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.
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. 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. In the second session, on a dry track, Miller confirmed his leadership in the standings ahead of Aleix Espargaró and Morbidelli. The third session, held in wet conditions, Johann Zarco set the best time ahead of Maverick Viñales and Takaaki Nakagami.
Combined Free Practice 1-2-3 The top ten riders (written in bold) qualified in Q2.
BikersConstructorFP1FP2FP3143 Jack MillerDucati 1:42.063 1:32.528 No time241 Aleix EspargaróAprilia1:43.4611:32.6201:42.957321 Franco MorbidelliYamaha1:42.5301:32.8041:42.831430 Takaaki NakagamiHonda1:43.2301:32.8661:41.071544 Pol EspargaróKTM1:42.8411:32.9521:42.506642 Álex RinsSuzuki1:43.5211:33.1571:41.779733 Brad BinderKTM1:42.5841:33.2591:43.53484 Andrea DoviziosoDucati1:42.9591:33.2921:42.009920 Fabio QuartararoYamaha1:44.7911:33.3371:43.2341036 Joan MirSuzuki1:43.7281:33.4051:41.8641112 Maverick ViñalesYamaha1:43.0091:33.4101:40.7431235 Cal CrutchlowHonda1:43.9251:33.4631:41.2851388 Miguel OliveiraKTM1:42.8771:33.4831:41.352146 Stefan BradlHonda1:42.5661:33.5041:41.8841563 Francesco BagnaiaDucati1:43.5721:33.5151:41.1931673 Álex MárquezHonda1:42.6541:33.5701:41.589175 Johann ZarcoDucati1:42.6391:33.739 1:40.007189 Danilo PetrucciDucati1:42.7001:33.7751:42.8241932 Lorenzo SavadoriAprilia1:44.5271:35.6611:42.3012053 Tito RabatDucati1:44.4481:36.6901:42.5472146 Valentino RossiYamaha No time No 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.
Qualifying MotoGP BikerConstructorRowQ1Q2144 Pol EspargaróKTM Qualified in Q21:40.4341 1242 Álex RinsSuzuki Qualified in Q21:40.4752330 Takaaki NakagamiHonda Qualified in Q21:40.530345 Johann ZarcoDucati1:40.8211:40.5774 2536 Joan MirSuzuki Qualified in Q21:40.7045641 Aleix EspargaróAprilia Qualified in Q21:40.8939 3743 Jack MillerDucati Qualified in Q21:40.8936 2888 Miguel OliveiraKTM1:40.7711:41.3287 3921 Franco MorbidelliYamaha Qualified in Q21:41.55781033 Brad BinderKTM Qualified in Q21:41.78110 41120 Fabio QuartararoYamaha Qualified in Q21:41.94311124 Andrea DoviziosoDucati Qualified in Q21:42.24912136 Stefan BradlHonda1:41.010N/A13 51473 Álex MárquezHonda1:41.276N/A141512 Maverick ViñalesYamaha1:41.310N/A1635 Cal CrutchlowHonda1:41.311N/A15 51763 Francesco BagnaiaDucati1:41.395N/A16 61846 Valentino RossiYamaha1:42.039N/A17199 Danilo PetrucciDucati1:42.244N/A182032 Lorenzo SavadoriAprilia1:42.532N/A19 72153 Tito RabatDucati1:43.030N/A20 OFFICIAL MOTOGP QUALIFYING RESULTS
Notes – Aleix Espargaró and Jack Miller set identical times in Q2; Aleix Espargaró was classified ahead as he set his lap time before Miller. – Aleix Espargaró received a 3-place grid penalty for ignoring blue flags. – Maverick 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.
Race MotoGP Pos. No. Rider Team Manufacturer Laps Time/Retired Grid Points136 Joan Mir Team Suzuki EcstarSuzuki27 41:37.297525242 Álex Rins Team Suzuki EcstarSuzuki27 +0.651220344 Pol Espargaró Red Bull KTM Factory RacingKTM27 +1.203116430 Takaaki Nakagami LCR Honda IdemitsuHonda27 +2.194313588 Miguel Oliveira Red Bull KTM Tech3KTM27 +8.046711643 Jack Miller Pramac RacingDucati27 +8.755610733 Brad Binder Red Bull KTM Factory RacingKTM27 +10.13710984 Andrea Dovizioso Ducati TeamDucati27 +10.80112895 Johann Zarco Esponsorama RacingDucati27 +11.55047109 Danilo Petrucci Ducati TeamDucati27 +16.8031861121 Franco Morbidelli Petronas Yamaha SRTYamaha27 +17.61785126 Stefan Bradl Repsol Honda TeamHonda27 +24.3501341312 Maverick Viñales Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGPYamaha27 +25.40331420 Fabio Quartararo Petronas Yamaha SRTYamaha27 +39.639112Ret32 Lorenzo Savadori Aprilia Racing Team GresiniAprilia25 Electronics19Ret73 Álex Márquez Repsol Honda TeamHonda23 Accident14Ret53 Tito Rabat Esponsorama RacingDucati13 Mechanical20Ret63 Francesco Bagnaia Pramac RacingDucati5 Accident16Ret35 Cal Crutchlow LCR Honda CastrolHonda5 Accident15Ret46 Valentino Rossi Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGPYamaha4 Engine17Ret41 Aleix Espargaró Aprilia Racing Team GresiniAprilia0 Accident9Fastest lap: Brad Binder (KTM) – 1:31.884 (lap 22) Sources:
