---
title: "MotoGP 2018: T-Minus One Week"
description: "Can Honda's Marc Marquez remain the man to beat for the entire eight-month-long 2018 MotoGP season?"
date: "2018-03-12"
modified: "2018-03-12"
authors:
  - name: "Jerry Perez"
    job_title: "Deputy Editor"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/jerry-perez"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/accelerator/19144/motogp-2018-t-minus-one-week"
categories:
  - "News"
tags:
  - "Jorge Lorenzo"
  - "Marc Márquez"
  - "MotoGP"
  - "motorcycle"
  - "motorcycle racing"
  - "racing"
  - "Valentino Rossi"
---

# MotoGP 2018: T-Minus One Week

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/images-by-url-td/content/2018/03/mymm__alx7410.jpg>)
*\<em\>www.thedrive.com</em>*

It's that time of the year again, when [MotoGP](<https://www.thedrive.com/motorcycles/7049/yes-thats-a-motogp-bike-on-a-ski-lift>) racers, team members, and fans alike are aching to get the season's opening race underway. Thankfully, the state-of-the-art lighting system at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar is just a few days away from being switched on.

With the off-season officially over, it's time to see how well (or how poorly) teams and riders have prepared over the winter, and if the pre-season tests in Sepang, Malaysia; Buriram, Thailand; and Losail, Qatar have filled our heads with hot air or they've previewed this season's pecking order? And speaking of order, the 2018 racing season will feature a whopping 19 rounds over the course of eight full months of racing as MotoGP's management body, Dorna, sets up the series for 20 races beginning in [2019](<https://www.thedrive.com/accelerator/10098/motogp-plans-to-have-electric-motorcycle-racing-in-2019>).

![message-editor%2F1520782133970-02.jpg](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/message-editor/1520782133970-02.jpg>)
*Marc Marquez, *Honda**

![message-editor%2F1520782304812-dowzc53xkamdbrj.jpg](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/message-editor/1520782304812-dowzc53xkamdbrj.jpg>)
*Jorge Lorenzo, *Jorge Lorenzo/Twitter**

[Marc Marquez](<https://www.thedrive.com/watch-this/16815/watch-marc-marquez-and-dani-pedrosa-race-each-other-on-mopeds>), Valentino Rossi, Jorge Lorenzo, and Dani Pedrosa have all made headlines over the course of the winter, sometimes for their performance and sometimes for paddock gossip, but headlines nonetheless. Rumors of Marquez replacing old-man Rossi at Yamaha spread like wildfire over the holidays, before being squashed by Marquez signing a two-year contract renewal with [Repsol Honda](<https://www.thedrive.com/watch-this/12366/watch-2-motogp-riders-race-honda-lawnmowers>) in late February. *Yes, he waited that long.*

Honda's second man Pedrosa has largely flown under the radar (per usual) through the winter, and Ducati's prodigal child, [Lorenzo](<https://www.thedrive.com/start-finish/11949/watch-the-development-of-a-motorcycle-racing-helmet-from-the-lab-to-the-track>), will spend 2018 most likely further getting accustomed to the Italian squad. The former Yamaha superstar performed exceptionally well during the first pre-season test in Malaysia, but he and his Ducati Desmosedici GP18 were plagued with issues, mistakes, and overall bad luck during the second and third—much like his countryman's [Fernando Alonso](<https://www.thedrive.com/accelerator/19129/mclaren-renault-the-problems-continue-but-why>) F1 testing in Barcelona.

![message-editor%2F1520782358082-01.jpg](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/message-editor/1520782358082-01.jpg>)
*Dani Pedrosa, *Honda**

![message-editor%2F1520782368308-03.jpg](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/message-editor/1520782368308-03.jpg>)
*Cal Crutchlow, *Honda**

When it comes to the "best of the rest," it'd be a huge mistake to write off Maverick Viñales, Cal Crutchlow, Andrea Dovisioso, and Danilo Petrucci. With a little bit of luck and smart race strategies, these fellas could very well catch up to the series' superstars, and who knows, maybe even dethrone Marquez.

## Author
Jerry is responsible for upholding The Drive's ethos as an audience-first, enthusiast-driven car blog that serves up industry-leading news, reviews, culture, and motorsport coverage. Overseeing a staff of writers and editors from his home base in Indianapolis, he helps curate the site's daily rundown, as well as its medium- and long-term content strategies. Jerry joined The Drive in 2018 as a writer and worked as news editor and managing editor before becoming the deputy in 2023. As a lifelong car enthusiast and racing fan, Jerry believes that all cars are cool, but the people behind the machines are even cooler. This belief often gives The Drive a slightly different focus from most other car sites, where we explore the humanity behind the machines. When he's not obsessing over the day's biggest stories or hanging out at a race track, Jerry can be found behind the wheel of a car, most likely sharing a laugh with his teenage son or daughter.

### Author social links  
[Instagram](<https://www.instagram.com/drive_jerry/>)