        Since 2007 (and with the exception of 2020 due to the pandemic), the MotoGP season has always kicked off at the Losail circuit in Qatar, something that will not happen in 2023. In an official press release, championship organiser Dorna has confirmed that next year&rsquo;s championship will start at the Algarve International Circuit in Portugal. And this opening round will run from 24 to 26 March. Portugal to host the season-opener for the first time  The Portuguese track will therefore host a European season-opener, something we haven&rsquo;t seen since 2006. In fact, it will be only the third time in three decades that the championship will kick off in Europe. It is also the first time that Portugal will open a world championship season, with official testing set to take place in the weeks preceding the event (dates to be confirmed). The rest of the 2023 calendar is still to be defined, but this announcement confirms a first important piece of the puzzle. Translated by Heather Watson MotoGP, will Marc Marquez be in the Honda garage at Silverstone?       

In the run up to the British round, next season&rsquo;s opening round has been announced, and it will take place on the Iberian Peninsula

2023 MotoGP official: the first round will be staged Europe

        MotoGP lands in Europe, the Portugal GP the first in a long series of races. Luca Marini is pleased about this, as he&rsquo;s keen to race at the Circuito do Algarve: "I&rsquo;m happy to be here, because I like the climate and the structures on the Old Continent. The paddock is fully operational, I feel comfortable and have more fun. Life&rsquo;s good in Europe, there&rsquo;s lots to do, and I really like this track. Ducati was strong here in 2021, me too. I feel positive and pumped up". You&rsquo;re quick in practice, what do you still need to be quick in the races too? "Nothing in particular, it&rsquo;s just getting the right combination. We&rsquo;re working to get everything sorted, the team is new and the bike too. At the start of the year we struggled a little, realising that the race is the time to collect the most indicative and useful data. The team and rider too can only understand certain things during the race. I need some rounds under my belt. But now that we&rsquo;re in Europe at tracks we know better, we can harness the experience gained over the last four rounds and try to run up front". Is there work to do on the bike or on yourself? "On the bike - we need to refine the electronic management and the tyre performance. In every race so far this year, we&rsquo;ve had a few particular issues. We know what the weak points have been and where we were less than perfect and understand how to improve. We&rsquo;ll put it all together here.&rdquo; Marini: "Me, heavy for MotoGP? As if"  There has been talk about Luca&rsquo;s weight but is it really an issue? As if: "Well, I weigh maybe a couple of kilos more than other riders, but I&rsquo;m not too heavy for MotoGP. Also because I couldn&rsquo;t weigh any less than this (he laughs). I&rsquo;m very careful about everything, staying as light and as in shape as possible. Obviously everything has its limit. But my current problem isn&rsquo;t my weight, on the contrary&hellip; At Austin, I was lacking acceleration and speed, but I wasn&rsquo;t the only one to complain. Weight has nothing to do with it.&rdquo; Once the tyres are worn, is the bike very different to ride? "Not particularly. From last year until now, tyre wear has gradually become less of an issue. We can now complete each lap of the race pushing almost 100%. The only thing is the overheating of the rear tyre, a situation we have to manage. We often use the soft solution in fact. With respect to 2019, not much has changed, you have to adapt in the saddle.&rdquo; Considering Bastianini, would you like to use the GP21, already developed and complete? "The team couldn&rsquo;t have known how the first races would go, so I think that the GP22 was the right choice. I couldn&rsquo;t ask for more. Analysing the data, perhaps we can say that the GP21 would have been easier, it might have helped me a little. During testing, I suffered and also had to get to grips with everything, a new crew chief, the bike. We&rsquo;re a little behind, but I&rsquo;m in no hurry - this is my second year in MotoGP, I&rsquo;m not in a hurry to win. I&rsquo;m sure the results will come.&rdquo; Translated by Heather Watson MotoGP: Bagnaia criticises the Portim&atilde;o gravel, Tardozzi explains why       

Ahead of the Portugal GP, Luca clarifies one thing: "I&rsquo;m maybe two kilos more than other riders, I can&rsquo;t go any lower. Win? There&rsquo;s no hurry, this is my second year in the reigning class&rdquo;

Portugal GP, Marini: “My weight? That’s not the problem in MotoGP”

