The 2020 FIM MotoGP World Championship was the premier class of the 72nd F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship season.
The season was notably characterized by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the absence of perennial title favourite and defending champion Marc Márquez due to a serious arm injury, the high number of wins from different riders, teams and constructors, and the Yamaha engine controversy.
Joan Mir secured his maiden MotoGP title and Team Suzuki Ecstar secured their first and only team championship at the penultimate round. Mir's championship was the first for a Suzuki rider since 2000.[1] Mir won the title by 13 points ahead of Franco Morbidelli. Ducati won the constructors' championship following a 50-point deduction for Yamaha, despite having no riders in the championship's top three.
Marc Márquez and Repsol Honda Team started the season as the defending World Champion and World Constructors' champions respectively, after they both won their championships in 2019 for the fourth consecutive season. After an opening round crash resulting in a fractured humerus,[2] and an aborted return attempt the following week,[3] Márquez sat out the remainder of the season, meaning he could not win the title for a fifth consecutive time.[4] Former premier class world champion Valentino Rossi had a career-low season, finishing the championship outside of the top 7 for the first time in his career, ending 15th.
By mid-November, Joan Mir secured the riders' title with one win and seven podiums and Team Suzuki Ecstar clinched the teams' championship.[1] Ducati took the constructors' championship in the final round in Portugal, helped by the 50-point penalty handed to Yamaha earlier in the season. This was Ducati's first constructors' title since Casey Stoner's dominant 2007 season.
Riders Fabio Quartararo, Brad Binder, Miguel Oliveira, Franco Morbidelli and Joan Mir won their first premier class victories during the season and KTM took their first wins as a constructor. Five riders taking their inaugural victories in the season surpassed the record set in the 2016 season. In addition, three teams (Petronas SRT, KTM Factory Racing and Tech3, respectively) won their first races in the premier class.[5][6][7][8][9] Between the Czech Republic and Aragon Grands Prix, different riders won in eight successive races, equalling the previous record set between the 2016 Italian and San Marino Grands Prix.[10] A total of 9 different riders won a race in the season, also matching the record set in 2016.[11] Morbidelli and Quartararo won three races each, Oliveira two, with Binder, Andrea Dovizioso, Maverick Viñales, Danilo Petrucci, Álex Rins and champion Mir (in chronological order) each having won a single race.
When Joan Mir secured the riders' championship title, he became the first Suzuki rider to win the title since Kenny Roberts Jr. in 2000, the first non-Honda or non-Yamaha rider to win the title since Ducati rider Casey Stoner in 2007, as well as the first Moto3 world champion to win the premier class title.[citation needed]
The season calendar was significantly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to the cancellation or postponement of many races and an overall delay to the start of the season. On 11 June, the rescheduled calendar was confirmed, with the season beginning on 19 July with the Spanish Grand Prix in Jerez. On 31 July, the FIM announced that the remaining flyaway races were to be cancelled, marking the first time since 1986 that the premier class was held entirely within Europe.[12] With a total of only 14 rounds, it was the shortest season of 500cc/MotoGP since 1998.
