All about MotoGP 2022: rules, bikes, riders, dates and more

After a last season still conditioned by the COVID-19 pandemic, the MotoGP World Championship will try to get back to normal in 2022. Dorna lifts the freeze and we will see completely new bikes for the first time in two years.

The great figure of the championship in recent decades, Valentino Rossi, will not be there, but two new teams enter the championship and five rookie drivers arrive.

Of the six manufacturers that will participate, only one (Aprilia) will maintain the concessions, in a World Cup that is expected to be very even.

The 2022 MotoGP season will be the longest in history with 21 races, including the visit to two new circuits and the return of others that have not been able to go to since 2019 due to travel restrictions.

Read below everything that is known about the 2022 MotoGP season so far.

MotoGP rider and team line-ups for 2022

In 2022 the number of riders in MotoGP will increase. After the separation of Gresini Racing from Aprilia and the entry of Valentino Rossi’s VR46 , it will go from 22 to 24 bikes .

Six teams remain unchanged: Repsol Honda (Marc Márquez and Pol Espargaró), Ducati (Pecco Bagnaia and Jack Miller), Suzuki ( Joan Mir and Álex Rins), Red Bull KTM ( Brad Binder and Miguel Oliveira), Pramac Ducati (Johann Zarco and Jorge Martín) and LCR Honda (Alex Márquez and Takaaki Nakagami).

Fabio Quartararo and Franco Morbidelli, who already ended up together in 2021, will team up again on the Monster Yamaha , as will Aleix Espargaró and Maverick Viñales on Aprilia .

Presentation dates of the 2022 motorcycles

Teams such as the newly incorporated Gresini Racing Team set their presentation on January 15 in Faenza, anticipating the launch of the RNF Yamaha , which was presented on the 24th in Verona. After that presentation, we got to know the KTMs of both the official team and Tech3.

However, it is also common for some manufacturers to show up during the tests taking advantage of the pull of the Asian public, and even others leave it for the three weeks between the end of the preseason and the first race on March 6.

This is the case of the Pramac team, which had its presentation on February 2, eight days before Aprilia . Just two days later, Yamaha and Suzuki revealed the look of their bikes and on February 7 it was Ducati’s turn.

For its part, the Repsol Honda Team set its presentation on February 8, one day later than Ducati, which was forced to change its date after Jack Miller tested positive for COVID.

The last presentation came at the hands of the VR46 Team , last Thursday, February 24

2022 MotoGP calendar: dates and circuits

MotoGP will have in 2022 the longest calendar in its history. The season brings its premiere forward compared to recent years and the first grand prix will be under the lights of Qatar on March 6. From there until July the championship will not rest more than two weeks in a row.

The second stop will be in Indonesia on March 20 for the premiere of the Mandalika Circuit that they have already visited in preseason. Argentina , after two years out due to the pandemic, will return as the third race of the year, doing a double with Austin in early April.

From there, the World Championship will return to Europe starting with Portimao (April 24), followed by Jerez, Le Mans, Mugello, Barcelona, Sachsenring, Assen and KymiRing – pending the homologation of the track – on July 10 for the return of the Finnish Grand Prix.

After a month-long break, action will resume at Silverstone on August 7. The Red Bull Ring, Misano and Motorland Aragón will close the first part of the European season before the return of the transoceanic tour, if the pandemic allows it.

The appointment at the Alcañiz track will form the only triplet of the year together with Motegi and Thailand , before a double at Phillip Island and Sepang , and the traditional closing of the season on November 6 in Valencia after 21 races.

Dates and circuits of the MotoGP tests during 2022

Although during the season the tests are limited for the manufacturers without concessions, there will be several days of official tests. The first will be after the Spanish Grand Prix, when the drivers will stay one day in Jerez on May 2, the same as on June 6 after the Catalunya GP. 

After the San Marino GP there will also be a two-day official test, on September 6 and 7 at the Misano Circuit.

Manufacturers can also organize private tests with their testers at a number of selected circuits. In the case of Aprilia , as it is the only one that still has concessions, it will be allowed extra days of testing.

How to watch the 2022 MotoGP season on television. On which channel? Paid or free?

Since 2019, DAZN has the exclusive rights to broadcast the entire MotoGP season in Spain. The current agreement ends in 2022, so it will be the last one waiting to negotiate a new contract.

However, the 2022 MotoGP season in Spain will also be broadcast through Movistar+ after the agreement signed with DAZN for the last season. The content on both platforms and the equipment present on the circuits is exactly the same.

In this way, the only legal way to see the World Cup in Spain in Spanish will be by paying. In the case of DAZN , it is worth 9.99 euros per month (99.9 euros per year), with access to other sports such as F1, WorldSBK, soccer, and more. Movistar customers must have contracted Fusion (landline, mobile and Internet) and pay an extra 10 euros per month for the engine package (Formula 1 and MotoGP).

As a third alternative in Spain there is also the possibility of contracting the official MotoGP Videopass . In this case, subscription costs €139.99, but that price includes the entire 2022 season. Of course, the narration is in English .