Pecco Bagnaia is the 2023 MotoGP Champion

The Valencia Grand prix was set to be a showdown that would see Francesco ‘Pecco’ Bagnaia and Jorge Martin fight until the the final lap to decide the 2023 world championship. However, that epic finish did no come as Jorge Martin and Marc Marquez came together and crashed on lap 5 of the 27 lap race. Martin was attempting to fight through the pack from P7 while maintaining a 1.8 second gap to Bagnaia who was failing to pull away from the pack.

However, due to what the stewards deemed as a racing incident Marquez made contact with the front wheel of Martin’s Ducati which resulted in Martin running off track and Marquez high siding ending any championship hopes Martin had with 22 laps to go in the race. The incident denied MotoGP fans the closing lap show down we all hoped for. Martin was visibly distraught after the incident.

The Aftermath

Martin was clearly disappointed but offered his congratulations to Bagnaia after the race. Marquez had the following words:

“Of course it was a super emotional Sunday, honestly a super emotional week and it was hard at some points to contain the feelings. Sadly, we didn’t finish the race today, I was feeling really strong today and I honestly think a podium was possible today and even maybe more. It wasn’t our mistake, and I don’t push against Martin because he was in attack mode. It happens when you’re fighting for a championship.

But the most important thing today is to remember all of the incredible times I have had with HRC and the Repsol Honda Team, they will be the team of my life. We have written an incredible story together and they have become more than just my team, they have become my friends and my family. Thank you for everything since 2013, I will not forget any of you.”

Bagania is a Three Time World Champion

Francesco Bagnaia automatically secured the championship on lap 5 when Martin crashed out of the race. However, he ended up with a win in the final race of the season making it 2 MotoGP championships in a row that followed his first in Moto2 in 2018. Bagnaia had the following words:

Francesco Bagnaia (#1, Ducati Lenovo Team)
“I’m super happy, more than this is impossible, also because we won the race so it’s fantastic. I want to say a big thanks to all the team, they did an amazing job, from Barcelona, it was quite tough for us, but we deserved this title more than anyone. I didn’t see anything behind me, I was thinking Jorge was still in the race, and I was quite scared about that…I just was thinking of winning the race because it was the best way to finish the season.”

KTM Drops the Ball

After being notified of Martin’s exit during the race via his team pit board; Bagnaia appeared to relax and settle in on the moment on track. What he did not realize is that he’d being finishing the race in first place after both KTMs made catastrophic mistakes out front. First it was Brad Binder who ran wide in turn 10 and had to take an escape lane leading to Binder losing multiple positions on lap 16. Then on lap 19 Jack Miller crashed out of the race after a low side in the same turn from the lead. KTM was visibly gutted after giving up a potential 1-2 with two individual mistakes. However, Binder was able to fight back to secure a P3 finish to salvage a consolation on the day. Binder and Miller had the following words after the race.

Comments from the Binder and Miller

Brad Binder, 3rd: “A 3^rd place is a 3^rd place, even if we didn’t actually go to the podium! I gave away a couple of podiums this year, so I know it’s not fun. Anyway, quite cool to finish in 3^rd after coming close. I took an un-needed Long Lap but did well to save the crash because the front tire had been cooling down. A tricky day. I tried to fight my way back through but had no rear tire left at the end. We won two Sprints this year but it would have been good to sign off with a main victory. We just need a little bit more in this off-season to fight. Thanks to all my crew. We’ve made a big step this year and there’s more to come.”

Jack Miller, DNF: “Not much to say. I didn’t do much different compared to the previous lap. I’d had a few moments with the front so decided to take it easy and not do anything too savage and, yeah, she just got away from me. It could have been an amazing result…but we’ll take stock and bounce back. It has been a year of firsts in many ways and a bittersweet way to end because it’s nice to know we have pace and we’re heading in the right direction. We have been working our butts off. The rider is just one small part because there is so much going on behind the scenes. It’s a battle to better a MotoGP during a season like this and with the small window. Everyone has worked tirelessly, so I thank them all for that.”

Full Valencia Grand Prix Result are Below

Final MotoGP World Standings

Starting from P6 Jorge Martin turned nothing into magic by taking the win in the Valencia Sprint race. The win cut Francesco Bagnaia’s championship lead to 14 points as the two head into the final race of the season. Bagnaia starting from P2 found himself in trouble after dropping back to P5 and never really amounting a defense to the lost positions. Martin had the opposite experience jetting to the front of the pack. Martin took advantage of a mistake made by Brad Binder which saw him through with 6 laps to go and he wouldn’t look back. Marc Marquez started his final weekend with Honda with a hard fought P3.

