The 2022 MotoGP season kicks off this weekend with the Qatar Grand Prix at Losail. The Qatari track brings back fond memories of Stefan Bradl , as the HRC test rider replaced Marc Márquez at both races in Qatar last year and drove the Spaniard’s factory Honda. This year, Bradl will only be there as an observer.
With less than 24 hours to go before MotoGP closes the curtain on the 2022 season, Stefan Bradl sees Marc Márquez as the top favourite. ” Marc Márquez has 90% of the way done to win races. I still think he is the best rider in the category,” explains the Honda test rider before the start of the season.
But, unlike in the past, the German assures that it will not be so easy for the #93. “Fabio Quartararo and Pecco Bagnaia will be there for sure. Also, I think Joan Mir could still qualify for it. Then there are Jack Miller, Franco Morbidelli, Pol Espargaró and many others who are on the lookout,” added Bradl.
Quartararo arrives as reigning champion for the 2022 MotoGP season. “He knows how to divide the races and drive consistently throughout the season,” acknowledges Bradl. “Maybe he doesn’t have the best bike, but he has a solid bike. The only question is how he can cope with the pressure of being champion.”
Ducati , for its part, is attacking with eight riders in the new season, representing a third of the entire grid. “After two manufacturers’ world championships, Ducati now clearly wants to win the drivers’ title,” says Bradl, who sees Pecco Bagnaia as the spearhead of the Italians in the works driver.
“Pecco has the speed and exudes a lot of calm. It is very difficult to make a prediction at the beginning of the season, but many things can happen,” he continues.
On the other hand, KTM does not start as the favourite, but Bradl believes that “they have to make up ground and also have what it takes to be on the podium regularly again. They worked hard in winter, but we still have to give them time”.
With 21 race weekends, the 2022 MotoGP season is the longest in history. “We have reached a point where it is more than enough. The burden on the drivers and the teams is immense. Even if we are getting back to normal, the pandemic will still be with us,” concluded the German on ServusTV.