- In mid-October, Valentino Rossi became the first premier class rider to test positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus, forcing him to miss the Aragon and Teruel rounds due to Italian quarantine regulations.[13][14] A longer-than-expected recovery put his return in Valencia into question, but a pair of negative tests allowed Rossi to rejoin the paddock for the Saturday sessions of the European Grand Prix.[15]
- Iker Lecuona missed the European Grand Prix due to Andorran quarantine rules for close contact with positive-tested individuals, after his brother and assistant both tested positive for the virus.[16] Lecuona later tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus himself, forcing him to miss the Valencian and Portuguese Grands Prix.[17][18]
Before the European Grand Prix in Valencia, Yamaha and its teams were handed penalties for disregarding the protocol which requires obtaining unanimous approval from the Motorcycle Sport Manufacturers Association (MSMA) for engine technical changes. Yamaha allegedly changed the specification of engine valves between the homologation freeze just before the abandoned Qatar round and the opening round in Jerez, claiming "an internal oversight". As a result, Yamaha was docked 50 points in the manufacturers' championship and the Yamaha factory team and Petronas SRT lost 20 and 37 points respectively, equal to the points scored using the non-compliant engines. No penalty was applied to individual riders' points totals.[19][20][21] Yamaha made an official statement accepting the FIM's sanctions and confirmed it would not appeal the decision.[22]
Team Constructor Motorcycle No. Rider Rounds Aprilia Racing Team Gresini Aprilia RS-GP 38
Bradley Smith[a][23][24] 1-11 32 Lorenzo Savadori[a][25] 12-14 41 Aleix Espargaró[26] All Ducati Team Ducati Desmosedici GP20 04 Andrea Dovizioso[27] All 9 Danilo Petrucci[28] All Pramac Racing 43 Jack Miller[29] All 63 Francesco Bagnaia[30] 1-3, 6-14 51 Michele Pirro[31] 4-5 Hublot Reale Avintia Racing Hublot Reale Avintia Esponsorama Racing Desmosedici GP19 5 Johann Zarco[32] All 53 Tito Rabat[33] All LCR Honda Idemitsu LCR Honda Castrol Honda RC213V 30 Takaaki Nakagami[34] All 35 Cal Crutchlow[35] 1-6, 8-14 Repsol Honda Team 73 Álex Márquez[36] All 93 Marc Márquez[37] 1-2 6 Stefan Bradl[38] 3-14 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing KTM RC16 33 Brad Binder[39] All 44 Pol Espargaró[40] All Red Bull KTM Tech3 27 Iker Lecuona[39] 1-11, 13 82 Mika Kallio[18] 14 88 Miguel Oliveira[42] All Team Suzuki Ecstar Suzuki GSX-RR 36 Joan Mir[43] All 42 Álex Rins[44] All Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Yamaha YZR-M1 12 Maverick Viñales[45] All 46 Valentino Rossi[46] 1-9, 12-14[c] 31 Garrett Gerloff[47] 12[c] Petronas Yamaha SRT 20 Fabio Quartararo[48] All 21 Franco Morbidelli[48] All Source:[49] Key Regular rider Replacement rider All teams used series-specified Michelin tyres.[50]
- Johann Zarco and Red Bull KTM Factory Racing announced midway through the 2019 season that they would end their relationship prematurely. Zarco was originally contracted through the end of 2020.[51] His seat was taken by 2016 Moto3 champion Brad Binder, who moved up to MotoGP from KTM's Moto2 program. Binder was originally slotted to replace Hafizh Syahrin at Red Bull KTM Tech3. Instead, fellow KTM Moto2 rider Iker Lecuona was promoted to the MotoGP class to replace Syahrin, who returned to Moto2.[39][52]
- Three-time MotoGP World Champion Jorge Lorenzo retired at the conclusion of the 2019 season, after 12 seasons in the premier class.[53] He was replaced at Repsol Honda Team by 2019 Moto2 champion Álex Márquez, alongside his brother Marc Márquez.[36][54] On 30 January 2020, Jorge Lorenzo was confirmed to be returning to Yamaha as a part of the manufacturer's European testing team.[55] Before the start of the season, Lorenzo confirmed that he would make a wildcard entry for Yamaha at the Catalunya round.[56] Due to the COVID-19 response, wildcard entries were later forbidden to minimize paddock personnel.[57]
- Between the Valencia and Jerez 2019 post-season tests, it was announced that Reale Avintia had elected to prematurely terminate Karel Abraham's contract which would have seen him with the team through the end of 2020. Abraham confirmed his retirement from MotoGP after 8 years in the premier class.[58] Johann Zarco joined Reale Avintia in Karel Abraham's place.[32]
