The official test in Qatar begins tomorrow, and this year it is more important than ever. With only 5 days of testing (6 for teams with rookies and those with concessions) on a single circuit, this should be a crucial week for all teams and drivers to best prepare for the season.
All teams being subject to the technical engine freeze, except Aprilia, we must therefore expect to see many visual developments on the motorcycles, undoubtedly more than in the past.
The teams worked hard this winter in the areas that were allowed by the regulations: exhausts, aerodynamics, small chassis adjustments and electronic advances.
With Qatar being the only circuit where MotoGP teams will carry out pre-season testing, it is even more crucial that they carefully evaluate the new parts. This is reminiscent of Honda last year, where their new aero worked at Sepang but not in Qatar.
Let's start with Aprilia, which is the only manufacturer who has the most to gain and the least to lose in this 2021 season.
The all-new RS-GP that appeared last season allowed them to find speed they didn't have before. But, due to a lack of track testing time, they later discovered engine longevity issues that forced them to limit the revs, and amounted to conceding a power deficit compared to other factories.
Once again, it seems that Aprilia has a good chassis which makes for a relatively maneuverable bike, but they don't have the power to compete with the other bikes. With the Noale factory being the only team allowed to develop their engine during the off-season, it's a safe bet that they've been working hard to close the gap.
Thus, the 2021 RS-GP seems to have received developments at the engine level, a reworked chassis, a new carbon swingarm, new exhausts and that the engineers have worked a lot on the development of their electronic assembly.
If this package works, it's a safe bet that this machine will regularly be in the top 10.
Honda will also be one of the teams to watch in 2021. HRC suffered the most complicated season in their history, but despite this, the Japanese machines fought for a victory in Aragon and reached the podium twice with a rookie driver, Alex Marquez.
Everyone knows the story of Marc Marquez and his injury. With the nine-time World Champion only now returning to training, it seems his return is still uncertain. So, Honda has worked hard since 2020 to make the RC213V more passable for everyone..
The new chassis seen here is very different. The main beam is taller, with a much wider profile and the section below is also very different. It's this section that's intriguing because the swingarm, rear linkage, and rear shock are all bolted to this area. There are a lot of stresses going through this part of the chassis and such a big change in the design will definitely affect how the bike handles on the track.
Honda also tested a new exhaust in Jerez. With engine development frozen for all but Aprilia, optimizing power delivery by changing the exhaust appears to have been a concern of many teams.
We also remember that Yamaha wanted to modify its exhaust last year. With concerns about the longevity of their engine, it seemed like the idea of the megaphone exhaust was to reduce pressure on the valves and try to find some horsepower as well.
With engine development on hold, this could be another difficult year for Yamaha, but it's worth remembering that once Yamaha fixed the problem with its valves, no further engine malfunctions marred the 2020 season. team in tune.
One of the other black spots at Yamaha is the inconsistency of their 2020 machine. Franco Morbidelli finished 2nd in the World Championship last season with a 2019 machine, meaning he finished ahead of the three Yamaha factory 2020.
What will Yamaha's new machine look like during the Qatar tests? Will we see some chassis tweaks? No doubt, but the question remains open, because it is also the only brand which did not carry out tests during the off-season.
Although the Yamaha factory motorcycles finished 6th, 8th and 15th respectively in the World Championship standings, they achieved 4 victories and 3 podiums. So it looks like Yamaha has at least part of their package working, they probably just need to find a few small changes to improve their consistency. We should expect to see some developments on the Yamaha, but probably no revolution for 2021.
KTM had its best season in the premier category by far: three victories, one for Brad Binder and two for Miguel Oliveira, who will be teammates in the factory team in 2021.
The bike had phenomenal engine performance in 2020, one of the strongest of the year, but it had grip issues, whether it was traction coming out of corners or when the track temperature was a little warmer. low.
The Austrian team have been working hard to fine-tune their RC16 for 2021, and despite Mika Kallio's recent injury, it's safe to assume that the guidance Dani Pedrosa gives will be valuable during testing.
Suzuki finally regained the status of “Champion” after 20 long years, and this team was also very popular.
The key to Suzuki's success was the GSX-RR's relatively delicate nature with tires. The drivers arrive at the end of the race with less tire wear than their competitors. Much of this is due to their chassis. It's believed to be a bit softer than others, meaning it flexes at high lean angles, allowing the chassis to act as suspension and relieve tire pressure on the angle.
But it is also this same strength which gives them their greatest weakness: the Suzukis are rarely well placed in qualifying. And for good reason, to do a good qualifying lap, you need a stiffer chassis. Tire wear is not a problem for qualifying, it's about pushing everything to the limit.
If Suzuki is able to tweak its chassis to improve in qualifying and keep their delicate nature with tires, the other teams could be in a tough spot again this year.
Ducati is the only factory that fields 6 bikes on the grid, which allows them to collect even more data, with varied riding styles. Whether in the official team, completely renewed this year, but also with the experience of Johann Zarco at Pramac or even the beginners Jorge Martin, Luca Marini and Enea Bastianini, it is a safe bet that the GP21s of the Borgo Panigale factory will make the talk this year.
The Ducatis are regularly ahead in top speed, which is notably due to their phenomenal power and technical innovations such as the Holeshot Device, which can now be used while riding and which the other factories also use. However, power means tire wear, and it was also the tires that gave them problems last year. That said, Ducati has been the most innovative brand for many years. Some videos of the hard work of Ducati engineers and technicians during the winter, as well as photos of the GP21, lead us to believe that numerous technical developments will allow it to overcome these problems: a new Salad-Box, a redesigned holeshot device are just a few pieces that have already been seen on the track!
Indeed, the secrets of Gigi Dall'Igna and her technical team allowed the Bologna factory to be crowned Manufacturers' World Champion in 2020, and the 2021 objective is to win the triple crown.
This year's Qatar tests are even more important than other years. Given that this is the only track that factory drivers can race on before the start of the season, every running session will be crucial.
The teams already have a lot of data from previous years, they know what works in Qatar, what doesn't and what it can mean when they go to other circuits. The engineers are going to be very busy in the coming weeks, going through pages and pages of data, finding the inconsistencies, the good points, the bad points.
When the checkered flag flies during the final test session on March 12, we must hope that all teams are ready for the 2021 season, which promises to be exciting!
Photos: Dorna