        During Friday&rsquo;s practice sessions, both Ducati factory riders got a taste of the tarmac, Jack Miller crashing in the morning and Francesco Bagnaia in the afternoon. A problem was then identified relating to the gravel that is meant to soften a rider&rsquo;s fall on track. On returning to the garage, the Italian rider gave team manager Davide Tardozzi two fistfuls of gravel, the reason for which was later clarified. Tardozzi&rsquo;s words  Tardozzi told Sky Sport: &ldquo;He complained about the fact that the stones are too big. We already saw that this morning when Jack (Miller) crashed, they really cause damage, particularly to the bike&rdquo;. A detail that makes a difference on a practical level, the Italian adding: &ldquo;We need smaller, rounder stones&rdquo;. As for the Italian&rsquo;s crash, which came during the session practice session on wet asphalt, he explains: &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think the medium tyre was up to temperature, but Pecco said it wasn&rsquo;t the tyre. He took the blame&rdquo;. After a quick meeting, Pecco was straight back out on track. Here, the video of the crash:  Absolutely no saving that! @PeccoBagnaia loses the front into Turn 3! #PortugueseGP  pic.twitter.com/FuyY6zfEpb &mdash; MotoGP&trade; (@MotoGP) April 22, 2022    Translated by Heather Watson Three Aprilias at the Portgual GP: Savadori brings updates to the track       

Jack Miller crashed this morning before the Italian did the same in the afternoon, bringing his team manager a souvenir...

MotoGP: Bagnaia criticises the Portimão gravel, Tardozzi explains why

        There are not two but three Aprilias in action at the Portugal MotoGP, with Lorenzo Savadori flanking factory riders Aleix Espargar&oacute; and Maverick Vinales. Aside from competing as a wildcard, what exactly is the Italian test rider doing at Portim&atilde;o? Exactly what his job title might suggest, considering that he is the test rider for the Noale manufacturer, a brand that is doing well in the reigning class. And the number 32 rider is doing equally well, because he knows just how to be fast when required, providing the technicians in the garage with useful feedback. The RS-GP is equipped with a new "device", or rather the rear lowering device, as hotly debated as it is complicated to perfect. As for the Italian four-cylinder, the system has been improved in its dynamic usage, when rider and vehicle are in motion. New engine for the Aprilia MotoGP: a step expected at Mugello  Beneath the fairings of Savadori&rsquo;s "black beast" is a revised electronic management system. Infinite refinements can be made in this area, and what better place to get them working than an official MotoGP race weekend? This is why Lorenzo is working hard to develop every part. Speaking of parts, the "new" engine will arrive in time for Mugello. At the Italian GP, the RS-GP bikes will be equipped with an engine that will benefit from a first important evolution. As well as seeking more horsepower, the racing department is also focusing on exploitability. Of increasing use to the wrist of the person riding the bike. Translated by Heather Watson Moto3, three bikes for team Aspar at the Portugal GP: here&rsquo;s who will ride them       

Lorenzo is using an RS-GP complete with revised dynamic rear lowering device, new electronic management features and other updates. An engine evolution is expected at Mugello

Three Aprilias at the Portgual GP: Savadori brings updates to the track

        The four stars of this breath-taking season didn&rsquo;t let us relax for a second, not even at the final round, where the standings remained uncertain until the very last corner. But once across the line, history was written, and Enea was crowned World Champion. Incredulous as to what he had done, the Italian has achieved exactly what a rider with a wrist like his deserves. Despite the package being objectively inferior to those of top teams in the intermediate class, the Italian Italtrans squad, along with its rider, set itself big goals over the last two years. The efforts and sacrifices of the group, headed up by Giovanni Sandi, finally paid off when both the bike and Enea started to grow. A championship won with intelligence, professionalism and commitment. Only one zero for Enea, at the Austrian GP, and an eleventh place-finish at LeMans, but these were his only 'lows' this season. Consistency paid off  In an unusual, short championship like this, it was essential for Enea to consistently score points. A regular fixture in the top ten, with seven podiums, including three wins (Andalusia, Brno and Misano), Enea showed himself to be a real rider, a mature rider, focused solely on performance. A behaviour that proved successful, as Enea sometimes settled for solid points rather than taking unnecessary risks, even when the podium appeared within reach. He did take a few risks though, but these were well calculated. Like Marc Marquez, in fact, Enea too has learned to save what look like inevitable crashes, further confirming his immense talent. &nbsp; A podium-sitter ever since 2014  Many thought he was done after five years in Moto3 in which he missed out on the title more than once, but Enea has truly stepped up this year, securing himself the title. His 2019 debut season in the intermediate class was already a very promising one, Enea demonstrating his consistency and speed to reach podium positions, but it wasn&rsquo;t until this season that he really showed the world his stuff, laying the foundations for a path that will lead him to the reigning class after taking the crown in one of the most hard-fought championships of recent years. No mean feat. &nbsp; A mature rider, MotoGP awaits him with open arms  After Morbidelli (runner-up at the end of a breath-taking 2020 season) and Bagnaia, Bastianini is the third Italian to move up to the reigning class as Moto2 champion. Next year, alongside Luca Marini, his main rival in this year&rsquo;s championship, he will ride the Esponsorama Ducati and can finally compete in the top class, a huge prize for &ldquo;Bestia&rdquo;. 2021 is bound to be a year of further growth for the Italian and we can no doubt expect great things from him aboard team Esponsorama&rsquo;s red bike. In the meantime, dear Enea, enjoy this victory, you deserved it. Translated by Heather Watson MotoGP, Crutchlow: &ldquo;I hope Miller can fight for the title in 2021&rdquo;       