Post Sprint Championship Scenarios

With one race to go and the 2023 MotoGP championship on the line the following scenarios are how Francesco Bagnaia or Jorge Martin can clinch the title.

Bagnaia is 2023 MotoGP World Champion if:

• He finishes in the top five,
• He finishes P6, P7, P8, P9, P10 and Martin doesn’t win,
• He finishes P11, P12, P13, P14 and Martin doesn’t finish better than P3
• He finishes P15 or fails to score any points and Martin doesn’t finish on the podium.

Martin is 2023 MotoG World Champion if:

• He wins and Bagnaia doesn’t finish better than P6
• He finishes P2 and Bagnaia doesn’t finish better than P11
• He finishes P3 and Bagnaia doesn’t finish better than P15

Valencia Tissot Sprint Results

Full Championship Standings

Maverick Viñales flips the script in Valencia and Jorge Martin follows taking advantage of Bagnaia mistake. Viñales broke the lap record at Circuit Ricardo Tormo setting a 1m29.142s lap. The title fight behind intensify. With the title on the line Francesco Bagnaia finished P15 in practice which will send him to Q1 while Martin finishing P2 will enter Q2. The track position gained will be a heavy advantage for Martin as Bagnaia will have to fight through the field to protect his championship points lead. The championship scenarios for Martin are heavily dependent on the results of the Sprint race. Bagnaia controls his future but with his relegations to Q1. It may be the worst timing for him to be fighting out of Q1 in order to protect his championship lead.

This weekend is the start of the rider exodus as this will be the last time Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda), Franco Morbidelli (Monster Yamaha), Johann Zarco (Pramac Ducati), Fabio di Giannantonio (Gresini Ducati) and Pol Espargaro (GASGAS Tech3) will suit up for their respective teams.

Full Valencia Practice Results

As we head into the final MotoGP round of the year there are two riders still in championship. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) and Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing). The pair head into the final race in Valencia with a 21 point gap. In the lap outing at the Qatar Grand Prix Martin started the weekend off in good shape cutting the deficit down to 7 points after the sprint race. However, a disastrous Qatar Grand Prix saw Martin drop well behind Bagnaia after Martin was plagued with a tire issue.

How Can Bagnaia Clinch the 2023 MotoGP Championship?

Below are the scenarios that would seal the title for Bagnaia.

• He wins and Martin doesn’t finish better than P3
• He finishes P2 and Martin doesn’t finish better than P5
• He finishes P3 and Martin doesn’t finish better than P7
• He finishes P4 and Martin doesn’t finish better than P8
• He finished P5 and Martin doesn’t finish better than P9
• He finished P6 and Martin fails to score any point

Martin has more of an uphill battle if he is to win the title. We will report scenarios after we know the outcome of the Saturday’s sprint race.

Francesco Bagnaia got the Job done in Qatar. After the Grand Prix he shut the door on any ground gained by Jorge Martin in the Sprint. Bagnaia now holds a 21 point lead over Martin in the title race with one round left to go. Martin has an extreme uphill battle that will also likely require a bit of luck if he is to have any chance at the title in 2023.

What Went Wrong in Qatar for Martin?

After taking the top spot in the Tissot Sprint in Qatar Jorge Martin was looking poising to take the lead in the championship. However, that opportunity faded away with a disastrous outing in the Grand Prix. Martin finished P10 in a race where he was fighting the bike the entire time and essentially was a sitting duck out on the track. “You saw the start. I had a big spin and the rear tire wasn’t working well.” said Martin. “I’m really disappointed a Championship is decided by a bad tire. It’s happened to me and it’s a pity but it is what it is. I struggled a lot, I didn’t have rear grip, I couldn’t turn, I couldn’t open the throttle but with my experience, I at least made some points which wasn’t easy.

“Anything can happen in Valencia. Pecco [Francesco Bagnaia] can make a mistake, I can for sure win both races but I can win if I don’t have a tire like today. It’s not decided yet, but it’s not the same to arrive to Valencia close than in this condition.”

Bagnaia Had the Following Words after the Qatar Grand prix

“I never saw him. I thought he was fourth, but I didn’t see he was behind like this and my team didn’t say anything to me. Last year I remember my feeling (going into the final round). Even if it was a 23-point gap, I was very much under pressure but this year is different. I think we can manage the situation better and Jorge will have to totally attack. We are in the best position.”

