Who won MotoGP’s 2022 phony war?

After just five days of official running across Sepang and the Mandalika International Street Circuit, preparations for the 2022 MotoGP season are now over. Here's what we learned from testing and who looks to have come out on top

Lewis Duncan Feb 14, 2022, 10:00 AM

Upd: Feb 19, 2022, 10:02 AM

As the fat cats with big wallets propping up MotoGP squads sip champagne and caviar as 2022 pre-season testing ends, the humble engineers behind a manufacturer’s success – and us less important journos - can begin pouring over data and caveats to make some sense of this season's first 120 hours of track time.

While last year’s pre-season phase resembled the meme of Spider Man pointing at himself, as cost-saving measures due to the COVID-19 pandemic meant all but Aprilia turned up to Qatar with basically their 2020 bikes, 2022 has brought a glimmer of normality. Those cost-saving measures were put in the bin and it was open (pre) season for manufacturers.

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Author Lewis Duncan

Lewis Duncan is Autosport's International Editor and primary motorcycle racing reporter. A motorsport fan from a young age, Lewis became interested in journalism when he won the star letter competition in the February 2012 issue of F1 Racing Magazine. A member of the Autosport Academy from 2017, Lewis became a freelance motorcycle racing correspondent for Autosport in 2019 before becoming a full-time staffer in 2020 as International Editor.

While MotoGP coverage is his priority, Lewis also covers World Superbikes and road racing across the Motorsport Network, and hosts the Tank Slappers Podcast. He has also occasionally commentated on 750 Motor Club meetings. Away from motorsport, Lewis is a keen record collector with a collection unashamedly largely featuring Iron Maiden and Rush and an avid guitar player.