- Andrea Iannone was handed a provisional suspension from all FIM-sanctioned events on 17 December 2019 for a failed doping test after the Malaysian Grand Prix. On 31 March 2020, the FIM International Disciplinary Court upheld the suspension and commuted it to an 18-month ban from the beginning of the provisional suspension.[59] Bradley Smith replaced him beginning with the first 2 rounds of 2020, as Iannone awaited the results of his appeal.[23] By mid-August, Iannone's appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) was postponed until 15 October, meaning Smith would continue as replacement rider at least until the French Grand Prix.[24] On 15 October, the CAS announced that the final decision would be made by mid-November, casting doubts on any return for Iannone before the season finale on 22 November.[60] On 10 November, the CAS announced its decision to extend Iannone's ban from 18 months to a 4-year period.[61]
- Stefan Bradl replaced Marc Márquez from the Czech Republic round onwards while he recovered from injuries sustained in an opening round crash at the Spanish Grand Prix.[38] Márquez did not return for the remainder of the season.[4]
- Ducati test rider Michele Pirro replaced Francesco Bagnaia in both Austrian rounds while Bagnaia recovered from injuries sustained in a crash during practice at the Czech Republic Grand Prix.[31]
- Valentino Rossi tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus on 15 October, requiring him to quarantine for a minimum of 10 days according to Italian law and forcing him to miss the Aragon and Teruel rounds. Yamaha confirmed that they would not field a replacement for Rossi at the Teruel round on 25 October.[13][14] After delays to Valentino Rossi's SARS-CoV-2 recovery, Yamaha World Superbike rider Garrett Gerloff was announced initially to replace Rossi at the European Grand Prix.[47] Gerloff completed the Friday sessions of free practice, before two subsequent negative tests from Rossi allowed him to return to the paddock beginning with the third practice session on Saturday.[15]
- Aprilia test rider and former World Superbike rider Lorenzo Savadori was announced to replace Bradley Smith for the final three rounds in Valencia and Portugal, subsequently ruling Andrea Iannone out of a start in 2020.[25]
- Tech3 rider Iker Lecuona was forced to sit out of the European Grand Prix in Valencia, due to Andorran quarantine rules for close contact with individuals who tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus. His brother - with whom he lived in Andorra - and his personal assistant both tested positive for the virus on 3 November, meaning Lecuona was forced into a mandatory quarantine of 10 days minimum. Tech3 elected not to replace him on such short notice.[16] Lecuona also missed the Valencian Grand Prix after he subsequently tested positive for the virus shortly before the beginning of the race weekend,[17] and subsequently the Portuguese Grand Prix on the following weekend. KTM factory test rider Mika Kallio replaced Lecuona in Portugal.[18]
The following Grands Prix took place in 2020:[62]
Round Date Grand Prix Circuit 1 19 July Gran Premio Red Bull de España[63] Circuito de Jerez - Ángel Nieto, Jerez de la Frontera 2 26 July Gran Premio Red Bull de Andalucía 3 9 August Monster Energy Grand Prix České republiky[64] Brno Circuit, Brno 4 16 August myWorld Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich[65] Red Bull Ring, Spielberg 5 23 August BMW M Grand Prix of Styria 6 13 September Gran Premio Lenovo di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini[66] Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli, Misano Adriatico 7 20 September Gran Premio Tissot dell'Emilia Romagna e della Riviera di Rimini[67] 8 27 September Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya[68] Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Montmeló 9 11 October Shark Helmets Grand Prix de France[69] Bugatti Circuit, Le Mans 10 18 October Gran Premio Michelin de Aragón[70] MotorLand Aragón, Alcañiz 11 25 October Gran Premio Liqui Moly de Teruel 12 8 November Gran Premio de Europa Circuit Ricardo Tormo, Valencia 13 15 November Gran Premio Motul de la Comunitat Valenciana[71] 14 22 November Grande Prémio MEO de Portugal[72] Algarve International Circuit, PortimãoThe following rounds were included on the original calendar, but were cancelled in response to the COVID-19 pandemic:[73]
