There’s no reason to think any four of those names won’t be able to push for the 75th edition of the crown until the season concludes in late November. The Bagnaia-Bastianini dynamic plus Marquez’s full return should add a touch of needle to competitive proceedings that were, at times, overly cordial last year. And that’s before we get to Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda) who, in his own words, is “fully recovered” from the injury woes that plagued each of his previous three seasons. Some of the major technical flaws that plagued 2021 champ Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha) last year appear to have been rectified. But there are early signs reigning champion Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo) will face sterner tests from within his own factory, with grinning assassin Enea Bastianini fronting up as his well-resourced teammate. Preseason testing has indicated the Ducati hegemony witnessed in the second half of last year very much remains.

Eventually the 2022 fare whittled the contenders down to two by November.

There is heightened competition, too, with Ducati continuing to raise the bar over the off season.

Little wonder riders, technicians and team members alike are preparing with more than a little trepidation of what’s ahead.Īnd not just because there will be more racing than ever. The 21 rounds that lie ahead in 18 different countries will be a challenge like no other. A short Saturday race (run at half distance of the Sunday’s Blue Ribbon event) at each round means riders face a whopping 42 races over a hectic nine months where a grand total of 777 points are on offer (that’s 277 more than 2022).

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