The season calendar was profoundly disrupted before a single race had taken place. The Qatar Grand Prix, originally the opening round, was cancelled after Qatari quarantine measures requiring travelers from Italy to isolate for two weeks made it impossible for the many Italian-based teams and suppliers to attend. The Moto2 and Moto3 classes raced in Qatar as planned, having already arrived before the measures were implemented, but the premier class did not.
Thailand, the Americas, Argentina, Spain, France, Italy, and Catalunya all followed with postponements or cancellations in the spring. By late April, Germany, the Netherlands, and Finland had been officially cancelled. The British and Australian rounds were cancelled in May, and the Japanese round in June. With no prospect of flyaway racing in 2020, Dorna confirmed on 31 July that all remaining non-European rounds were cancelled — the first time the premier class had been held entirely within Europe since 1986.
A new all-European calendar was confirmed on 11 June, built around five double-headers at Jerez, Austria, Misano, Aragon, and Valencia, supplemented by additional rounds at Brno and Le Mans, plus a first Portuguese Grand Prix since 2012, held at the new Portimao circuit. The season ultimately comprised 14 rounds — the shortest 500cc/MotoGP campaign since 1998.
All riders, team personnel, and paddock staff operated within a strict biosecure bubble at each venue, with testing protocols, restricted paddock access, and no spectators at most rounds. The bubble system became the defining operational characteristic of the season.
The season's competitive complexion was transformed immediately at the opening round in Jerez. Márquez, the defending champion seeking a fifth consecutive title, crashed in the race and fractured his right humerus. He attempted to return the following weekend at the same circuit but suffered a further setback requiring surgery, and subsequently sat out the entire remainder of the season. Stefan Bradl replaced him at Repsol Honda from the Czech Republic round onwards.
Márquez's absence removed the dominant force from the championship and opened the title to a wider field than had been realistic in recent years.
With no single rider able to assert dominance, the 2020 season produced nine different race winners and set a record for first-time premier-class victors in a single season. Brad Binder, Miguel Oliveira, Franco Morbidelli, and Joan Mir all won for the first time in the premier class, joining Fabio Quartararo who had taken his first win at the end of 2019. KTM won their first premier-class race through Binder, and three teams — Petronas SRT, KTM Factory Racing, and Tech3 — each won their first premier-class races during the season.
Between the Czech Republic and Aragon Grands Prix, different riders won in eight successive races, equalling the previous record. Morbidelli and Quartararo led the winners with three victories each; Oliveira took two; and Binder, Andrea Dovizioso, Maverick Viñales, Danilo Petrucci, Alex Rins, and Mir each won once.
Mir secured the riders' title at the penultimate round with 13 points to spare over Morbidelli. His championship was the most unconventional in modern MotoGP history: he won a single race during the season, with his title built on extraordinary consistency and point accumulation rather than race victories. It was the first MotoGP championship for Suzuki since Kenny Roberts Jr. won in 2000, and the first premier-class title for a non-Honda or non-Yamaha rider since Casey Stoner's 2007 championship with Ducati.
Team Suzuki Ecstar also won the teams' championship, the manufacturer's first and only such title.
Before the European Grand Prix in Valencia, Yamaha and its satellite team Petronas SRT were penalized for changing engine valve specifications between the pre-season homologation freeze and the opening round at Jerez, without obtaining the required unanimous approval from the Motorcycle Sport Manufacturers Association. Yamaha accepted the FIM's penalties and did not appeal: the manufacturer lost 50 points in the constructors' championship, and the Yamaha factory team and Petronas SRT lost 20 and 37 team championship points respectively. No individual rider points were deducted. Ducati ultimately won the constructors' championship, their first since Stoner's 2007 season, assisted by the Yamaha penalty.
Valentino Rossi became the first premier-class rider to test positive for the virus, missing the Aragon and Teruel rounds in October after a confirmed positive result. Iker Lecuona missed the European Grand Prix through quarantine requirements after close contacts tested positive, and subsequently missed the Valencian and Portuguese rounds after testing positive himself.
Rossi finished 15th in the championship — his lowest position since beginning his premier-class career — missing two rounds through COVID and failing to reach the podium consistently. It was the most visible sign that his career was entering its final phase.