Moto2 Pos. No. Rider Manufacturer Laps Time/Retired Grid Points 1 72 Marco Bezzecchi Kalex 25 40:06.441 5 25 2 88 Jorge Martín Kalex 25 +1.941 6 20 3 87 Remy Gardner Kalex 25 +3.553 4 16 4 33 Enea Bastianini Kalex 25 +4.494 15 13 5 7 Lorenzo Baldassarri Kalex 25 +4.648 8 11 6 10 Luca Marini Kalex 25 +5.142 7 10 7 40 Héctor Garzó Kalex 25 +5.224 9 9 8 11 Nicolò Bulega Kalex 25 +8.104 10 8 9 97 Xavi Vierge Kalex 25 +8.746 1 7 10 9 Jorge Navarro Speed Up 25 +11.930 19 6 11 44 Arón Canet Speed Up 25 +12.451 20 5 12 45 Tetsuta Nagashima Kalex 25 +13.209 22 4 13 23 Marcel Schrötter Kalex 25 +13.585 16 3 14 64 Bo Bendsneyder NTS 25 +15.528 14 2 15 62 Stefano Manzi MV Agusta 25 +19.284 21 1 16 42 Marcos Ramírez Kalex 25 +20.085 27 17 57 Edgar Pons Kalex 25 +21.512 23 18 27 Andi Farid Izdihar Kalex 25 +22.965 12 19 12 Thomas Lüthi Kalex 25 +24.769 13 20 19 Lorenzo Dalla Porta Kalex 25 +34.173 25 21 99 Kasma Daniel Kalex 25 +44.355 24 22 74 Piotr Biesiekirski NTS 25 +59.450 28 Ret 22 Sam Lowes Kalex 18 Accident Damage 3 Ret 35 Somkiat Chantra Kalex 9 Accident 26 Ret 24 Simone Corsi MV Agusta 5 Accident 18 Ret 21 Fabio Di Giannantonio Speed Up 2 Accident 11 Ret 16 Joe Roberts Kalex 1 Accident 2 Ret 55 Hafizh Syahrin Speed Up 1 Accident 17 DNS 37 Augusto Fernández Kalex Did not start DNS 96 Jake Dixon Kalex Did 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. Rider Manufacturer Laps Time/Retired Grid Points 1 25 Raúl Fernández KTM 23 38:29.140 2 25 2 11 Sergio García Honda 23 +0.703 7 20 3 79 Ai Ogura Honda 23 +1.005 8 16 4 14 Tony Arbolino Honda 23 +1.037 17 13 5 40 Darryn Binder KTM 23 +13.392 9 11 6 99 Carlos Tatay KTM 23 +13.424 13 10 7 82 Stefano Nepa KTM 23 +16.719 24 9 8 52 Jeremy Alcoba Honda 23 +16.824 29 8 9 12 Filip Salač Honda 23 +16.964 15 7 10 71 Ayumu Sasaki KTM 23 +17.088 26 6 11 54 Riccardo Rossi KTM 23 +17.344 6 5 12 16 Andrea Migno KTM 23 +17.467 11 4 13 55 Romano Fenati Husqvarna 23 +17.589 16 3 14 53 Deniz Öncü KTM 23 +18.191 27 2 15 2 Gabriel Rodrigo Honda 23 +18.358 12 1 16 6 Ryusei Yamanaka Honda 23 +18.441 30 17 92 Yuki Kunii Honda 23 +19.128 18 18 50 Jason Dupasquier KTM 23 +19.583 20 19 9 Davide Pizzoli KTM 23 +27.457 23 20 70 Barry Baltus KTM 23 +27.836 22 21 73 Maximilian Kofler KTM 23 +31.328 21 22 89 Khairul Idham Pawi Honda 23 +31.661 25 23 13 Celestino Vietti KTM 23 +1:20.533 3 Ret 23 Niccolò Antonelli Honda 16 Accident 31 Ret 27 Kaito Toba KTM 16 Power Loss 10 Ret 24 Tatsuki Suzuki Honda 13 Accident 19 Ret 7 Dennis Foggia Honda 13 Accident 14 Ret 5 Jaume Masiá Honda 9 Accident 28 Ret 17 John McPhee Honda 4 Accident 1 Ret 21 Alonso López Husqvarna 2 Accident Damage 5 DSQ 75 Albert Arenas KTM 10 Black flag 4 OFFICIAL MOTO3 RACE REPORT Albert Arenas was black flagged for irresponsible riding.
Championship standings after the race Below are the standings for the top five riders, constructors, and teams after the round.
MotoGP
Riders' Championship standings Rider Points 1 Joan Mir 162 2 Fabio Quartararo 125 3 3 Álex Rins 125 1 4 Maverick Viñales 121 1 5 Franco Morbidelli 117
Constructors' Championship standings Constructor Points 1 1 Suzuki 188 1 2 Ducati 181 3 Yamaha 163 4 KTM 159 5 Honda 130
Teams' Championship standings Team Points 1 Team Suzuki Ecstar 287 2 Petronas Yamaha SRT 205 3 Ducati Team 194 4 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 182 5 Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP 159
Moto2
Riders' Championship standings