Speed, smarts and maturity: Enea has all this and more, as strong as a &ldquo;beast&rdquo; and as shrewd as a champion! In achieving his life&rsquo;s dream, the Italian also wins a personal battle

Moto2, “Beastly” Bastianini’s championship season

        Andrea Dovizioso&rsquo;s last meeting with the press as a Ducati rider and (at least for now) MotoGP rider has a special flavour, just as it should be. No tears, that&rsquo;s not Dovi&rsquo;s style, but many words and thoughts, in line with the intelligent, available guy Andrea has always proved to be. &ldquo;As I crossed the finish line, I was so focused on the championship that I wasn&rsquo;t thinking about anything else, I was just considering how I&rsquo;d probably achieved fourth in the standings - comments Dovi - My relationship with the team has been fantastic over the years and I&rsquo;ll miss that of course. I&rsquo;m angry when I think about not racing next year, as I still feel competitive, but at the same time I feel lighter as, regardless of the outcome this season, I wouldn&rsquo;t have wanted to continue in this situation. I consider this to be my last race with Ducati, then we&rsquo;ll see what happens in the future.&rdquo; The trip down memory lane continues, and while Andrea came to MotoGP as a young guy, he leaves it (temporarily?) as a mature man. &ldquo;You enter this world when you&rsquo;re so young, you travel to all these places and meet people who are older and more experienced, which helps you to mature. The fact that this sport helps you to grow and progress is fantastic and the same goes for when you manage to achieve goals that you thought impossible. The experiences I&rsquo;ve had have helped me understand that you can always learn more, in every regard, and this helps keep you alive, which is so cool&rdquo;. MotoGP, Andrea Dovizioso and the 2022 scenarios &nbsp;"Once home I won&rsquo;t be on the sofa. My own team? Never say never"  What will Dovizioso do now? Nothing different in terms of his training, but with less obligations to fulfil of course. &ldquo;I plan to do more MX now that I won&rsquo;t have the many MotoGP commitments, and I&rsquo;m pleased about that. I&rsquo;m not heading home with the intention of lying around on the sofa, that&rsquo;s just not me. I know it won&rsquo;t be easy to find an interesting ride for 2022, but it&rsquo;s not impossible. MotoGP is undergoing a generational change and we have to adapt to that. I&rsquo;m not worried about being away from the chaos, I&rsquo;ve always sought tranquillity, but it will be a big change of course.&rdquo; Perhaps Andrea&rsquo;s future will see him take on the role of team manager, or coach. &ldquo;As for a team, never say never, but considering the complications involved I think you&rsquo;d have to be mad to do it (he laughs). I think I might rather work at the technical level with the riders, but we&rsquo;re not there yet.&rdquo; Dovizioso also talks about his race and the weekend in general, overall a positive one for the Italian. &ldquo;This weekend was tough in terms of the track, but I did OK. During the final stages of the race, I was less precise and had to battle, but I was able to achieve fourth in the championship, narrowly missing out on third, which is incredible if I consider my lack of confidence with the bike this season. The constructors&rsquo; title? It&rsquo;s not particularly important to a rider&rdquo;. Translated by Heather Watson Morbidelli: &ldquo;Dovizioso as Yamaha tester would have bring added value&rdquo;       

"I wouldn&rsquo;t want to continue in this situation, but I&rsquo;m sorry I can&rsquo;t carry on racing because I feel competitive. This world helped me to mature and understand that there is always more to learn"

Portuguese GP, Dovizioso: “I feel lighter, but also pissed”

