Marc Márquez’s injury in 2020 left MotoGP without its benchmark in recent years and equality became the dominant trend. Up to nine different drivers came to win one of the 14 races of the season, with five of them debuting their record in the premier class.
The one from Cervera (Lleida) was injured for almost nine months and did not reappear until the third date of 2021 . Márquez did it still physically diminished and with a Honda that still prevents him from showing his best version to exercise the usual dominance.
One name stands out above the rest this season in MotoGP: Fabio Quartararo. The French driver is being the strongest and the most regular. He has four wins and two podiums in nine races. In addition, he leads the championship with a 34-point advantage.
Four runners have shared the five remaining grand prizes in which the Frenchman has not taken out the roller. Maverick Viñales won at the start of the season in Qatar , but since then he has not been able to repeat. Jack Miller benefited from El Diablo ‘s compartment syndrome problem at Jerez to lift the win and repeated at Le Mans . Miguel Oliveira prevailed in Barcelona in the midst of the mess with the #20 overall , while no one could lay hands on Márquez in Germany , for yet another year.
Thus, in the first nine races of the 2021 season we have seen five different winners, the highest number at this point since Márquez came to MotoGP in 2013 , except last year when there were six in his absence.
In the Márquez era, there were only more than five winners in the entire season in 2016 , when it reached nine as in 2020, but at this point in the course the count was four.
Half the MotoGP grid took advantage of Márquez’s ‘drought’
The loss of Márquez opened the range of options in MotoGP to the point of equaling the record for different winners in 2020 . In 2021 things have not changed much and in total there are 10 riders who have won in the 22 grand prix that elapsed between Marc Márquez’s victory at the 2019 Valencia GP and the German GP this year.
To those already named above, this year, we must add Andrea Dovizioso (1), Danilo Petrucci (1), Brad Binder (1), Joan Mir (1), Álex Rins (1) and Franco Morbidelli (3). They, along with names like Johann Zarco or Pecco Bagnaia – who have not yet released their record in MotoGP – will try to continue to grow the list of different winners in the remainder of 2021.
MotoGP winners between the last two victories of Marc Márquez
| Pilot | Number of wins |
| fabio quartararo | 7 |
| Franco Morbidelli | 3 |
| Miguel Oliveira | 3 |
| Maverick Vinales | two |
| Jack Miller | two |
| Alex Rins | 1 |
| Joan Mir | 1 |
| Brad Binder | 1 |
| Andrea Dovizioso | 1 |
| Danilo Petrucci | 1 |
