They say that the MotoGP season doesn’t start properly until the circus sets up in Jerez. The opening races of the season usually generate more confusion than clarity, as the white heat of on-track battle exposes weaknesses (and strengths) that lay hidden during testing.
Trying to iron those issues at the tracks we open the season on can be tough. Michelin bring a special heat-resistant tire to Buriram, because of the heat and the many long and fast straights. Termas de Rio Hondo barely gets used, so conditions in Argentina change pretty much session by session. Austin is long, demanding, and despite the huge improvement of the last resurfacing, still pretty bumpy.
Qatar is the first track which brings a pinch of clarity to proceedings, given it is usually used for testing before the season opener. But Qatar is a night race, with practice during the day, and dust and sand on the circuit. Consistent conditions are something of a pipe dream.
The known known
Then Jerez. It is a track pretty much everyone in the paddock can dream. Even the greenest of paddock denizens will at the very least have watched countless races at the circuit. All of the riders have raced there dozens, if not hundreds of times, split among Spanish championships, regional championships, European championships, Red Bull Rookies and all of the support classes.
Moto2 and Moto3 riders test there multiple times a season, and by the time they arrive in MotoGP, they could ride it backward, blindfold, and sitting back to front. It would be incorrect to say they know every stone in the tarmac intimately. They know each surface facet and irregularity of every stone in the tarmac intimately.
It’s not just the riders. The teams, the factories, and the tire makers know the track better than they know their bikes. They test here so often that it doesn’t even matter if conditions are different from morning to afternoon. They have so much data they can correct for that automatically.
Testing lost
Having said that, the factories arrive in Jerez very slightly less prepared than usual. Intense rain and flooding caused minor damage to the track in February, causing a temporary closure. And the strange and wet winter and spring has severely disrupted testing plans for all of the factories. KTM lost two private tests to conditions over the winter, and they are typical of MotoGP manufacturers. There will be new parts at Jerez – there always are, especially as there is a test on Monday – but those parts haven’t already lapped the Andalusian circuit hundreds of times.
What makes Jerez such an important track for testing? Mainly, it’s location in Europe, it’s relatively predictable weather, and the fact it is affordable to rent. It has a little bit of everything, except for a really high speed straight. And it is what you might call an archetypal European track: not too wide, not too long, a decent surface, and just enough elevation change to get an understanding of the dynamics. And of course it is a very pleasant place to be stuck for a few days to test.
So well-known is Jerez among fans and followers that I am tempted to skip on the usual description of the track layout. But I can’t quite do that. So instead, a few personal notes from walking the track. (I, too, know the circuit intimately.)
The front straight, with grandstands opposite pit lane, glides under the Flying Saucer that houses the bigwigs that come to gawp at the spectacle that is MotoGP. It has housed royalty at times, and will again, the former Spanish king Juan Carlos being a massive MotoGP fan. But as you pass under the VIP UFO, the track starts to rise surprisingly steeply, steep enough to make you catch your breath as you walk up to Turn 1.
The first right hander is a victim of the increasing speed of MotoGP, the barrier having already been pushed back because of the velocity at which the bikes enter the corner. It is also a prime overtaking spot, though it is early in the lap to be getting past other riders.
A short blast along the hill before the tight right of Turn 2, another place where riders like to chance a pass. Then flick left and slightly downhill into the fast right of Turn 3, before short shifting up through Turn 4. This is a vicious spot, having caught out many a champion in its time. Mick Doohan essentially ended his career after a crash here, and Marc Márquez nearly did the same in 2020.
Fire in the hole
Scrub off speed to enter the long right of Turn 5, then hug the inside of the kerb, using the extra grip of the anti-slip paint to get more drive and fire down the hill and onto the back straight. On toward the next best place to overtake: the hairpin at Turn 6, once Dry Sack, now Dani Pedrosa corner. It is tight enough to allow you to outbrake someone, but wide enough that if you don’t get it exactly right, they’ll just dive underneath and take the position back.
Out of Turn 6 and quickly up another couple of gears to the fast left of Turn 7, and a section of the track with very little run off. Then accelerate hard up toward Turn 8, and a perfect place to stand for anyone lucky enough to have service road access, as the bikes feel close enough to reach out and high five the riders. You can see where they look, watch them use the control, squeeze the brake lever and massage the gas.
From the exit of Turn 8, the riders enter the cauldron of the stadium section. From here, it is hard to actually hear the 130 dB MotoGP machines, the crowd scream so loud. The two tight rights at Nieto and Peluquí, with a dot of gas between the two, then aim to maximize drive out of Turn 10. Pick the bike up right to fire out of Peluquí and down toward the two fast rights at Turns 11 and 12.
Blown away
But beware of the cross winds that plague that section. Nine times out of ten, the wind will blow across the water storage lake and push you wide and into the gravel between 11 and 12. But sometimes, the wind has turned and it hits you broadside as you emerge from the protection of the grandstand, and the restaurant with the best views on the calendar.
