2020 MotoGP preview: The strangest season starts this weekend

Four months and 11 days after the first MotoGP race of the season was supposed to take place at Losail International Circuit in Qatar, the premier class will finally race for the first time this Sunday at Circuito de Jerez Angel Nieto in Spain, with the stands empty of fans. (Moto2 and Moto3 did run in Qatar because the teams were already on site for a test before travel restrictions were imposed.)

#MotoGPisBack next week! Can't wait for the action to start 🎬💥 pic.twitter.com/ztyVbsrFZY

— Alex Rins (@Rins42) July 7, 2020

The story has changed so much since I first started putting together my notes back in February. Then, we were wondering if Marc Márquez would be fully fit by the first round after off-season shoulder surgery last November. Now, it's his regular challenger, Andrea Dovizioso, who is recovering from a broken collarbone suffered in a motocross crash. Then, we were waiting to see a MotoGP team of brothers, with Alex joining Marc at Repsol Honda. Now, the younger Márquez has lost his Repsol Honda ride for 2021 before even getting in one race. Some developments we never imagined back then are now being discussed openly, such as Dovizioso walking away from Ducati and maybe taking a year off from the sport, and — even more improbable — Jorge Lorenzo returning to racing and to Ducati.

Back then, a coronavirus outbreak in Italy and the resulting travel restrictions on the many teams based in Italy was the reason the first race was scuttled. Then, we expected to see 20 races around the world. Now, the plan is for 13 races in Europe and maybe — maybe — races in Malaysia and Thailand.

And we're still wondering if Valentino Rossi will retire some day. Some things haven't changed.

C’est parti pour Jerez 😂🇪🇸 / Jerez I’m on my way 😂🇪🇸 pic.twitter.com/BQcEcXfmmT

— Fabio Quartararo (@FabioQ20) July 13, 2020

2020, as always, looks different

Instead of a global series of races in front of throngs of fans, the 2020 MotoGp season as it currently stands consists of 13 races to be run on eight tracks in Europe, more than half of them in Spain, for TV only. Teams will be reduced in size and no media allowed. (The independent photographers who cover MotoGP have essentially been put out of business.)

The U.S. round has been canceled and the other three rounds still listed on the schedule as "TBD" are more likely than not to suffer the same fate. MotoGP has said the overseas rounds will take place only if fans can be allowed to attend.

By limiting travel and imposing protocols to try to keep the virus from spreading through the paddock, MotoGP has raised the odds that something resembling a full season of racing can take place — and also introduced new variables. How will races at the same track on back-to-back weekends affect competition? Except for the slight question of Dovizioso's collarbone, all the riders should be fully fit — they've had nothing to do but train and many have been riding on the track lately, though they're not allowed to practice on their race bikes — but who will be able to get up to cutting-edge MotoGP speed first? Then again, it's just as likely that these variables will have less effect than something more typical, like the new rear tire that Michelin has introduced for 2020.

While big changes are coming for 2021 (more on that later), the team lineups for 2020 are a lot like 2019, except for the retirement of Jorge Lorenzo. That hardly means the season is predictable, however, given the long layoff and very different schedule. After testing, riders suggested the new Michelin tire might favor bikes that rely on high corner speed, like the Yamaha and Suzuki. But Márquez and his Honda have to be favored until proven otherwise (and if you're wondering why, watch the video below, recommended by my colleague and fellow MotoGP fan Zack Courts). Can Dovizioso finally break out of second place or will the sour situation at Ducati (Dovizioso is disgruntled and Danilo Petrucci is a lame duck) hold back the team? At Yamaha, will Maverick Viñales be able to challenge more consistently this year or will Fabio Quartararo make the leap forward and finally beat Márquez instead of just coming close? At Suzuki, Alex Rins has to be considered a threat for more race wins and his teammate, Joan Mir, was fast in the earlier preseason test.

MotoGP put on a pre-race test at Jerez yesterday for all four classes (including MotoE), though it was more like a warmup than a test. The MotoGP riders got two 90-minute sessions on the track. Viñales set the fastest time, but the top 15 riders were all within one second and it's dangerous to draw any conclusions from two short sessions after such a long layoff.

Silly season, COVID-19 version

Racing action this summer has been replaced by negotiating "action." Around this time of year it's not unusual for what the paddock calls "silly season" to get into swing as riders start signing contracts for the coming year. What's different in 2020, of course, is that these career-changing decisions are being made in a vacuum, without any evidence from this season. By this point in 2020, Rossi, now 41, expected to have several races behind him and a better idea of how competitive he still is, to help him decide about retirement. Instead, he said this week that a deal for him to ride for the Petronas Yamaha team for next year is "99 percent" complete. Yamaha has already said rising star Fabio Quartararo will be on the Monster Energy Yamaha factory team next year, but promised Rossi he'd have a full factory-spec bike at his disposal at the satellite team.

Even more intrigue is taking place in the Ducati and Honda factory teams.

