Every rider who makes it to the MotoGP level is exceptional. MotoGP is the pinnacle of the sport of motorcycle roadracing. Nevertheless, certain riders separate themselves and achieve status above the others.
More than a decade ago, the term “aliens” was used to describe the MotoGP elite. At one point, you could expect that a race win would come from one of four riders, including Valentino Rossi, Casey Stoner, Jorge Lorenzo and Dani Pedrosa. New riders arrive, and older riders leave. Most notably the “Marc Marquez era” saw a young Spanish rider at Repsol Honda dominate the premier class that reminded one of the Mick Doohan era.
With an injury to Marquez early last year, several younger riders developed stardom of their own. No one dominated last year, however. Joan Mir (Suzuki) became World champion simply by maintaining a level of consistency that others couldn’t. This doesn’t mean that riders did not emerge with special talents that warrant consideration as future “aliens” of the MotoGP class.
In our opinion, absent career-altering injury, the following riders will develop as new “aliens” of MotoGP. These include Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha), Francesco “Pecco” Bagnaia (Ducati), Miguel Oliveira (KTM), Brad Binder (KTM) and Franco Morbidelli (Yamaha).
Quartararo is an easy pick. Even as a rookie, he was hounding a healthy Marc Marquez, who sometimes marveled at Quartararo’s corner speed. After a lackluster 2020, Quartararo is leading the 2021 championship series by 34 points after nine rounds. He has four wins and six podiums at this point, and he just seems to be getting faster and more consistent. His single lap speed has earned many pole position starts, and his race rhythm is frequently well beyond the reach of his competitors. Quartararo is currently 22 years old.
The KTM riders on our list, Miguel Oliveira and Brad Binder are emerging along with the emergence of the KTM as a competitive bike in MotoGP. Oliveira is in his third season in MotoGP. When he entered the category in 2019, his best finish was eighth on a bike that was still developing as a contender. Last year, Oliveira won two races for KTM, including the final race at his home track in Portugal where he dominated. Binder was a rookie last year, but he still took a race win for KTM (KTM’s first). He is the first MotoGP rookie to win a MotoGP victory since Marc Marquez. Binder has been less consistent than his teammate Oliveira this year, but a pattern has emerged. Binder seems to develop speed at a track gradually from Friday to Sunday. Frequently starting from a poor position on the grid, he charges through the pack for an impressive finish … sometimes developing a rhythm later in a race that is faster than the leader. Binder is currently 25 years old, while Oliveira is 26.
Pecco Bagnaia is a special talent on a motorcycle that was expected to make a big splash as a rookie in MotoGP in 2019. His results in 2019 were not particularly impressive, however, and in 2020 he earned a second place podium finish and appeared on his way to victory in one race before an unfortunate crash. This year, Pecco has earned three podium finishes and a single pole position. Watching him ride, one gets the feeling he is close to putting all the pieces together and becoming a dominant force. Bagnaia is 24 years old.
Franco Morbidelli moved to the MotoGP category in 2018 and rode well enough to earn Rookie of the Year. In 2019, Morbidelli joined the Petronas Yamaha team and rode well but suffered in the shadow of his rookie teammate Fabio Quartararo. Last year, Morbidelli won three races and finished second in the championship, easily outclassing all of the other Yamaha riders despite the fact Morbidelli was on an older version of the M1. Still on that old bike, Morbidelli has struggled this year and recorded a single podium before suffering a knee injury. Morbidelli has a mental calm and maturity that adds to his skill on the bike. He is 26 years old, and should finally get the factory race bike he deserves next year.
Other riders that have impressed us with their potential include World champion Mir, who appears to be getting better and is only 23 years old, and a trio of Ducati riders, including Jack Miller, Johann Zarco and Jorge Martin. Zarco is in second place in the World Championship this year, but at 30 years of age he has yet to win a MotoGP race. Nevertheless, with two Moto2 World Championships and four podiums this year, Zarco is arguably the best Ducati rider at the moment. Miller spectacularly made the move from Moto3 to MotoGP in 2015, and has recently shown great speed on his way to three podiums this year, including two wins. Crashes and inconsistency make him a long-shot for the title this year, however, and after six full years in the MotoGP category, in our opinion, he lacks the spectacular potential of some of the newer riders.
One of those new riders is Jorge Martin (Ducati), a 23-year-old rookie and former Moto3 champion. Martin’s poise and speed this year, including his pole position and podium finish at Qatar, portend something special in his future. Unfortunately, a serious crash and resulting injuries caused him to miss several races this year, and he is now working himself back into form.
So MD sees Quatararo, Bagnaia, Oliveira, Binder and Morbidelli occupying the category of “aliens” in the MotoGP series in years to come, along with the obvious current resident of that category, Marc Marquez. What do you think?
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