The first eleven races of the year offered up plenty of surprises . The early struggles of World Champions Fabio Quartararo and Yamaha were one . The Frenchman appeared lost in Qatar , Argentina and Austin . But upon returning to Europe , he began replicating the form that carried him to the 2021 title , with brilliant wins in Portugal , Barcelona and Germany . A careless crash at Assen was the only blip in his season so far . Aleix Espargaro , meanwhile , has proved Aprilia ’ s RS-GP is now among the grid ’ s strongest bikes . The Catalan has been riding as well as ever , winning a brilliant race in Argentina before scoring third places in Portugal , Jerez , France and Italy to sit firmly in the title race . An astonishing comeback at Assen , where he recovered from 15th to fourth , suggested he can push Quartararo hardest . Enea Bastianini is having a mercurial year . The Italian took brilliant victories in Qatar , Texas and France aboard his year-old GP21 . But since he has admitted to struggling with the heightened expectations . He scored just eleven points in the four races before the summer break to fall out of the title race . Ducati ’ s 2022 machine started slowly , as did fancied runner Francesco Bagnaia . The Italian endured disastrous races in Qatar and Indonesia . His season has been marked by serious highs and protracted lows . He was peerless at Jerez , Mugello and Assen , where he notched up stellar victories . But careless crashes at Le Mans and the Sachsenring mean he has a 66-point deficit to make up on Quartararo with nine races to play . Rather than Bagnaia , it is Pramac Ducati ’ s Johann Zarco who is the top Ducati in the championship . The Frenchman has enjoyed four podium finishes so far despite testing a raft of new parts for the factory .
20 | MotoGP™