Even though Dovizioso has come closer than anyone to stopping Marc Márquez's championship run in recent years, having finished second in the standings the last three years, he is close to breaking with Ducati. If you watched the excellent Red Bull film "Undaunted" that I wrote about, then you understand the tension that existed in the team even in good times. Now, Ducati is reportedly looking to cut costs and reduce Dovizioso's salary. His manager, Simone Battistella, has said that it's possible Dovizioso could walk away from MotoGP for 2021 if he can't get a good deal with Ducati and no other options are available, even though he does not want to retire yet. Battisella said negotiations with Ducati would not proceed until a few races into the season.

The other seat at the Ducati team for 2021 was given to Jack Miller, who continues at Pramac Ducati this season. Petrucci is moving to the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team next year.

At Repsol Honda, Alex Márquez was brought up from Moto2 to form a team of brothers. But before he has even run his first MotoGP race, he has been replaced for 2021 by Pol Espargaró, who has been on the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team. Next year, the younger Márquez will move to the LCR Honda team, displacing Cal Crutchlow.

Meanwhile, before that was announced, Marc Márquez signed an unusual four-year contract extension. Usually, teams and riders sign one- or two-year contracts. Did Repsol Honda button up their championship winner long-term before letting him know his younger brother would be dumped from the factory team? Or was he aware of the plan? There has been a lot of speculation about how Marc's relationship with the team could be affected by his younger brother being demoted before he's even had a chance to prove himself in the top class.

A U.S. rider to watch in Moto2

With the MotoGP racers unable to make the first round in Qatar, the Moto2 and Moto3 riders got the full spotlight and Moto2, in particular, served up a couple of interesting stories. One was the first-ever victory in Moto2 by Tetsuta Nagashima, with the Red Bull KTM Ajo rider winning 10 years after his great friend, the late Shoya Tomizawa, broke through for a win. Nagashima dedicated the win to a man he remembers "like a brother."

Hmmmm...we're pretty sure Joe is dreaming about racing. We could be wrong, but, we're pretty sure we're not. #AmericanRacingTeam #MotoGP #Moto2 #Jerez #MotoGPisBack #SpanishGP pic.twitter.com/FduNEEbkLj

— American Racing Moto2 Team (@AmericanMoto2) July 14, 2020

Another story that caught the interest of U.S. fans was the pole position in Qatar by Joe Roberts of the American Racing Moto2 Team, now the only full-time U.S. rider in any MotoGP series. The team switched this year from a KTM chassis to a Kalex chassis (all Moto2 bikes use the same Triumph engine) and Roberts instantly made a big step forward. He finished fourth in the race, just a split second off the podium.

It's been a long wait to see what Roberts and his team can do the rest of the season to follow up on that first-round promise.

How to watch on TV

Since nobody is going to the track to see a MotoGP race any time soon, you'll need to know where to find the racing on TV. In the United States, NBC has the rights to air MotoGP this year. The original plan called for some of the races to air live on NBCSN and others to be shown on a tape delay on either NBCSN or NBC. The first round will be shown Sunday on NBC at 3 p.m. Eastern and on NBCSN at 7:30 p.m. Eastern, which means you'll have to avoid spoilers if you want to watch the race without knowing the results. Fans who enjoy watching all three classes will also be disappointed with NBC's reduced coverage, compared to past years. To see all the races, U.S. viewers will have to subscribe to MotoGP's VideoPass for online streaming.

Meanwhile, Zack suggested another video to get you warmed up for the 2020 season. This year, it seems speculation has shifted from "Can Rossi win another title before he retires?" to "Can Rossi win another race before he retires?" It was 20 years ago that Rossi got his first premier-class victory at Donington Park, overcoming a horrendous start from the front row to battle with Jeremy McWilliams and Kenny Roberts Jr., all three of them sliding around on totally destroyed rain tires. Consider it an appetizer and a reminder of more normal times, and then just be glad we're going back to racing.

2020 MotoGP schedule
July 19	Gran Premio Red Bull de España	Circuito de Jerez Angel Nieto, Spain
July 26	Gran Premio Red Bull de Andalucía	Circuito de Jerez Angel Nieto, Spain
August 9	Monster Energy Grand Prix České republiky	Automotodrom Brno, Czech Republic
August 16	myWorld Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich	Red Bull Ring, Austria
August 23	BMW M Grand Prix von Styria	Red Bull Ring, Austria
September 13	Gran Premio di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini	Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli, Italy
September 20	Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna e della Riviera di Rimini	Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli, Italy
September 27	Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya	Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Spain
October 11	Shark Helmets Grand Prix de France	Le Mans, France
October 18	Gran Premio Michelin de Aragón	MotorLand Aragón, Spain
October 25	Gran Premio de Teruel	MotorLand Aragón, Spain
November 8	Gran Premio de Europa	Circuit Ricardo Tormo, Spain
November 15	Gran Premio Motul de la Comunitat Valenciana	Circuit Ricardo Tormo, Spain
Canceled	Red Bull Grand Prix of The Americas	Circuit Of The Americas, United States
TBD	Gran Premio Motul de la República Argentina	Termas de Río Hondo, Argentina
TBD	OR Thailand Grand Prix	Chang International Circuit, Thailand
TBD	Shell Malaysia Motorcycle Grand Prix	Sepang International Circuit, Malaysia