2020 European motorcycle Grand Prix

The 2020 European motorcycle Grand Prix (officially known as the Gran Premio de Europa) was the thirteenth round of the 2020 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season and the twelfth round of the 2020 MotoGP World Championship. It was held at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Cheste on 8 November 2020.

Europe  2020 European Grand Prix
Race details
Race 13 of 15 races in the
2020 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season
Date8 November 2020
Official nameGran Premio de Europa
LocationCircuit Ricardo Tormo
Cheste, Valencia, Spain
Course
  • Permanent racing facility
  • 4.005 km (2.489 mi)
MotoGP
Pole position
RiderSpain Pol EspargaróKTM
Time1:40.434
Fastest lap
RiderSouth Africa Brad BinderKTM
Time1:31.884 on lap 22
Podium
FirstSpain Joan MirSuzuki
SecondSpain Álex RinsSuzuki
ThirdSpain Pol EspargaróKTM
Moto2
Pole position
RiderSpain Xavi ViergeKalex
Time1:38.936
Fastest lap
RiderSpain Héctor GarzóKalex
Time1:35.584 on lap 4
Podium
FirstItaly Marco BezzecchiKalex
SecondSpain Jorge MartínKalex
ThirdAustralia Remy GardnerKalex
Moto3
Pole position
RiderUnited Kingdom John McPheeHonda
Time1:52.252
Fastest lap
RiderSpain Albert ArenasKTM
Time1:39.030 on lap 7
Podium
FirstSpain Raúl FernándezKTM
SecondSpain Sergio GarcíaHonda
ThirdJapan Ai OguraHonda

Background

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic

The opening rounds of the 2020 championship have been heavily affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Several Grands Prix were cancelled or postponed after the aborted opening round in Qatar, prompting the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme to draft a new calendar. A new calendar based exclusively in Europe was announced on 11 June.The organizers of the Valencian Community Grand Prix have signed a contract with Dorna Sports, owner of the commercial rights of the sport, to host a double stage at Circuit Ricardo Tormo, becoming the fifth circuit to host two consecutive races of the World Championship, and is the third time it takes place in Spain. But unlike the other double events of the season, the original Grand Prix will be preceded by the round introduced by the new calendar. The name chosen is that of the European Grand Prix, which returns to the world championship for the first time since 1995.

MotoGP Championship standings before the race

After the eleventh round at the Teruel Grand Prix, Joan Mir leads the drivers' standings with 137 points, 14 more than Fabio Quartararo and 19 more than Maverick Viñales. Franco Morbidelli, after the victory in the Teruel stage, gains two positions and is fourth with 112 points and has three points against Andrea Dovizioso, now fifth.

In the constructors' classification, following the 50-point penalty imposed on Yamaha for failing to comply with the protocol that requires unanimous approval from the Motorcycle Sport Manufacturers Association (MSMA) for technical modifications (Yamaha would have changed valve specifications between the freezing of the homologation just before the abandoned round in Qatar and the opening round at Jerez), Ducati is the new leader with 171 points, followed by Suzuki at 163 points and Yamaha, which has lost the championship lead and now third at 158 points. Honda and KTM are fourth and fifth respectively at 143 and 117 points, while Aprilia closes the standings with 36 points.

In the team standings, Team Suzuki Ecstar leads with 242 points. Petronas Yamaha SRT and Monster Energy Yamaha, following the penalties of 37 and 20 points for technical modifications on their bikes, are respectively second (with 198 points) and fifth (with 156 points), the latter relegated by one position and overtaken by KTM Factory Racing by only one point. Ducati Team is third with 180 points.

MotoGP Entrants

  • Stefan Bradl replaced Marc Márquez for the tenth straight race while the latter recovered from injuries sustained in his opening round crash.[1][2]
  • Aprilia test rider and former World Superbike rider Lorenzo Savadori has been announced to replace Bradley Smith for the final three rounds in Valencia and Portugal, subsequently excluding Andrea Iannone from a start in 2020.
  • Iker Lecuona is forced to miss the European Grand Prix due to Andorran quarantine rules, after his brother and assistant both tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Tech3 elected not to replace him on such short notice.
  • After delays to Valentino Rossi's SARS-CoV-2 recovery, Yamaha World Superbike rider Garrett Gerloff was announced initially to replace Rossi at the European Grand Prix. Gerloff completed the Friday sessions of free practice, before two subsequent negative tests from Rossi allowed him to return to the paddock beginning with the third practice session on Saturday.

