Alex Marquez brought good news about his brother, but his convictions are less good about the holding of the 2021 MotoGP calendar. The year 2020 is coming to an end and it will have been marked by the Covid-19 pandemic which turned everything upside down. Social distancing, confinement and other health measures have turned the sporting, social and economic landscape upside down. A situation to rank among bad memories? Alex Marquez reminds us that we are not out of the woods…
If there is one wish that many will pronounce this evening, it is that of a coronavirus, of a Covid-19, in short, of a pandemic, eradicated so that we can find normalcy of good quality in all sectors of activity. THE MotoGP whose corporate name is to organize a World Championship sees this as an essential existential question, because the planet is its work space.
This year, promoter Dorna with his boss Carmelo Ezpeleta have achieved the feat of rebuilding a championship in the face of this terrible adversity. MotoGP therefore knows how to survive. But he also wants to develop. And resume its march forward in 2021.
However, even with vaccination campaigns underway, the health situation is not yet under control. And the start of the school year will begin in mid-February, for the start of the season at the end of March. Will the situation be sufficiently healthy to only think about motorcycles? Alex Marquez don't believe it.
Public chat Moto.it, the brother of a Marc, of whom he also brought good news, said: “ honestly, I don't think all the races will take place, especially the early season ones in Austin and Argentina ". This is a clear opinion. He pursues : " the Sepang tests are also not clear. I see that it is more feasible to start in Qatar and do the first part of the championship in Europe. We will see, because with the pandemic it is impossible to make predictions, everything changes from one month to the next ».
Even after the start of the year, there will be travel restrictions around the world that aim to help limit the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. Some countries have closed their borders, others rely on strict quarantine rules. Since the MotoGP would like to test Sepang in Malaysia in February with as few complications as possible, officials are working on an exceptional procedure with regard to the health rules in force in the country.
Alex Marquez pessimistic, but Dorna works with Malaysia
According to information from 'Motorsport-Total.com', it should provide for the lifting of the seven-day quarantine, legally required after entry. Currently, travelers who can present a negative PCR test must quarantine for seven days before being allowed to travel in public.
The first MotoGP pre-season test is scheduled for February 19 to 21. MotoGP promoter Dorna works with team association IRTA, Razlan Razali, former CEO of the track and current team boss Petronas Yamaha, and the Malaysian government on a special regulation allowing MotoGP entry without quarantine.
A powerful argument in favor of this special regulation is the bubble in which the participants of the MotoGP. The system proved itself during the 2020 season. Constant testing and a lockdown on the outside world allows positive cases to be quickly identified and isolated.