        On 10 November, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) disqualified Andrea Iannone for four years, the rider accused of having used illegal substances. After a long wait, believing in the innocence of its rider, Aprilia now has to find a new team-mate for Aleix Espargar&ograve;. The first names on the list were Andrea Dovizioso and Cal Crutchlow, but as we know, the Italian has chosen to take a sabbatical while the Brit has decided to retire. MotoGP, Rivola: &ldquo;Aprilia could have done well with Dovizioso&rdquo; &ldquo;If Savadori continues to surprise us&hellip;&rdquo;  Another possible &lsquo;contender&rsquo; for the 2021 MotoGP Aprilia might be Lorenzo Savadori, who surprised everyone at Portimao today, setting the fourth fastest time during first free practice and rounding out the day in sixteenth position. &ldquo;For a guy like Savadori who comes from the CIV, we should congratulate him because he&rsquo;s doing great things&hellip;&rdquo;, commented Aprilia Racing CEO Massimo Rivola when speaking with Sky Sport about Friday&rsquo;s results at Portimao. When asked about how the search for Andrea Iannone&rsquo;s replacement is going, and whether Savadori might be an option, Rivola stated: &ldquo;We need to look at all the riders we already have on board, it would be disrespectful not to do so. &ldquo;Giving Lorenzo the chance to do three races and get to grips with the MotoGP is definitely a benefit that we&rsquo;ll carry forward&rdquo;, because he&rsquo;ll become a better rider, even in terms of testing next year. And if he surprises us with this kind of performance, we&rsquo;ll definitely give him further consideration of course&hellip;&rdquo; adds Rivola. Livio Suppo: &ldquo;Davies? He'd be a good solution for Aprilia&rdquo; The alternatives  Other candidates include Bradley Smith, who completed the first eleven races in place of Andrea Iannone, scoring a best result of twelfth at Jerez. &ldquo;Bradley did a good job throughout the season. He should have been test rider, but he gradually got closer to Aleix (Espargar&ograve;) in the races and now we&rsquo;re giving Savadori the chance to be a better test rider next year&rdquo; comments Rivola during the MotoGP Constructors&rsquo; press conference. Massimo Rivola is also considering Moto2 talents, such as Marco Bezzecchi and Fabio Di Giannantonio. &ldquo;Moto2 is a great training ground for MotoGP&rdquo;, says the CEO of Aprilia Racing. But that&rsquo;s not all. Lately, there are even rumours of a Superbike rider arriving in the Aprilia garage, Chaz Davies to be precise, left without a ride after a lengthy stint aboard the factory Ducati. One thing is certain, and that is that a decision will be made soon. &ldquo;Over the weekend&rdquo; promises Massimo Rivola. Also because it&rsquo;s time to start thinking about 2021. All we can do is wait (but not for long!)&hellip; Translated by Heather Watson MotoGP, Iannone after the sentencing: &ldquo;They&rsquo;ve broken my heart, but I won&rsquo;t give up&rdquo;       

&ldquo;Giving Lorenzo the chance to do three races and get to grips with the MotoGP is definitely a benefit that we'll carry forward&rdquo;, says the Aprilia Racing CEO. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ll decide on the 2021 rider this weekend&rdquo;

MotoGP, Rivola: “If Savadori continues to surprise us, we might think about it…”

Now in his second year in the category, Marco Bezzecchi is the final contender for the Moto2 title. His is something of a &quot;Mission Impossible&ldquo;, as he&rsquo;ll need to win at Portimao and hope that Bastianini makes a false step, 23 points ahead of him.  While &lsquo;ifs&rsquo; and buts&rsquo; help no one, a win last weekend would have been very helpful for Bez, considering Marini and Bastianini were not on the podium and an injured Lowes closed just 14th.  Shaped by the difficulties   While his 2019 debut season was one to forget, the Italian scoring just 17 points in 19 races, Bez started 2020 in a very different situation and with a decidedly more competitive package than the KTM of the previous year. A few mistakes and just one non-top-ten finish aside (12th in Qatar), the rest of the season has seen Bezzecchi regularly finish inside the top ten, close to the top 5. His convincing wins at the Stiria and Europe GP stand out, the rider showing his rivals that he too would feature in the title fight.  He&rsquo;s proved that it&rsquo;s possible to survive tough times and come out stronger. A podium in Andalusia after a DNF in Spain, a podium in France after a seventh-place finish in Barcelona and, particularly, a win at Valencia 1 coming after a double zero at Aragon. And now Bezzecchi finds himself in a similar position to 2018, in Moto3, when he was fighting Martin and Di Giannantonio for the title.  Prone to mistakes   While, on the one hand, Bezzecchi has proved he can come through the difficulties, on the other hand, he still has work to do to correct a level of over-excitement that often leads to mistakes. His crash in Spain just six laps into the race is just one example, and the double error at Aragon weighs heavily, the first coming on the penultimate lap when he appeared in control of the race, while the second came on lap three, the rider overly keen to make up for his previous mistake.  He&rsquo;s in good company here though, because his team-mate Luca Marini has also lost points along the way, firstly in Qatar when he came into contact with Dixon at the end of the race, then a 17th position at Le Mans after a crash in practice and the crash at Aragon 1. Sam Lowes, who is back in the mix thanks to three consecutive wins (France and two at Aragon), has also made mistakes.  What will it take in the final race   Bezzecchi is up against a real mission impossible, with 23 points to make up and just one race left to do it in. But history has taught us that that kind of lead is not always enough for the frontrunner to be assured of title success. As we&rsquo;ve seen during the season, one mistake for a rider is enough to turn things upside down, the leadership having changed hands at least three or four times throughout the year, and three times between Aragon and Valencia alone.  So Bezzecchi shouldn&rsquo;t make calculations; he just needs to win and hope something happens to the three ahead of him if he wants to lift the title trophy.  Translated by Heather Watson  Moto2, a four-way battle in Portugal: here are the combinations for title glory 