Free practice

MotoGP

The first session, held in wet conditions, Jack Miller was the fastest ahead of Franco Morbidelli and Stefan Bradl.[3] In the second session, on a dry track, Miller confirmed his leadership in the standings ahead of Aleix Espargaró and Morbidelli.[4] The third session, held in wet conditions, Johann Zarco set the best time ahead of Maverick Viñales and Takaaki Nakagami.[5]

Combined Free Practice 1-2-3

The top ten riders (written in bold) qualified in Q2.

Pos.No.BikersConstructorFree practice times
FP1[6]FP2[7]FP3[8]
143 Jack MillerDucati1:42.0631:32.528No time
241 Aleix EspargaróAprilia1:43.4611:32.6201:42.957
321 Franco MorbidelliYamaha1:42.5301:32.8041:42.831
430 Takaaki NakagamiHonda1:43.2301:32.8661:41.071
544 Pol EspargaróKTM1:42.8411:32.9521:42.506
642 Álex RinsSuzuki1:43.5211:33.1571:41.779
733 Brad BinderKTM1:42.5841:33.2591:43.534
84 Andrea DoviziosoDucati1:42.9591:33.2921:42.009
920 Fabio QuartararoYamaha1:44.7911:33.3371:43.234
1036 Joan MirSuzuki1:43.7281:33.4051:41.864
1112 Maverick ViñalesYamaha1:43.0091:33.4101:40.743
1235 Cal CrutchlowHonda1:43.9251:33.4631:41.285
1388 Miguel OliveiraKTM1:42.8771:33.4831:41.352
146 Stefan BradlHonda1:42.5661:33.5041:41.884
1563 Francesco BagnaiaDucati1:43.5721:33.5151:41.193
1673 Álex MárquezHonda1:42.6541:33.5701:41.589
175 Johann ZarcoDucati1:42.6391:33.7391:40.007
189 Danilo PetrucciDucati1:42.7001:33.7751:42.824
1932 Lorenzo SavadoriAprilia1:44.5271:35.6611:42.301
2053 Tito RabatDucati1:44.4481:36.6901:42.547
2146 Valentino RossiYamahaNo timeNo time1:41.642
OFFICIAL MOTOGP COMBINED FREE PRACTICE TIMES REPORT
Fastest session lap

Personal Best lap

Notes
  • Garrett Gerloff participated in the first two sessions having been initially chosen by Yamaha as a replacement for Valentino Rossi (his best times were in FP1 1:43.645, in FP2 1:34.107).

In the fourth session Miguel Oliveira was the fastest ahead of Joan Mir and Miller.[9]

Qualifying

MotoGP

Pos.No.BikerConstructorQualifying timesFinal
grid
Row
Q1[10]Q2[11]
144 Pol EspargaróKTMQualified in Q21:40.43411
242 Álex RinsSuzukiQualified in Q21:40.4752
330 Takaaki NakagamiHondaQualified in Q21:40.5303
45 Johann ZarcoDucati1:40.8211:40.57742
536 Joan MirSuzukiQualified in Q21:40.7045
641 Aleix EspargaróApriliaQualified in Q21:40.8931923
743 Jack MillerDucatiQualified in Q21:40.893162
888 Miguel OliveiraKTM1:40.7711:41.32873
921 Franco MorbidelliYamahaQualified in Q21:41.5578
1033 Brad BinderKTMQualified in Q21:41.781104
1120 Fabio QuartararoYamahaQualified in Q21:41.94311
124 Andrea DoviziosoDucatiQualified in Q21:42.24912
136 Stefan BradlHonda1:41.010N/A135
1473 Álex MárquezHonda1:41.276N/A14
1512 Maverick ViñalesYamaha1:41.310N/APL3
1635 Cal CrutchlowHonda1:41.311N/A155
1763 Francesco BagnaiaDucati1:41.395N/A166
1846 Valentino RossiYamaha1:42.039N/A17
199 Danilo PetrucciDucati1:42.244N/A18
2032 Lorenzo SavadoriAprilia1:42.532N/A197
2153 Tito RabatDucati1:43.030N/A20
OFFICIAL MOTOGP QUALIFYING RESULTS
Notes
  • ^1Aleix Espargaró and Jack Miller set identical times in Q2; Aleix Espargaró was classified ahead as he set his lap time before Miller.
  • ^2Aleix Espargaró received a 3-place grid penalty for ignoring blue flags.
  • ^3Maverick Viñales received a penalty for the start of the pit lane for changing the engine and mounting the sixth of the season.

