Yamaha top, but Ducati most improved in MotoGP 2021?
Nine races into the 2021 MotoGP season and, just as at the same time🐬 last year, it's Fabio Quartararo leading the world championship on a Yamaha.
However, the young Frenchman has scored 41 points more during the opening nine rounds of this season, 𝔍following a winter switch from Petron൩as to the Factory team.
But even that sizeable improvement has been 🔴eclipsed by nearest rival Johann Zarco, who is a huge 75 points better off after moving from Avintia to Pramac Ducati (and from a GP19 to GP21 Desmosedici).
Yet in overall terms, the fortunes of each MotoGP manufacture𝓀r look surprising similar to the same time last year.
Despite Quartararo's dominꦏant 34-point lead in the riders' championship, Yamaha is only 14 points better off in the constructors🌌' standings (forgetting the subsequent points penalty for using illegal valves at Jerez 2020).
And in total, the four M1♛ riders also have the same number of wins and po🤪diums as last year, with one less pole position.
Aprilia has made the biggest gains in constructors' 𒊎points, ꧒almost doubling last year's tally, but remaining sixth and last.
Inꦜstead, it's Ducati which looks to have made the strongest step overall, scoring 16 points more than last year, plus four more podiums, two more pole positions and the same number of race wins (two).
While Yamaha has retained the same four riders (Quartararo and Rossi swapping seats), the Italian factory has made major ♉changes to its line-up this season, promoting both Jack Miller and Francesco Bagnaia to the factory team, moving Zarco to Pramac and hiring three rookies; Jorge Martin (who has contributed 1 pole and 1 podium), Enea Bastianini and Luca Marini.
Two manufacturers that have taken a backwards step in terms of the stats so far are KTM aꦚnd Suzuki.
The Austrian factory is currently lagging behind last year's tally for c💝onstructors' points, race wins, podiums and pole positions.
Reigning world champion's Suzuki have also lost a similar number of constructors' points and podiums (not surprising given Alex Rins' miserable run of falls and an injury), while again fail🃏ing to win a race or qualify on pole position in the first nine rounds.
Honda is one win better off so far, but still has less constructors' points (awarded for the🍨 top rider from each brand, in each race) than last season when Marc Marquez was sidelined.
| MotoGP 2021/2020 by brand after opening 9 rounds | ||||||||
| Brand | 2021 Con. Points | Diff to 2020 | 2021 Wins | Diff to 2020 | 2021 Podiums | Diff to 2020 | 2021 Poles | Diff to 2020 |
| YAMAHA | 184 | +14 * | 5 | = | 9 | = | 6 | -1 |
| DUCATI | 167 | +16 | 2 | = | 11 | +4 | 3 | +2 |
| KTM | 114 | -11 | 1 | -1 | 3 | -2 | 0 | -1 |
| SUZUKI | 105 | -13 | 0 | = | 3 | -2 | 0 | = |
| HONDA | 86 | -6 | 1 | +1 | 1 | = | 0 | = |
| APRILIA | 62 | +30 | 0 | = | 0 | = | 0 | = |
*Including points scored at both Jerez 2020 rounds.
P✃eter has been in the paddock for 20 years and has seen Valentino Rossi come and go. He is at the forefront of the Suzuki exit story🍌 and Marc Marquez’s injury issues.
