MotoGP 2020: Spanish Grand Prix Winners And Losers

MotoGP almost always guarantees excitement on a Sunday. And that is exactly what we got when the greatest show on two wheels finally got its 2020 season underway at Jerez for the Spanish Grand Prix. And it was a stunner as Fabio Quartararo won for Petronas Yamaha SRT while the incredible Marc Marquez of Repsol Honda had a remarkable race that ended with him crashing out towards the end of the race. The six-time premier class champion almost crashed out while leading, dropped down to 16th, then made his way back up to third (was within striking distance of second) before crashing out and injuring his right shoulder.

The hot Southern Spanish skies were hotter than usual as Jerez hosted the event that is normally held in early May. It created tricky conditions for the riders who will have to face them again when the Andalucian Grand Prix is run at the same venue. 

But for now, let’s take stock of a season opener that was full of the action that MotoGP fans had been craving for months. 

Winners

Fabio Quartararo - It is tempting for people to think that Marc Marquez would have won this race if not for his horrific crash. But polesitter and MotoGP’s latest premier class winner ran a race in which he appeared to have plenty of pace in store. His lap times were consistent once he got past the works Yamaha of Maverick Vinales. Even if Marquez had passed Vinales for second during his epic comeback ride (until it went horribly wrong), getting past Quartararo would have been an entirely different task. 

Yamaha - Two Yamahas in the top two was the absolute perfect way for the marque to take an early lead in the manufacturers’ championship. Quartataro’s win was the first time a satellite Yamaha team rider had won a premier class race for a long time. The second Petronas Yamaha SRT of Franco Morbidelli also took a solid fifth place.

Andrea Dovizioso - Probably the most unassuming ride to the podium for the Ducati rider with the attention being hogged by Marquez’s exploits and Quartararo’s steady win. A third place finish for ‘Desmo Dovi’ ahead of Pramac Ducati rider Jack Miller would go down as a solid day’s work for Ducati. 

Maverick Vinales - The Spaniard may have made the wrong choice by opting for a soft compound front tyre, which cost him a shot at the race win but he held on to his second place starting position. The 13-turn, 4.428km Jerez Circuit has not been the best venue for Vinales so a second place was a welcome reward for a steady ride in which he looked to have the measure of third placed Andrea Dovizioso.

Pol Espargaro - HRC will feel validated at signing KTM’s Pol Espargaro after the Spaniard finished sixth. Espargaro’s pace was steady and he clearly rode beyond the capabilities of the KTM RC16. Teammate Brad Binder was nowhere near Espargaro whose talents will be rewarded even more when he moves to Honda next season. 

Losers

Marc Marquez - It’s not often that you see the reigning premier class champion be classified as a loser after a MotoGP race. Particularly not after the way he dominated in 2019. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has been a blessing and a curse for the six-time premier class champion. On the one hand, it allowed him to fully recover from surgery in his right shoulder last November.

But….as everyone saw, the monster crash Marquez suffered has put him back to square one. A humerus fracture in his right arm along with possible nerve damage means the recovery will be anything but straightforward. The Spaniard looked in an awful hurry to get away from the field when he almost crashed out early in the race. Then he was eager to move up to second (after dropping down to 16th) when he had a sickening high-side crash. A highly condensed calendar with back to back races has seemingly put pressure on the rider who normally dances on the line between victory and disaster. Disaster struck for him today, to the point that Marquez had to be hospitalised. It gives a great window of opportunity to everyone else. 

Honda - Marc Marquez crashing out, Cal Crutchlow crashing out before the race and Alex Marquez nowhere in contention. A weekend for Honda to forget and potentially one with serious consequences depending on how seriously Marquez is injured. 

Alex Rins - The Suzuki rider was hopeful of improving on his fourth place finish in the championship last year, but a practice crash has thrown a major spanner in the works. With the next round just a week away, it is unlikely that Rins will be back to full fitness and get his 2020 campaign back on track. 

Valentino Rossi - The former premier class champion who has not been on a MotoGP podium since the third round of the 2019 season was pretty much invisible today. Nowhere near Monster Yamaha teammate Vinales and then having to retire due to a mechanical issue means the podium-less streak continues. Quartararo and Vinales appear to be the priority for Yamaha now with Rossi’s time at the works Yamaha team slowly winding down.