Radical overhaul of MotoGP format and teams makes for unpredictable season

The 2023 season signals a new dawn for MotoGP with a record 21 rounds but in reality the gruelling schedule will have 42 races as the championship undergoes a revolutionary overhaul with the introduction of Saturday sprints.

Run at 50 per cent of Sunday's race distance, sprints will not decide the final grid as in Formula One but will have valuable points up for grabs, sowing more chaos in the championship battle.

Four riders from four different manufacturers have won the MotoGP title since 2019 which makes predicting a genuine contender for the 2023 season a difficult proposition, but the loss of Suzuki leaves a big hole in the grid.

Suzuki terminated their deal with Dorna and quit MotoGP for the second time since 2011, leaving their talented riders Joan Mir and Alex Rins to find new teams to continue racing.

Mir, who was crowned 2020 champion on the back of consistent performances and podium finishes, has joined Honda to pair up with Marc Marquez while Rins has joined its satellite outfit LCR Honda, giving the Japanese manufacturer three Spaniards.

But adapting to a completely different machine has not been easy, especially for Mir who said it was a 'nightmare' memorising everything from the start procedure and launch control.

"It's hard because with the Suzuki all of these things are in a different way. To change everything is difficult. But it's a matter of time," he said during pre-season testing.

'FIGHT FOR FIFTH'

Marquez also seems back to his physical best after surgeries on his arm and overcoming double vision following crashes in recent years, but he has had complaints with the RC213V machine too and does not expect a podium at the opening race in Portimao.

"At the moment, if the race was tomorrow, with the conditions