The 2017 MotoGP World Championship season is upon us and it’s shaping up to be another mega year of competition. Just hours out from FP1 at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar, here are 10 things we’re tipping you should keep an eye on in the new season.

Source: Supplied.

1. Potential of Viñales:
Movistar Yamaha’s newest signing – replacement of Jorge Lorenzo – has been frighteningly fast in testing, topping Valencia, Sepang, Phillip Island and Losail during the off-season. Nobody expected that type of form so soon on the factory YZR-M1 from Viñales, so as a result, he’s already very much a championship favourite and will certainly carry on with it come the races.

2. Lorenzo’s Ducati adaption:
We’ve seen the triple MotoGP world champion make an encouraging amount of progress since the Valencia test, resulting in P4 at Qatar’s final test. Losail has always been a pretty strong track for Ducati, so we could see a great debut this weekend, and it will be essential they continue that form into the following rounds. Or, it could be a stuggle from the outset – only time will tell.

3. Marquez defending his crown:
The Repsol Honda hero has won the premier class title three times in four attempts, so there’s no reason he won’t be in the mix once again in 2017. The rivalry with Viñales goes back a long way and will be intriguing, but as it stands, it’s Marquez who has the runs on the board. We’re currently tipping Marquez to clinch a fourth MotoGP championship.

4. Rossi going for number 10:
There’s been seven full seasons since Rossi last won the title in 2009 and the fact that he has finished second the past three years in a row would have to be frustrating for him. Entering year one of an extended two-year Yamaha deal and at 38 years of age, time is running out for ‘The Doctor’ if he’s to grab number 10. It’d be outstanding to see, there’s no doubt about that!

5. Aero evolutions:
The ban of winglets has done little to slow down aerodynamic development in grand prix racing and we’ve seen an assortment of fascinating concepts unveiled during the pre-season. But will they be the same as what we’ll see this weekend in the race? And what does the future hold? There are restrictions in place, however chances are the best internal-type winglet solution is yet to come.

Source: Supplied.

6. Emerging factories:
Honda and Yamaha are widely recognised as the main contenders, however Ducati is desperately serious and Suzuki has show a great amount of strength in the past season (albeit now without Viñales). So, the question is, where will KTM factor into all of this and just how far has Aprilia come during the off-season? We reckon they’re going to fare even better than anticipated at this stage.

7. Rookies making an impact:
The latest crop of Moto2 graduates have a fine mix of experience and youthfulness this year, which will almost certainly see them among the top 10 on many occasions. In fact, the form of Monster Yamaha Tech3 duo Jonas Folger and Johann Zarco has been exceptional already, plus Alex Rins has a factory team in Suzuki behind him. And then there’s Sam Lowes on the official Aprilia, who has also proven a class-act in his career.

8. Is Miller’s time now?:
It’s hard to believe, but Aussie Miller is already in the third and final year of his elusive Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) contract. This will be a big one for him, most importantly in a bid to get his deal extended, and also for the sake of establishing himself as a real factory candidate in the future. A win last year at Assen was superb, but in 2017 everybody will want to see him factor among the top Independent riders every round.

9. Attack of the Independents:
Speaking of the Independent Team, last year we saw Miller become the first non-factory rider to win since Toni Elias in Portugal way back in 2006, which opened the floodgates for fellow Honda rider Cal Crutchlow to take two wins of his own (including Phillip Island). This year we fully expect Crutchlow to be up-front and it’d be nice to see Jack there too, as well as Folger and Zarco, not to mention the swarm of incredibly capable Ducati satellite riders.

10. Pedrosa and Dovizioso:
Sometimes we overlook exactly how good the likes of Dani Pedrosa (Reopsol Honda) and Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) are, simply because their world champion teammates take up so much of the spotlight. Once again both will be in the frame for wins, they will enter the season with minimal pressure compared to their stablemates and have enjoyed a positive pre-season. Don’t rule out a win for Dovi at round one!