DOHA: The 2021 FIM MotoGP World Champion is decided, but there’s plenty still on the line this season.
Two Grands Prix remain, and there are also the Team and Constructor crowns to be fought for. Interestingly too, the next stop is a return ticket to the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve as the paddock gears up for the Grande Premio Brembo do Algarve, so there’s already a point of comparison from this season to get a possible glimpse of what to expect.
And now it won’t include the added presence of a stronger Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) as the eight-time World Champion is sidelined as a precaution, having suffered a slight concussion in training on Saturday.
An exact re-run of the Portuguese GP would probably suit newly-crowned Champion Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) just fine though.
The Frenchman dominated on our first visit, and headed a top three on the podium that mirrors the 2021 standings exactly.
If there hasn’t been a shake up since then, that’s no problem at all for El Diablo – especially as the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP team arrive 13 points clear in the Team standings.
But Quartararo was already in his stride as the season began, something that, arguably, Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) hit a little later.
