2016 MotoGP Preview Part One: The Usual Suspects

Jorge Lorenzo, Marc Marquez, Valentino Rossi and Dani Pedrosa. MotoGP 's top four, also referred to as the "aliens," have kept that status for a while now even when they faltered a bit. The Movistar Yamaha and Repsol Honda riders also had some top machines to aid their efforts. But will things change in 2016?

The new season ushers big changes in the form of a spec ECU and new Michelin spec tires, which could shift the scales. Pre-season testing is over and in less than two weeks time in Qatar we will find out who did their homework.

If pre-season testing was any indicator, the reigning champ Lorenzo looks in good form to defend his title. Lorenzo, is oozing confidence. Not just with his lap times, but with every social-media post he reinforces his focus on winning; his resolve to keep his crown. The Spaniard looks lean and mean, laying down some soul-crushing lap times in testing to reassert his dominance.

To add insult to injury, his parting remark after finishing the test in Qatar up front, was that he felt he could go faster. “With the intermediate tire [unavailable at the test] on the front I could have been even faster,” Lorenzo said. “So I'm happy with the fastest lap time and the simulation. We are ready to be competitive for the race.”

Teammate Rossi doesn't look so bad either. Although the Italian has lacked those soul-crushing lap times in testing, he has showed no signs of slowing down either. The nine-time world champ has shown no signs of a weakened resolve either, even after his heart-breaking defeat in last season's championship. If nothing else, Rossi looks hungrier than ever. He's ready to play to win.

The Doctor has also brought in some outside help in the form of three-time World Champion Luca Cadalora for some coaching advice, something that Rossi has never done before. Although it has not been confirmed that he will be helping Rossi during the season, it got tongues wagging and people scratching their heads. Another Doctor mind trick?

As a whole, the Movistar Yamahas looked strong going into the first race of the season, but Rossi cautioned that their advantage early on in pre-season testing was lost. “I think that it will be quite tough, because it seems that from the first test the other bikes improved a lot, now we are there at their level,” Rossi said. “I think a lot of riders can be fast for the first Grand Prix, but we are competitive.”

Pre-season testing was a much more painful for the Repsol Honda duo. They struggled. And at times, if you read between the lines in post-test interviews, the sentiment was—we’re in big trouble.

But testing is, well, testing. In the end, the growing pains subsided and Marc Marquez found some speed, and more importantly confidence. "We have made some big changes that have allowed me to start gaining confidence," Marquez said. "It is still not enough, and we need to improve more, but after today I have much more confidence for the race. Yesterday I was worried about our level, because I had no pace or confidence, and today we have taken a big step forward."

His counterpart Dani Pedrosa was unable to find that confidence, looking more than a little worried. "Unfortunately we didn't improve the bike a lot," Pedrosa said. "So a little bit uncertain now."

Next up: Predictions for riders a bit further down the grid.