By then, you have your hands full thinking of how to take the final corner. Turn 13, or Jorge Lorenzo as it is now known, is infamous. It is perfect for overtaking, but easy to be aggressive. The number of sour faces in parc ferme that corner has produced must surely be a record. Valentino Rossi vs Sete Gibernau, Rossi vs Jorge Lorenzo, Marc Márquez vs Jorge Lorenzo, Mick Doohan vs Alex Crivillé. So many famous and controversial battles.
There’s a good reason for all the controversy, of course. If you can get into the corner first, there’s a good chance you can cross the line first. But it is not a given: try to hard and dive too deep, and the rider you just passed can cut back earlier and get on the gas before you, passing you back on the short run to the line. It is a very fine last section of track.
Red wave
Once upon a time, Jerez, with all its long corners, was kryptonite for Ducati. It was the track Casey Stoner dreaded, where Andrea Dovizioso knew he just had to grit his teeth and take whatever crumbs were left to him. But those days are long gone: the last four editions of the Spanish Grand Prix were all won by riders on Ducatis. The last three by Pecco Bagnaia.
Is Jerez now a Ducati track? Jack Miller’s 2021 victory only happened after Fabio Quartararo started suffering with arm pump when leading and went backwards in the second half of the race. Bagnaia’s 2022 win over Fabio Quartararo came when the Yamaha rider was clearly faster than the Ducati all race, but simply couldn’t find a way to pass him. In 2023, Bagnaia battled the KTMs of Brad Binder and Jack Miller all the way to a line, producing an absolute thriller.
The 2024 round was very much a Ducati redwash, but that doesn’t make Jerez a Ducati track. Nowadays, every track is a Ducati track.
Last year’s Spanish GP does offer the prospect of a tough battle. In the second half of the race, Marc Márquez chased down Pecco Bagnaia and took the fight to him, it taking Bagnaia three or four laps before he could regain the upper hand. This year, of course, Márquez is back on a Ducati, with less to learn, and with his bike very much dialed in. Bagnaia arrives in Spain fresh off a successful weekend in Qatar – despite losing to Márquez – and with a win in COTA in his pocket.
Most importantly, Bagnaia is starting to get comfortable with the Ducati GP25. He found a way brake how he wants to, which solved most of his problems. His problem remains with Saturdays, however, the pattern of “S**t Saturday’s, good Sundays” continuing from last year. The mysterious issue of the sprint race fuel tank will be one of the problems he will hope to address, preferably at the race weekend, otherwise at the test.
Invincible?
The trouble is, of course, that Pecco Bagnaia will have to try to beat Marc Márquez. The eight-time world champion is in arguably the best form of his life, and has won everything bar the Austin MotoGP race, which he managed to crash out of. He last won here in 2019, and was on his way to a remarkable result in 2020, before he crashed at Turn 4 and broke the arm that would take him out of serious competition for the best part of four years. Marc Márquez wants to win in Spain. And it’s hard to see who could stop him.
Perhaps it will be his brother, Alex Márquez who can do something about the dominance of the Ducati Lenovo rider. The younger Márquez’ record at Jerez is not fantastic – his best at the track is a fourth place last year – but so far, last year’s results have been pretty meaningless. Alex Márquez has been fast everywhere, and so far, the only rider capable of even trying to take the fight to the Ducati Lenovo rider. Alex has a point to make and an error to rectify, after an eventful and difficult race in Qatar.
In fact, all of the Ducati riders are likely to feature at the front. Fabio Di Giannantonio lost out in the clash with Alex Márquez at Qatar, and was run off track and well down the field. But the Pertamina VR46 rider has shown plenty of speed everywhere, and his injured shoulder is getting closer and closer to being full fit.
Then there’s his teammate, Franco Morbidelli. He has a sprint podium in Qatar and a GP podium in Argentina, as well as a third place in the GP at Qatar after Maverick Viñales lost second due to a tire pressure penalty. Fourth in the championship and in a very good place mentally, the Italian is a rider to watch out for.
Even Fermín Aldeguer is going to be a threat. The Gresini Ducati rookie has won here in Moto2, but is another rider in very strong form. With four rounds under his belt, he is starting to get the hang of this MotoGP game.
Previous owners
Who can stop the Ducatis? Perhaps the most intriguing candidate is anyone on a Yamaha. Once upon a time, Jerez was a Yamaha track, the Japanese factory having won here on ten previous occasions, including twice in the past five seasons. It is the track where Fabio Quartararo took his maiden pole (and would have had his first podium, had a quickshifter bolt not snapped), and won both races in the Covid-shortened 2020 season.
The reason Jerez (used to) suit the Yamahas was because of the long corners, where the Yamaha riders could exploit the turning of the M1, and the lack of a very fast straight. But as other bikes have improved their ability to get the bike to turn, Yamaha’s advantage has slipped away, while its disadvantages remain.
