every weekend. Include the consistent ascendency of Bastianini, the clinical progression of Marini, and now Valentino Rossi will be fielding two more Ducatis.
In case people haven’t been paying attention, VR46 riders tend to do well. One can be fairly confident that Valentino isn’t going into this next venture to fail; nor will Carmelo Ezpeleta allow him to fail.
Meanwhile, Suzuki still has Johan Mir, KTM is adding alien-elect Raul Fernandez, and Fabio will also have to contend with a fully fit Franco Morbidelli and Andrea Dovizioso, who have both proven to be serious championship threats in recent seasons.
Oh, and there’s also Marc Marquez, presumably fully fit again, or as close to it as he’s ever going to be.
Despite all that, no one in their right mind would say Fabio doesn’t go into next season as one of the three main title contenders, along with Pecco and Marc, and that’s if you’re willing to consider Marc a season-long title contender at this point in his career. If not, then it’s clearly Fabio vs Pecco, with Mir, Marc, Jorge Martin, Zarco, and Frankie as the next tier of potential threats.
So, yes, even if Yamaha hands Fabio a significantly faster motorcycle next season, which he will definitely require, he will still need to produce another absolutely Herculean effort if he is to retain his title.
Kinda hard to argue with anything you say VLJ. Especially since I agree with it.
Just one suggestion… Please put some more thought into your comments before posting 😉
PS: I really hope Marquez can return to full fitness. The season will be epic if he does.
FQ who? lol. I’ll bet he’s glad he built up a huge lead in the first half of the season and that the title didn’t come down to the last race. He has plenty to worry about next year.
VLJ apparently you missed the lol as in I was being funny. You tend to forget someone who is running around in 5th or 6th, gets very little screen time and hardly get a mention by the announcers during the race. Other than that there is nothing in that statement that is erroneous or out of line.
He has in interviews expressed extreme worry about next year himself. I’m sure you have read them.
A top 3 choice for next year? Maybe. Depends a lot of what is done to his bike off season. If it is no faster than this year’s, and like you said, there is going to be 8 really fast Ducati’s on the grid next year, improved Suzuki’s with a former World Champion on one, and a healthy? former 6 time World Champion in Marquez, a top 3 might be asking a little much. If he is concerned, his fan boys should be too.
There are a lot of riders who could contend for top 3. Fabio clearly has what it takes. If he isn’t a contender next year, then Yamaha dropped the ball. He needs the bike to take a solid step forward. The Ducatis are primo, and they have some stellar riders piloting them. If Marquez is mended fully, he’ll be in the mix whether Honda fixes the issues with the bike or not. I don’t believe that Suzuki will improve near enough to make much impact.
VLJ needs to inform Rins, his team, and his employer that winning is winning and trying to win is not winning.
LOL
Nice to see Ducati win without any special rules like they had for years in WSB.
Oh, guess you’re one of those guys that don’t understand engine architecture.
count me as “one of those guys” too.
i rode 1000cc v-twin road race bikes. they had bottom grunt for quicker acceleration off the line and out of corners but the in-line4s dusted me on the straights.
the first time i leaned a GSXR 750 into a corner at speed (coming from the v-twin) it felt like the front end was literally going to drop all the way down onto the pavement. effortless cornering and superior top speed.
now the ducs (yes V4 I know) are dusting the the il4s at top speed and i can’t comment on cornering.
ducati is on the ball. the others are trailing. things seem backwards.
LOFL – yep, you are one of those guys, too! Kinda feel sorry for you….. well, no I don’t. Little education goes a LONG way. Oh, that and actually working on things. Yeah, I know, I know, you have 257 years experience working on EVERYTHING! LOL again.
happy now i diot?!!!
i was expecting a brilliant explanation in understanding engine architecture and how it relates to the current discussion on MotoGP.
apparently you know as little as the rest of us.
Uhh, Paulie, you wouldn’t understand it, anyways, so not wasting my breath – LOL!
Rossi’s retirement make me feel old. It seems like yesterday he was coming onto the scene in the premier class (500cc two strokes!). Congratulations Valentino for amazing longevity and successful career.
Yep – time to break out my copy of Faster again. What a career.
Too bad Valencia isn’t a good Ducati track lol
Bagnaia, Martin and Miller all rode really well. Rins rode well until he binned it again. Mir didn’t quite ride well enough.
FQ who? lol. I’ll bet he’s glad he built up a huge lead in the first half of the season and that the title didn’t come down to the last race. He has plenty to worry about next year.
Heck of a Rossi celebration lol. Farewell Vale it’s been fun watching.
Going to be a long winter now that MotoGP is over with for the year.
I feel like this was the story last year as well? Didn’t FQ win a bunch in the first half and then everyone caught up to him? Are those early tracks just Yamaha tracks? Does it take half a season for Ducati to sort their bike out? It’s curious.
I think Pecco will provide some serious competition next year. It would be awesome to see three new and different champions in 3 years…
Bittersweet to see Rossi go, glad he had a top 10 finish.