Warm up

MotoGP

In the warm up, Joan Mir was the fastest ahead of Aleix Espargaró and Jack Miller.[12]

Race

MotoGP

Pos.No.RiderTeamManufacturerLapsTime/RetiredGridPoints
136 Joan MirTeam Suzuki EcstarSuzuki2741:37.297525
242 Álex RinsTeam Suzuki EcstarSuzuki27+0.651220
344 Pol EspargaróRed Bull KTM Factory RacingKTM27+1.203116
430 Takaaki NakagamiLCR Honda IdemitsuHonda27+2.194313
588 Miguel OliveiraRed Bull KTM Tech3KTM27+8.046711
643 Jack MillerPramac RacingDucati27+8.755610
733 Brad BinderRed Bull KTM Factory RacingKTM27+10.137109
84 Andrea DoviziosoDucati TeamDucati27+10.801128
95 Johann ZarcoEsponsorama RacingDucati27+11.55047
109 Danilo PetrucciDucati TeamDucati27+16.803186
1121 Franco MorbidelliPetronas Yamaha SRTYamaha27+17.61785
126 Stefan BradlRepsol Honda TeamHonda27+24.350134
1312 Maverick ViñalesMonster Energy Yamaha MotoGPYamaha27+25.403PL3
1420 Fabio QuartararoPetronas Yamaha SRTYamaha27+39.639112
Ret32 Lorenzo SavadoriAprilia Racing Team GresiniAprilia25Electronics19
Ret73 Álex MárquezRepsol Honda TeamHonda23Accident14
Ret53 Tito RabatEsponsorama RacingDucati13Mechanical20
Ret63 Francesco BagnaiaPramac RacingDucati5Accident16
Ret35 Cal CrutchlowLCR Honda CastrolHonda5Accident15
Ret46 Valentino RossiMonster Energy Yamaha MotoGPYamaha4Engine17
Ret41 Aleix EspargaróAprilia Racing Team GresiniAprilia0Accident9
Fastest lap: Brad Binder (KTM) – 1:31.884 (lap 22)
Sources:[13][14][15]

Moto2

Pos.No.RiderManufacturerLapsTime/RetiredGridPoints
172 Marco BezzecchiKalex2540:06.441525
288 Jorge MartínKalex25+1.941620
387 Remy GardnerKalex25+3.553416
433 Enea BastianiniKalex25+4.4941513
57 Lorenzo BaldassarriKalex25+4.648811
610 Luca MariniKalex25+5.142710
740 Héctor GarzóKalex25+5.22499
811 Nicolò BulegaKalex25+8.104108
997 Xavi ViergeKalex25+8.74617
109 Jorge NavarroSpeed Up25+11.930196
1144 Arón CanetSpeed Up25+12.451205
1245 Tetsuta NagashimaKalex25+13.209224
1323 Marcel SchrötterKalex25+13.585163
1464 Bo BendsneyderNTS25+15.528142
1562 Stefano ManziMV Agusta25+19.284211
1642 Marcos RamírezKalex25+20.08527
1757 Edgar PonsKalex25+21.51223
1827 Andi Farid IzdiharKalex25+22.96512
1912 Thomas LüthiKalex25+24.76913
2019 Lorenzo Dalla PortaKalex25+34.17325
2199 Kasma DanielKalex25+44.35524
2274 Piotr BiesiekirskiNTS25+59.45028
Ret22 Sam LowesKalex18Accident Damage3
Ret35 Somkiat ChantraKalex9Accident26
Ret24 Simone CorsiMV Agusta5Accident18
Ret21 Fabio Di GiannantonioSpeed Up2Accident11
Ret16 Joe RobertsKalex1Accident2
Ret55 Hafizh SyahrinSpeed Up1Accident17
DNS37 Augusto FernándezKalexDid not start
DNS96 Jake DixonKalexDid not start
OFFICIAL MOTO2 RACE REPORT
  • Augusto Fernández suffered a foot injury in a crash during practice and withdrew from the event.
  • Jake Dixon suffered a fractured right wrist in a crash during practice and withdrew from the event.