The Sky Racing Team rider, fourth in the standings and 23 points from Bastianini, comes to Portimao with the regret of having made a mistake that cost him the win at Valencia

Moto2, who will win? The pros and cons of Marco Bezzecchi

The last dance is about to play out in Moto2, the category leader holding more points (194 points Bastianini) than the frontrunner in both MotoGP (174 points Mir) and Moto3 (170 points Arenas).  Of the four fighting for the title - Bastianini, Lowes, Marini and Bezzecchi &ndash; only the Brit has seen Portimao before (2013, when he won the Supersport race) but he is the least physically fit after a crash at Valencia left him with a swollen hand and only a fourteenth-place finish.  Let&rsquo;s look at the possible winning combinations for the Moto2 Fantastic 4.  Bastianini: a world-class &lsquo;Bestia&rsquo;     Enea has more than one hand already on his first title, after having come so close to the Moto3 trophy in recent years. After an apprenticeship Moto2 season in 2019, Bestia set out with the aim of fighting for the title this season, and that&rsquo;s exactly what he&rsquo;s done, now with a good chance of moving up to MotoGP as Moto2 champion.  Bestia is champion if&hellip;  He finishes top four  He finishes 5th, 6th, 7th or 8th and Lowes doesn&rsquo;t win  He finishes 9th, and Lowes and Marini don&rsquo;t win  He finishes 10th, 11th, 12th or 13th, Lowes does no better than 3rd and Marini doesn&rsquo;t win  He finishes 14th or worse, Lowes doesn&rsquo;t reach the podium, Marini does no better than 3rd and Bezzecchi doesn&rsquo;t win  Lowes: world-class after some unlucky years   &nbsp;  Alex&rsquo;s twin brother started the season with physical problems and a few crashes too many but he rejoined the title fight during the Le Mans, Aragon 1 and Aragon 2 races, benefitting from problems suffered by the Italians (Marini and Bezzecchi especially). His mistake at Valencia 1 could have been his undoing but he&rsquo;s not lost heart and following the FP3 crash at Valencia 2, he gritted his teeth to cross the line 14th.  Sam is champion if&hellip;  He wins and Bastianini does no better than 5th  He finishes 2nd, Bastianini does no better than 10th and Marini doesn&rsquo;t win  He finishes 3rd, Bastianini does no better than 14th, and Marini and Bezzecchi don&rsquo;t win  Marini: back on the straight and narrow     The third title contender is &lsquo;Maro&rsquo;. At a certain point of the season, he almost looked like a shoo-in for the title considering the difficulties faced by Bastianini and Bezzecchi but a bad accident in free practice at Le Mans has seen Luca on the defensive in the last four races. Winning a championship would mean so much to Luca, also in light of his move up to MotoGP next year.  Maro is champion if&hellip;  He wins and Bastianini does no better than 9th  He finishes 2nd, Bastianini does no better than 14th, Lowes and Bezzecchi don&rsquo;t win  Bezzecchi: the underdog     Last but not least is the other Sky Racing Team VR46 rider, Marco Bezzecchi. Despite some highs and lows this season, &lsquo;Bez&rsquo; has scored two important wins (Stiria and Valencia 1). Marco will need to give it his all come Sunday at Portimao and see what the others do, also because both he and Lowes will stay in Moto2 while Marini and Bastianini will move to MotoGP next year.  Bez is champion if&hellip;  He wins, Bastianini does no better than 14th and Lowes does no better than 3rd  Translated by Heather Watson  Moto3, Portuguese GP: here&rsquo;s how Arenas, Ogura and Arbolino can score the title 

The intermediate class arrives in Portimao with four riders within 23 points of each other. Let&rsquo;s see how D&rsquo;Artagnan Bastianini and the other Three Muskateers can win the title