MotoGP - DRC's Catalan GP Preview
Multiple world champions, many local riders, overtakes , adrenaline, and the best possible atmosphere! This is what you can expect at the Catalan GP
Time for the 11th round of the season in Catalunya, with the Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya - the first of three races in September. The formbook can be chucked out of the window, with the sizzling Spanish siesta being set to be replaced by a Catalan lake - a welcome break from tire pressure issues and Pecco Bagnaia’s utter domination in a perfect weekend for the Italian - pole & wins in both the sprint & main race. Let’s (this time literally) dive into the Catalan GP weekend roundup.
There have been no changes in the Catalunya circuit layout from the previous years. It’s a fast, flowing layout with 14 corners, comprising 8 right & 6 left turns. Racing is usually dominated by the long main straight between turn 14 & turn 1 - making both a good acceleration out of the final corner and high straight-line performance critical.
Weather Forecast
It’s gonna get wettttttttt!!!! - sums up the weather forecast in a nutshell.
Friday: 20% rain chance, with avg temperature of 28 C. A mostly sunny day, with the chance of a few drizzles/random rain showers.
Saturday: 25 C average temp. Heavy rain (80% chance) with thunderstorms are predicted throughout the day - expect all sessions to be wet (with possible delays/postponement).
Sunday: Similar weather as Saturday, with an even higher rain chance (90%) with thunderstorms throughout the day. Avg temp ~23 degrees C. Warmup session & all races on the day can be expected to be wet.
Grid Changes:
Iker Lecuona will continue to replace Alex Rins at LCR Honda, who continues to recover from his injuries.
Who to look out for?
The weather will dominate the conversations for the weekend, with wet weather specialists and changeable condition maestros expected to feature - expanding the number of possible contenders.
The Formbook Guys: Championship leader Pecco Bagnaia and two of his chasers - Marco Bezzechi and Brad Binder can be expected to be in contention for victory come hell or high water - having displayed multiple brave displays in adverse weather (Bezz in this year’s Argentine GP to Binder’s 2021 slicks in the rain win). The track characteristics regardless make the Ducati the bike to be on, followed closely by the KTM and the Aprilia.
Comeback Kings: After a subpar season compared to expectations before the summer break, Aprilia’s form at Catalunya last year and the performance displayed at Silverstone in all weather conditions - a circuit with similar flow characteristics as Catalunya - could be an ideal platform for Aleix Espargaro to overwrite last year’s embarrassment. (Aleix miscounted the number of laps and slowed down and celebrated a lap early - sliding from 2nd to 5th)
The dry 2022 Catalan GP was also the site of Fabio Quartararo’s second-latest victory to date and could allow the 2021 Champion to potentially contend for the podium, with a decent pace in wet conditions in Argentina earlier this year (which could also foreshadow a Franky Morbidelli-sized surprise).
The Waterbenders: The likes of Jack Miller, Alex Marquez (fresh off the win at the flooded Silverstone sprint race), Johann Zarco, and Miguel Oliveira to feature in some form in the lead battle given the weekend forecast. The weather will erase the tire-saving debacles that have plagued Miller’s KTM stint (reminder: he won this wild race in 2016.
Zarco’s always known for his late charges, which are even more prominent in wet races, and is still waiting to break that victory duck. Oliveira’s had a horrendous season that’s been beset with injuries and a string of very unlucky & rare mechanical issues, but Silverstone seemed like a turning point (before more disappointment in Austria). The “Dentist” (yes Miguel is an actual dentist) though has quite the pedigree of wet-weather heroics (wins in Indonesia and Thailand, so Catalunya could well be the site of his first podium aboard an Aprilia
News & Rumour Circle
Johann Zarco’s move to LCR Honda for the next 2 years was confirmed after the Austrian GP. This leaves his current seat at Pramac Racing - with a factory-spec Ducati - vacant. It also won't be Zarco's first tryst with a Honda - he acted as the injury substitute for Nakagami for 3 races late in 2019.
Marco Bezzechi The VR46 MotoGP team has revealed that Marco Bezzecchi is set to remain with the outfit for 2024, paving the way for Franco Morbidelli to join Pramac. Luca Marini is likely to stay put at VR46 in 2024.
Both Jake Dixon and Tony Arbolino - candidates to replace Fabio di Giannantonio at Gresini Racing - resigned with their Moto2 teams GasGas Aspar and Marc VDS, respectively. Pedro Acosta (unlikely), Augusto Fernandez (maybe), and Joan Mir (unlikely) are linked to the seat.
Catalunya has played host to a wide range of races, from last-corner thrillers between Rossi and Lorenzo to a 4-way duel to the end in 2021. One thing is guaranteed - you will not be left longing for action - especially with the local monsoon predicted. That's all for this week's roundup - you can watch the race (and all other sessions) for free on JioCinema in India.
Schedule:
