The unanswered problems blocking MotoGP's return

The news that the season-opening Qatar Grand Prix was to be cancelled due to the coronavirus outbreak - before it reached the horrifying pandemic status in the ensuing weeks - seems like ancient history now. By now, MotoGP should be well on its way towards its sixth round at Le Mans following an enthralling Spanish GP at Jerez.

Instead, MotoGP remains on pause until at least July, following the recent cancellation of the Dutch, German and Finnish GPs to go along with the other postponements.

Last month, Carmelo Ezpeleta, CEO of MotoGP promoter Dorna Sports, suggested MotoGP was still on course to hit its scheduled Czech and Austrian GPs on 9 and 16 August, respectively. Ezpeleta was "optimistic" of this schedule, as MotoGP began work on its contingencies to get some sort of a season in - a 10-12-round schedule the mooted number, most of which would be held behind closed doors.

Speedweek reported that the season would get underway at the Red Bull Ring - following in the footsteps of Formula 1's plans, with the Austrian government keen to show off to the world the effectiveness of its containment measures.

Then the outlet reported Jerez would be the new location for the start of the season. As it would turn out, this rumour proved to be true.

On Thursday, Dorna, the Jerez circuit and the Jerez City Council announced a deal had been struck with MotoGP to open its delayed 2020 season at the Spanish GP venue with two races held over consecutive weekends on 19 and 26 July, while World Superbikes would occupy the 2 August start the following weekend.

The plan still has to be ratified by the government of Spain, but the current protocol MotoGP has taken in organising its Jerez double-header - the Spanish GP and GP of Andalusia - will be implemented in every country it hopes to visit this year.

"The agreement between the Regional Government of Andalusia, the Jerez City Council and ourselves has been reached," Ezpeleta told motogp.com.

"We established the basics: how and what will happen, how it will be organised. We presented it to them and they found it acceptable to send to the Government of Spain. This is what we're doing with every country that we go to. There is a protocol that we have decided upon, that will be finished tomorrow or the day after, where we have reduced the number of people who are the MotoGP family to 1300 people."

Last month, Dorna took a consensus on paddock numbers. For factory MotoGP teams, 40 personnel will be allowed; 25 for satellite teams; 20 for Moto2 squads and 15 for Moto3 outfits. The original number bandied around was 1600, so a saving of 300 has been made somewhere - though whether that number includes medical personnel and marshals remains to be seen.

The questions which remain unanswered

And herein lies perhaps the main issue few seem to be talking about right now. A MotoGP weekend typically requires an army of up to somewhere in the region of 800 marshals to ensure safe running of the event. These orange-clad heroes are volunteers - they spend their free weekends working hard shifts for the love of the sport. No one is sure what the world will look like come July in regards to lockdown measures.

How marshals factor into all of this remains to be seen

But finding that number of people actually able to be in place will be difficult, not least having to do so across a season.

Ezpeleta has outlined MotoGP's paddock safety protocols. Everyone will have to take a COVID-19 test no later than four days before travelling and present their results document before being permitted paddock entry. Everyone will then be tested upon arrival and continuously monitored through each weekend. Those coming from outside Europe will also have to arrive 14 days prior to observe a quarantine period.

How everyone will be monitored away from the track is yet to be revealed, but it's likely Dorna will utilise multiple hotels for all paddock personnel to ensure contact tracing. Dorna hasn't stated what it is, but it has plans in place should someone in the paddock test positive for the disease.

How marshals factor into all of this remains to be seen, though. Perhaps a dedicated team could be employed by Dorna, but this would be costly and hardly practical.

Ezpeleta admits MotoGP is now aiming for 12-16 races - most of which would be in Europe, though flyaways are being considered. Given the current financial woes facing world sport, and the fact Dorna foots a hefty logistics bill for the paddock, it's hard to imagine MotoGP setting foot outside of Europe this year.

But even a season centred in Europe poses a human cost few are willing to acknowledge.

Assuming there will at least be some form of staff rotation given the smaller team numbers implemented, there will still be a lot of personnel who will be mainstays through the season. For those coming from outside of Europe, they will be spending at least a month at a time, and perhaps longer depending on how the yet-to-be-announced calendar shapes up, with a 14-day quarantine followed by back-to-back races. To be away from your family for so long, and during such an uncertain time, is an immensely tough thing to face up to.

A MotoGP race calendar like no other

Ezpeleta hopes to have a calendar in place by the end of this month, or at the start of June. Should Spain approve the Jerez plans, it's reasonable to expect races at Aragon, Catalunya and Valencia - pending financial feasibility for these circuits - would get the go ahead. Given Spain mooted the possibility of all tourism being banned until next year just a few weeks ago, Jerez's approval would be a most welcome development.

MotoGP is yet to clarify whether weekend formats will change. With races being run without fans, it would likely be favourable for circuits to have at least one less day of use. One less day and fewer sessions would also reduce the number of marshals needed, and the less time the paddock is spent together the better.

Unfortunately, the media won't be allowed in. But that's a small-fry issue in the grand scheme of things. Just having races will be a major boost for all parties and the revenue generated from Dorna supplying its world feed to screens across the globe will be a major boost to the championship.

This is why there is such a big push to get races run, even if that means there won't be any fans attending them. It might seem trivial, but cancelling the season would have serious repercussions moving forward into a post-virus world. A season of 10-12 rounds this year would go a long way to ensuring MotoGP's continued good health.

On top of that, Jerez's keenness to host races relates to a small - but vital - boost to the local economy. Two weeks - and four in the case of those needing to be quarantined - of full hotels will go a very long way. Plus, the local tourism board being able to advertise through MotoGP lays the groundwork for a financial bounce back in 2021 when life should hopefully have returned to normal.

If the curve flattens enough and the virus spread can be controlled as the world eases itself out of lockdown, things should be fine. But one spike somewhere in Europe, and it's back to the drawing board

But there are obvious hurdles to be surmounted, which Dorna has yet to make its plans clear on.

Of course, the biggest issue, and the thing MotoGP has no control over is what the virus does. If the curve flattens enough and the virus spread can be controlled as the world eases itself out of lockdown, things should be fine. But one spike somewhere in Europe, and it's back to the drawing board.

I'll admit, as with so many people, this lockdown hasn't exactly been the easiest of situations. MotoGP has provided a much-needed glimmer of hope with the announcement of its Jerez plans. And I so want this to succeed.

But there is still a long way to go before any of this can become a tangible reality.