At least the bike is significantly quicker than it was last year. Yamaha have made steps forward, as we saw during testing. The front of the bike is outstanding – always a strong point of the Yamaha – but the bike still struggles with rear grip. But at least it is capable of producing a fast lap, in contrast to previous years. Fabio Quartararo has been in Q2 at every round this year, a feat he managed only once in the first four rounds of 2024.
Is Fabio back?
Can Quartararo pull out a surprise in Jerez? The Monster Energy Yamaha rider will not want to take anything for granted. But with the increased performance of the M1 this year, and with four bikes on the grid rather than two, he may feel room for optimism.
If you were looking for someone to pull of a surprise, look no further than the Pramac Yamaha garage. Jack Miller has been on a strong upward trend this season, showing real speed both during qualifying and in some races. He has not always been able to translate that into results, but at a track he loves and has won at, as well has scoring a brace of podiums, the Australian could well put the Yamaha cat among the Ducati pigeons.
Orange crush or orange crushed?
The big question in Jerez, and indeed in 2025, is what we can expect from KTM at Jerez. Brad Binder won the sprint race here in 2023, and Binder and erstwhile teammate Jack Miller were on the podium in the Sunday GP that year. Things slipped a little last year, but even then, Jerez should play into the hands of the RC16.
The KTM works where the Yamaha doesn’t, the bike strongest on braking into the tight corners, and getting the bike turned. Turn 1, Turn 2, Turn 6, and the final corner should all be good for the KTM. But the proof will only come when the rubber hits the track.
The Austrian manufacturer should have it a little easier this weekend, as they appear to be starting to get the issue with rear vibration under control. Maverick Viñales showed what the bike can do in Qatar by crossing the finish line in second, despite what happened with the tire pressure disqualification, but Pedro Acosta was much happier than he has been all year as well. Acosta had a strong weekend here last year, finishing second in the sprint race, though he ruined his Sunday by crashing in the warm up and having to start on a bike he hadn’t ridden that day.
Memory man
This is also a very strong circuit for Brad Binder. Apart from victory in the sprint race and a podium in 2023, he has a strong record here. Jerez is where the South African won his first ever grand prix, coming through the field after being forced to start at the back of the grid when his KTM Moto3 machine was found to be using an non-homologated engine map during qualifying, entirely by accident. That victory became the foundation for Binder’s title season, still one of the most convincing Moto3 championships of recent years.
KTM were meant to test at Jerez ahead of this weekend, but one test was canceled due to flooding and the second was hampered by the poor weather which has plagued much of Spain throughout the winter and early spring. So they start on the back foot, but there is at least a sense of optimism around the Austrian manufacturer, after a poor start to the season.
Noale’s hope
Much of the news about Aprilia has centered around Jorge Martin and his injury-plagued start to 2025. The reigning champion missed preseason testing, then the first three rounds, then was lucky to escape with his life when he fell directly in front of Fabio Di Giannantonio in the Sunday GP in Qatar. With a bit of luck, Martin should be on a plane soon, and may get to watch the Spanish GP from his own home.
While Lorenzo Savadori will once again fill in for Martin, and continue to develop the Aprilia RS-GP over the weekend, the focus for Aprilia will be on Marco Bezzecchi and on Ai Ogura. Rookie Ogura has a solid record in Moto2 and Moto3, having taken his first Moto2 victory at Jerez, as well as finished on the podium in Moto3. The bike should suit Jerez, as it both stops and turns well, and Ogura has shown he has been capable of getting results on the bike.
The pressure, however, will mostly be falling on the shoulders of Marco Bezzecchi, who has failed so far to live up to his preseason testing form. He is being let down by his qualifying, missing out on Q2 in the last two rounds. But he has also made progress when he has raced, consistently finishing ahead of his qualifying position over the past three rounds. Bezzecchi has good form at Jerez, and a podium here last year. Jerez would be the place for him to step up and perform.
Wild wildcard
Finally, to Honda, and the most interesting entry on the Jerez grid. Aleix Espargaro will be making his first wildcard appearance for HRC at Jerez, and all of the talk from the Honda camp is that he has been consistently quick on the RC213V, and a huge asset to the testing program. The arrival of Romano Albesiano and a reorganization of testing has seen old parts reevaluated after first being dismissed, and this has turned the bike from a troublesome beast to a bike that does an awful lot of things really well, but with two specific weaknesses: the bike has no rear grip, and it lacks horsepower.
Here is what makes Espargaro’s wildcard so interesting. It seems likely that the Spaniard will be testing a new version of the RC213V engine, which should help address some of the weakness in top speed. Do not be surprised to see Espargaro’s name well up the timesheets, much further ahead than you might expect.
The other Honda MotoGP riders will be keeping a close eye on Espargaro’s garage, as what he is riding will be at least some of the parts they will be testing on Monday. Jerez is likely to be a very important weekend and test for the Japanese manufacturer.
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