Moto3

Pos.No.RiderManufacturerLapsTime/RetiredGridPoints
125 Raúl FernándezKTM2338:29.140225
211 Sergio GarcíaHonda23+0.703720
379 Ai OguraHonda23+1.005816
414 Tony ArbolinoHonda23+1.0371713
540 Darryn BinderKTM23+13.392911
699 Carlos TatayKTM23+13.4241310
782 Stefano NepaKTM23+16.719249
852 Jeremy AlcobaHonda23+16.824298
912 Filip SalačHonda23+16.964157
1071 Ayumu SasakiKTM23+17.088266
1154 Riccardo RossiKTM23+17.34465
1216 Andrea MignoKTM23+17.467114
1355 Romano FenatiHusqvarna23+17.589163
1453 Deniz ÖncüKTM23+18.191272
152 Gabriel RodrigoHonda23+18.358121
166 Ryusei YamanakaHonda23+18.44130
1792 Yuki KuniiHonda23+19.12818
1850 Jason DupasquierKTM23+19.58320
199 Davide PizzoliKTM23+27.45723
2070 Barry BaltusKTM23+27.83622
2173 Maximilian KoflerKTM23+31.32821
2289 Khairul Idham PawiHonda23+31.66125
2313 Celestino ViettiKTM23+1:20.5333
Ret23 Niccolò AntonelliHonda16Accident31
Ret27 Kaito TobaKTM16Power Loss10
Ret24 Tatsuki SuzukiHonda13Accident19
Ret7 Dennis FoggiaHonda13Accident14
Ret5 Jaume MasiáHonda9Accident28
Ret17 John McPheeHonda4Accident1
Ret21 Alonso LópezHusqvarna2Accident Damage5
DSQ75 Albert ArenasKTM10Black flag4
OFFICIAL MOTO3 RACE REPORT

Championship standings after the race

Below are the standings for the top five riders, constructors, and teams after the round.[16][17][18]

MotoGP

Constructors' Championship standings
Pos.ConstructorPoints
11 Suzuki188
12 Ducati181
3 Yamaha163[a]
4 KTM159
5 Honda130
Teams' Championship standings
Pos.TeamPoints
1 Team Suzuki Ecstar287
2 Petronas Yamaha SRT205[b]
3 Ducati Team194
4 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing182
5 Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP159[c]

Moto2

Constructors' Championship standings
Pos.ConstructorPoints
1 Kalex325
2 Speed Up117
3 MV Agusta32
4 NTS11
Teams' Championship standings
Pos.TeamPoints
1 Sky Racing Team VR46320
2 EG 0,0 Marc VDS240
3 Red Bull KTM Ajo210
4 Italtrans Racing Team189
5 Liqui Moly Intact GP136

Moto3

Constructors' Championship standings
Pos.ConstructorPoints
1 Honda281
2 KTM277
3 Husqvarna82
Teams' Championship standings
Pos.TeamPoints
1 Leopard Racing202
12 Valresa Aspar Team Moto3192
13 Sky Racing Team VR46188
4 Rivacold Snipers Team164
25 Red Bull KTM Ajo158

Notes

References


Previous race:
2020 Teruel Grand Prix
FIM Grand Prix World Championship
2020 season
Next race:
2020 Valencian Grand Prix
Previous race:
1995 European Grand Prix
European motorcycle Grand PrixNext race:
None