Original Date Grand Prix Circuit 8 March[d] Qatar motorcycle Grand Prix[74] Losail International Circuit, Lusail 31 May Italian motorcycle Grand Prix Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello, Scarperia e San Piero 21 June German motorcycle Grand Prix[75] Sachsenring, Hohenstein-Ernstthal 28 June Dutch TT[76] TT Circuit Assen, Assen 12 July Finnish motorcycle Grand Prix[77] Kymi Ring, Iitti 30 August British motorcycle Grand Prix[78] Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone 22 March4 October[e] Thailand motorcycle Grand Prix[79] Chang International Circuit, Buriram 18 October Japanese motorcycle Grand Prix Twin Ring Motegi, Motegi 25 October Australian motorcycle Grand Prix[80] Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, Phillip Island 1 November Malaysian motorcycle Grand Prix[81] Sepang International Circuit, Sepang 5 April15 November[e] Motorcycle Grand Prix of the Americas[82] Circuit of the Americas, Austin 19 April22 November[e] Argentine Republic motorcycle Grand Prix[83] Autódromo Termas de Río Hondo, Termas de Río Hondo - The Finnish Grand Prix was planned to be reintroduced to the calendar after a 37-year absence. The venue hosting the round was planned to be the new Kymi Ring, instead of the Tampere Circuit used in 1962 and 1963 or the Imatra Circuit which hosted the round until 1982.[77]
- The Aragon Grand Prix was moved from the last week of September to the first week of October. It was later returned to its original schedule to allow for the rescheduled Thailand Grand Prix.[84]
The season calendar was significantly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to the cancellation or postponement of many races and an overall delay to the start of the season.
- The Qatar Grand Prix, originally scheduled to be the first round, was cancelled after Qatari quarantine measures were put in place. Travelers coming from Italy or having recently been in Italy would be required to quarantine for two weeks, creating difficulties for the many teams, riders, and suppliers based in Italy. However, the Moto2 and Moto3 races proceeded as planned, as the teams and riders were already in Qatar for their final pre-season test before the quarantine measures were implemented.[85]
- The Thailand Grand Prix was postponed on 2 March due to COVID-19 concerns.[86] It was later planned to take place on 4 October, shifting the Aragon Grand Prix forward by a week.[87]
- The Grand Prix of the Americas was postponed from 5 April to 15 November after the City of Austin implemented a state of emergency. The Valencian Grand Prix was subsequently shifted back by one week to 22 November to accommodate the Austin rescheduling.[88]
- The Argentine Grand Prix was postponed to 22 November, further shifting the finale in Valencia to 29 November.[89]
- The Spanish Grand Prix was postponed on 26 March.[90]
- The French Grand Prix was postponed on 2 April.[91]
- The Italian and Catalan Grands Prix were postponed on 7 April.[92]
- The German Grand Prix was postponed on 17 April after the German government announced a ban of all large gatherings until at least 31 August.[93]
- The Dutch TT was postponed on 23 April after the Dutch government announced a ban on all mass events until at least 1 September.[94]
- The Finnish Grand Prix was postponed on 24 April.[95]
- The German, Dutch and Finnish rounds were officially cancelled on 29 April.[96] For the first time in the championship's history, the Dutch TT was absent from the calendar.
- The British and Australian rounds were cancelled on 29 May.[97]
- The Japanese round was cancelled on 1 June.[98]
- The Italian round was officially cancelled on 10 June.[99]
- On 11 June, a new schedule based solely within Europe was announced. The season would contain 5 "double-headers" on consecutive weekends at Jerez, Austria, Misano, Aragon, and Valencia to achieve a minimum of 13 races.[62]
- The European Grand Prix returned to the calendar for the first time since 1995, held at Ricardo Tormo Circuit as the first round of the Valencian double-header.[62]
- The Grand Prix of the Americas was officially cancelled on 8 July.[100]
- The Argentine, Thai and Malaysian rounds were officially cancelled on 31 July.[101]
- On 10 August, the Portuguese Grand Prix was announced to be staging the final race of the 2020 season at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve in Portimão. It marked the first Portuguese Grand Prix since 2012, when it was held at the Autódromo do Estoril. Portimão has been MotoGP's reserve track since 2017.[72] It also marked the first time since 2001 that the season finale was not held in Valencia.
Points were awarded to the top fifteen finishers. A rider had to finish the race to earn points.
