Thoughts by Kate Adams
Well, we have had a little time to decompress from what was a wild and wonderful season. It's also time for me to try and wrap up my thoughts on the season. To start, I thought I would share my rider ratings for the year. I'd also like to mention that each and every one of these riders is incredible at what they do; some were more fortunate than others, and some had packages that were just formidable.
In reverse alphabetical order:
Johann Zarco - 6.5/10: While, depending on who you ask, this could be a harsh rating for someone who finished fifth in the world championship, I would counter that with the fact that Zarco has the experience and the bike to boot. He had the potential to be fighting for the championship. However, I am overjoyed for the Frenchman that we did get to see that backflip before he heads off to develop that Honda.
Maverick Vinales - 7/10: While Vinales didn't quite collect the results I was hoping for pre-season, he did perform strongly throughout. Although struggling with the starts, once he got them hooked up, he managed to frequently be the top-performing Aprilia rider, held back frequently by Aprilia's continuous technical difficulties, which hampered his weekends.
Alex Rins - 9/10: Perhaps the biggest disappointment for the year for me was the fact that we didn't get to see what Alex Rins could do over the longer term for Honda. Alex stepped up immediately to the Honda; although on a satellite team, he overcame challenges to take a win at COTA. His season was cut short by a horrific leg injury after a crash. Even with this injury, when he was on track post-recovery, he put in strong performances, making him well deserving of this rating.
@Michelin
Fabio Quartararo - 6/10: Struggling from the opening race, we knew this season would be tough for the Frenchman. We saw the Ducatis blitz past the Yamaha on the straight. Despite this, Quartararo consistently pushed the limits of the bike to secure some good places and even made it onto the podium. I imagine that is of little comfort to the 2021 world champion, who only finished P10 in the standings.
Miguel Oliveira - 4/10: It could be argued that a large part of Oliveira's season could be written off due to his sheer bad luck. Frequently getting nudged by other riders, he was forced to sit out multiple races. We cannot ignore the fact that these incidents occurred (some caused by Oliveira himself) because of Oliveira's poor qualifying.
Takaaki Nakagami - 3/10: While frequently throughout the year Nakagami was the best-performing Honda, it is clear to many that Nakagami is running in 'safe mode.' While I don't blame him for this given the sheer number of injuries we see Honda riders collect, it's still disappointing to see from a racer.
Franco Morbidelli - 5/10: Although we seem to be seeing the old Franco back, his season was marred by results that didn't quite measure up to that of his teammate. Morbidelli did show that he can achieve good results. While I think a large part of his poor performance can be linked to the package he finds himself with, I was hopeful we would see more from him this season.
Joan Mir - 3/10: Similar to Morbidelli above, Mir's performance was significantly hampered by the fact that he and that Honda did not gel. The reason I have ranked him so low is partly due to his poor results on the Honda, but also partly due to the fact that he moved to Honda along with Alex Rins, who looked much stronger and adapted much quicker.
Jack Miller - 4/10: Miller is perhaps my biggest disappointment of the season. His season started off strong with some great results that saw him battle the Ducatis. It then tapered off in the middle of the year and never really came together. It could be summarized with his crash out of the lead in the final race of the season.
@Michelin
Jorge Martin - 8/10: This season, Martin made major strides in terms of maturity, consistency, and courage. After being passed over for the Factory Ducati ride, it would have been easy for the Spaniard to lose his cool and continue to have mixed results. While not a perfect season, his high rating reflects the progress Martin has made in becoming a more complete rider.
Marc Marquez - 6.5/10: Although outshined by his Honda counterpart Alex Rins, I do have to give a nod to Marc Marquez, who consistently placed the Honda in positions it shouldn't be. Picking up a Grand Prix podium along with two sprint podiums, it was still a tough season for the Honda rider with yet more injuries.
Alex Marquez - 7/10: Adapting well to the Ducati, Alex Marquez picked up strong results. While it would be easy to overlook the Gresini rider with him picking up some unfortunate injuries mid-season, it highlights the potential for the Spaniard to achieve good results next season.
Luca Marini - 5/10: While not the worst Ducati rider, I feel as though Marini's experience should be taken into account. Consistently outperformed by his teammate and other Ducati riders, Marini seems to be missing something with this package.
Raul Fernandez - 5.5/10: This could have easily been a much lower score, with Raul Fernandez's results really not coming at the start of the season. However, in the second half of the season, Fernandez progressed rapidly to find himself battling with the Factory Aprilia riders and outperforming them in the final race.
Augusto Fernandez - 7.5/10: Rookie of the year; need I say more? Okay, kidding aside, a strong season for the rookie, picking up good midfield results and often being the rider who gained the most positions are just some notable mentions. Augusto Fernandez was a frequent point scorer, and he picked up his best result of P4 in France this year.
@Box Repsol
Pol Espargaro - 5/10: Our departing GasGas rider had a season that was soured by his horrific crash in the opening round at Portugal, which saw the rider pick up serious injuries. When he did return, it was to news he might [and ultimately did] lose his seat to another rider, which would have played on his mind. Ultimately, he did pick up regular points, which is incredible considering the severity of that initial accident.
Alex Espargaro - 6.5/10: Admittedly, Aleix, I'm penalizing an extra 0.5 due to his on-track incident with Franco Morbidelli and his ultimate lack of remorse. That aside, the Aprilia rider had a strong season that was marred later with frequent crashes but overall a season that was impressive.
Fabio DiGiannantonio - 8/10: A rider in his second season who wins a race is always one who deserves credit. Unfortunately for Diggia, his results came late in the season after working with his crew chief to change some settings. Once these settings were changed, however, he got consistent top-10 results, culminating in his maiden win at Qatar.
Brad Binder - 8/10: The highest-scoring non-Ducati rider had a strong season from the first race. Binder showed consistency throughout the year that was only hampered by some last-lap incidents that saw him lose positions for exceeding track limits. While at the start of his season he was held back by poor qualifying, towards the end of the season, we saw Binder take steps forward across the board, and his results reflected this.
Marco Bezzecchi - 10/10: While on a year-old bike, Marco Bezzecchi scored good result after good result, leaving him in the championship battle right until the closing stages of the season. Ultimately finishing with a P3 in the standings, the Italian is my rider of the season after his excellent performance on track.
Enea Bastianini - 4/10: Yet another rider who had their season marred by injury, The Beast was able to score a couple of good results through the season but was not able to get enough bike time to make the steps required to consistently score with the Factory Ducati bike.
Francesco Bagnaia - 8/10: Although the world champion defended his position and holds onto the number 1 plate for another year, it didn't come without troubles and mistakes. Ultimately, Bagnaia overcame adversity and put on a powerful performance this year, making him a worthy world champion.
@VR46
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