The Argentine Grand Prix took place in wet conditions. Sprint race winner Brad Binder had a lap 1 slide out which effective eliminated his chance at a double podium for the weekend. Pole sitter Alex Marquez could not capitalize on his start from pole but was able to capture a podium finishing in third. Pace on track was significantly impacted by the wet weather conditions on track. One early victim was Monster Energy Yamaha rider Fabio Quartararo who was pushed wide at Turn 7 but was able to recover to finish P7.
Mooney VR46 Racing rider Marco Bezzecchi had a commanding leading for the majority of the race. Bezzecchi secured his first win in MotoGP in his second year in the series. Previous championship points leader Francesco Bagnaia suffered from a self induced error that cause a low speed slide out. Bagnaia made a charge up to P2 prior to the incident that eventually saw him finish P16 overall. This crash cost him a chance at the podium and his championship points lead. Bagnaia was visually frustrated with the incident after the race. However, the Ducati dominance continues as Ducatis occupy 4 of the top 5 positions in the championship points standings. No other manufacturer has amounted an answer to their early success in 2023.
With 4 laps to go Prima Pramac Ducati rider Johann Zarco made a late charge to take P2 on the final lap securing his first podium of the year. The result also saw him jump 3 positions in the riders championship points standings. Prima Pramac teammate Jorge Martin was able to finish P5 which the team will see as a very successful weekend after Martin finish 8th in both Q2 and the Sprint Race. Monster Energy Yamaha rider Franco Morbidelli finished P4 in both the sprint race and grand prix which is the best finish for a Yamaha rider thus far in the 2023 campaign.
Based on the number of riders out with injury for this race the grid was reduced to 17 riders. Headed into the weekend there were a number of riders who had suffered injuries in Portugal. Repsol Honda rider Joan Mir also missed out on the Argentine Grand Prix due to an early crash in the Sprint Race that resulted in nausea and dizziness associated with head trauma.
The New Championship Standings :
POS | | RIDER | NAT | TEAM | POINTS |
1 | ^2 | Marco Bezzecchi | ITA | Mooney VR46 Ducati | 50 |
2 | ˅1 | Francesco Bagnaia | ITA | Ducati Lenovo | 41 |
3 | ^3 | Johann Zarco | FRA | Pramac Ducati | 35 |
4 | ^1 | Alex Marquez | SPA | Gresini Ducati | 33 |
5 | ˅3 | Maverick Viñales | SPA | Aprilia Racing | 32 |
6 | ^1 | Jack Miller | AUS | Red Bull KTM | 25 |
7 | ^1 | Jorge Martin | SPA | Pramac Ducati | 22 |
8 | ˅4 | Brad Binder | RSA | Red Bull KTM | 22 |
9 | ^2 | Franco Morbidelli | ITA | Monster Yamaha | 21 |
10 | = | Fabio Quartararo | FRA | Monster Yamaha | 18 |
11 | ^1 | Luca Marini | ITA | Mooney VR46 Ducati | 15 |
12 | ^2 | Alex Rins | SPA | LCR Honda | 13 |
13 | ˅4 | Aleix Espargaro | SPA | Aprilia Racing | 12 |
14 | ^3 | Augusto Fernandez | SPA | Tech3 GASGAS | 8 |
15 | ^1 | Takaaki Nakagami | JPN | LCR Honda | 7 |
16 | ˅3 | Marc Marquez | SPA | Repsol Honda | 7 |
17 | NA | Fabio di Giannantonio | ITA | Gresini Ducati | 6 |
18 | ˅3 | Joan Mir | SPA | Repsol Honda | 5 |
19 | ˅1 | Miguel Oliveira | POR | RNF Aprilia | 3 |
20 | NA | Raul Fernandez | SPA | RNF Aprilia | 2 |