Position 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th 11th 12th 13th 14th 15th Points 25 20 16 13 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Pos. Rider Bike Team SPA ANC CZE AUT STY RSM EMI CAT FRA ARA TER EUR VAL POR Pts 1 Joan Mir Suzuki Team Suzuki Ecstar Ret 5 Ret 2 4 3 2 2 11 3 3 1 7 Ret 171 2 Franco Morbidelli Yamaha Petronas Yamaha SRT 5 Ret 2 Ret 15 1 9 4P Ret 6 1F 11 1P 3 158 3 Álex Rins Suzuki Team Suzuki Ecstar DNS 10 4 RetF 6 5 12 3 NC 1F 2 2 4 15 139 4 Andrea Dovizioso Ducati Ducati Team 3 6 11 1 5 7 8 Ret 4 7 13 8 8 6 135 5 Pol Espargaró KTM Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 6 7 Ret Ret 3P F 10 3 Ret 3 12 4 3P 3 4 135 6 Maverick Viñales Yamaha Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP 2 2 14 10P Ret 6P 1P 9 10 4 7 13 10 11 132 7 Jack Miller Ducati Pramac Racing 4 Ret 9 3 2 8 Ret 5 Ret 9 Ret 6 2F 2 132 8 Fabio Quartararo Yamaha Petronas Yamaha SRT 1P 1P F 7 8 13 Ret 4 1F 9P 18P 8 14 Ret 14 127 9 Miguel Oliveira KTM Red Bull KTM Tech3 8 Ret 6 Ret 1 11 5 Ret 6 16 6 5 6 1P F 125 10 Takaaki Nakagami Honda LCR Honda Idemitsu 10 4 8 6 7 9 6 7 7 5 RetP 4 Ret 5 116 11 Brad Binder KTM Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 13 Ret 1F 4 8 12 Ret 11 12 11 Ret 7F 5 Ret 87 12 Danilo Petrucci Ducati Ducati Team 9 Ret 12 7 11 16 10 8 1 15 10 10 15 16 78 13 Johann Zarco Ducati Esponsorama Racing 11 9 3P Ret 14 15 11 Ret 5F 10 5 9 Ret 10 77 14 Álex Márquez Honda Repsol Honda Team 12 8 15 14 16 17 7 13 2 2 Ret Ret 16 9 74 15 Valentino Rossi Yamaha Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Ret 3 5 5 9 4 Ret Ret Ret Ret 12 12 66 16 Francesco Bagnaia Ducati Pramac Racing 7 Ret DNS 2F RetF 6 13 Ret Ret Ret 11 Ret 47 17 Aleix Espargaró Aprilia Aprilia Racing Team Gresini Ret Ret 10 11 12 13 Ret 12 14 13 Ret Ret 9 8 42 18 Cal Crutchlow Honda LCR Honda Castrol DNS 13 13 15 17 DNS 10 Ret 8 11 Ret 13 13 32 19 Stefan Bradl Honda Repsol Honda Team 18 17 18 18 DNS 17 8 17 12 12 14 7 27 20 Iker Lecuona KTM Red Bull KTM Tech3 Ret Ret Ret 9 10 14 Ret 14 15 14 9 WD 27 21 Bradley Smith Aprilia Aprilia Racing Team Gresini 15 12 17 13 19 19 13 16 Ret 19 15 12 22 Tito Rabat Ducati Esponsorama Racing 14 11 16 16 21 Ret Ret 15 Ret 20 14 Ret 17 18 10 23 Michele Pirro Ducati Pramac Racing 12 20 4 24 Mika Kallio KTM Red Bull KTM Tech3 17 0 25 Lorenzo Savadori Aprilia Aprilia Racing Team Gresini Ret 18 Ret 0 Marc Márquez Honda Repsol Honda Team RetF DNS 0 Garrett Gerloff Yamaha Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP WD 0 Pos. Rider Bike Team SPA ANC CZE AUT STY RSM EMI CAT FRA ARA TER EUR VAL POR Pts Source:[102] Race key Colour Result Gold Winner Silver 2nd place Bronze 3rd place Green Points finish Blue Non-points finish Non-classified finish (NC) Purple Retired (Ret) Red Did not qualify (DNQ) Did not pre-qualify (DNPQ) Black Disqualified (DSQ) White Did not start (DNS) Withdrew (WD) Race cancelled (C) Blank Did not practice (DNP) Did not arrive (DNA) Excluded (EX) Annotation Meaning P Pole position F Fastest lap Rider key Colour Meaning Light blue Rookie rider Each constructor received the same number of points as their best placed rider in each race.
Pos. Constructor SPA ANC CZE AUT STY RSM EMI CAT FRA ARA TER EUR VAL POR Pts 1 Ducati 3 6 3 1 2 2 8 5 1 7 5 6 2 2 221 2 Yamaha 1 1 2 5 9 1 1 1 9 4 1 11 1 3 204[f] 3 Suzuki Ret 5 4 2 4 3 2 2 11 1 2 1 4 15 202 4 KTM 6 7 1 4 1 10 3 11 3 11 4 3 3 1 200 5 Honda 10 4 8 6 7 9 6 7 2 2 11 4 13 5 144 6 Aprilia 15 12 10 11 12 13 13 12 14 13 15 Ret 9 8 51 Pos. Constructor SPA ANC CZE AUT STY RSM EMI CAT FRA ARA TER EUR VAL POR Pts Source:[102]The teams' standings were based on results obtained by regular and substitute riders.
Pos. Team BikeNo. SPA ANC CZE AUT STY RSM EMI CAT FRA ARA TER EUR VAL POR Pts 1 Team Suzuki Ecstar 36 Ret 5 Ret 2 4 3 2 2 11 3 3 1 7 Ret 310 42 DNS 10 4 RetF 6 5 12 3 NC 1F 2 2 4 15 2 Petronas Yamaha SRT 20 1P 1P F 7 8 13 Ret 4 1F 9P 18P 8 14 Ret 14 248[g] 21 5 Ret 2 Ret 15 1 9 4P Ret 6 1F 11 1P 3 3 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 33 13 Ret 1F 4 8 12 Ret 11 12 11 Ret 7F 5 Ret 222 44 6 7 Ret Ret 3P F 10 3 Ret 3 12 4 3P 3 4 4 Ducati Team 04 3 6 11 1 5 7 8 Ret 4 7 13 8 8 6 213 9 9 Ret 12 7 11 16 10 8 1 15 10 10 15 16 5 Pramac Racing 43 4 Ret 9 3 2 8 Ret 5 Ret 9 Ret 6 2F 2 183 51 12 20 63 7 Ret DNS 2F RetF 6 13 Ret Ret Ret 11 Ret 6 Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP 12 2 2 14 10P Ret 6P 1P 9 10 4 7 13 10 11 178[h] 31 WD 46 Ret 3 5 5 9 4 Ret Ret Ret Ret 12 12 7 Red Bull KTM Tech3 27 Ret Ret Ret 9 10 14 Ret 14 15 14 9 WD 152 82 17 88 8 Ret 6 Ret 1 11 5 Ret 6 16 6 5 6 1P F 8 LCR Honda 30 10 4 8 6 7 9 6 7 7 5 RetP 4 Ret 5 148 35 DNS 13 13 15 17 DNS 10 Ret 8 11 Ret 13 13 9 Repsol Honda Team 6 18 17 18 18 DNS 17 8 17 12 12 14 7 101 73 12 8 15 14 16 17 7 13 2 2 Ret Ret 16 9 93 RetF DNS 10 Esponsorama Racing 5 11 9 3P Ret 14 15 11 Ret 5F 10 5 9 Ret 10 87 53 14 11 16 16 21 Ret Ret 15 Ret 20 14 Ret 17 18 11 Aprilia Racing Team Gresini 32 Ret 18 Ret 54 38 15 12 17 13 19 19 13 16 Ret 19 15 41 Ret Ret 10 11 12 13 Ret 12 14 13 Ret Ret 9 8 Pos. Team BikeNo. SPA ANC CZE AUT STY RSM EMI CAT FRA ARA TER EUR VAL POR Pts Source:[102]- Official website