Fabio Di Giannantonio Secures First MotoGP Win

In contrasting news to Jorge Martin, Fabio Di Giannantonio (Gresini Racing) secured his first MotoGP win outpacing Bagnaia and playing a bit of damage control for Martin in the championship standings. It is Di Giannantonio’s second year in MotoGP and to win a race this soon speaks volumes to his talents and ability. Hwoever, Di Giannanotino does not have a seat for 2024. With almost no options left ont he grid some of us including Di Giannatonio are wondering why?

“I am speechless about this argument.” Di Giannatonio said referring to not having a seat for 2024. “I think I am doing everything on time. It’s just my second year in MotoGP. If you look at the other riders, we are in the best Championship in the world, the highest level of motorbikes in the world. The guy who finished last today was a World Champion, so the level is super high! It takes time to make things work out, finally we made it, but I think we’re completely on time.

I think it’s quite strange this situation, that a rider like me does not have a seat with one week to the end of the season, and some other riders already have it. In the end, it is what it is, and I just have to be focused and just try to enjoy every moment of my bike.”

Full Qatar Grand Prix Race Results

Standings After Qatar

Jorge Martin put on a show in the Tissot Sprint race cutting Francesco Bagnaia’s championship point lead in half with a win. Bagnaia now holds a 7 point lead over Martin as the two head into tomorrow’s Grand Prix. One the opening lap the two made contact into to turn 1 but Martin had the inside line and was able to pull in front of Bagnaia coming out of the turn ahead. Bagnaia was able to recover on the next lap but Martin didn’t back down from the fight making a cheeky pass on the inside of Bagnaia again making contact. No penalties were issued in either scuffle.

Luca Marini wasn’t able to convert his pole position finish into a win, but a P3 finish is a solid consolation. it was a dominant day for the Ducati’s as they filled the top 5 spots in the Tissot Sprint race. Alex Marquez edged out Francesco Bagnaia to take P4 costing Bagnaia valuable points in the sprint. With Martin on his heels the pressure will be on in the Grand Prix tomorrow for a result.

The Best of the Rest

Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) was the best of the rest finishing P6. He piloted the sole Aprilia to break to the top 10 in the race. The KTMs of Brand Binder and Jack Miller were in no mans land finishing P7 and P11 respectively. Miguel Oliveira and Aleix Espargaro did not finish the race.

World Championship Points

Luca Marini set the tone in qualifying after claiming pole position in Qatar. Behind in were the two Gresini Racing riders Fabio Di Giannantonio and Alex Marques in P2 and P3 respectively. Francesco Bagnaia and Jorge Martin will line up on the second row as they head into the Qatar Sprint race. The pair were separated by 0.022s in qualifying. As things heat up its everything on the line for Martin and Bagnaia as the championship race could tilt in either riders favor after this weekend.

Of note, Aleix Espargaro was handed a 6 place grid penalty for unsportsmanlike behavior after he was seen punching Franco Morbidelli at the end of qualifying. Espargaro was also issued a €10,000 fine for the incident. He will start from P16 in the races this weekend as a result of the penalty. Iker Lecuona (LCR Honda Castrol) was also handed a penalty for impeding Enea Bastianini during the session. He received a 3 place grid penalty for the incident.

After managing a leading pace in early practice Raul Fernandez (CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP Team) could only muster a P9 finish in qualifying. It was not a very successful day for Honda as 3 of the 4 Hondas on grid will start from the back of the pack. The exception is Marc Marques who finished P7

Full Qualifying Results are below

Raul Fernandez put down a scorcher in Practice today setting the fastest last of the session sending him into Q2. The CRYPTODATA RNF MotoGP Team rider isn’t used to being at the front of the pack but beating out some of the top names in MotoGP in Practice today will be a major confidence boost for Fernandez this weekend. Fabio Di Giannantonio also had an amazing practice session running second fastest behind Fernandez by only 0.049s. Maverick Viñales finished in third.

Jorge Martin and Francesco Bagnaia Not in the Top 5

Oddly the two riders who are in a fight for the championship were no where to be found in the top 5. With Martin edging out the lead ahead of Bagnaia by 0.007s for P7 and P8. The result was unexpected for both riders which has raised questions as to why both riders have fallen so far behind in the session. Tire degradation was thought to cause the drop off in pace but with just 14 points between the two this weekend is staged to get spiced up on track as Martin and Bagnaia go toe to toe in qualifying which could be the defining factors for the races this weekend.

Full Practice Results Are Below:

Enea Bastianini won the Malaysian Grand Prix in a surprising and dominant fashion. It has been an uphill climb for Bastianini as he hasn’t been the same this season after suffering early season injuries that required surgery. In Malaysia he appeared to be a man reborn after surging to the top and playing spoiler in the heated battle for the championship title between Jorge Martin and teammate Francesco Bagnaia. Sprint race winner Alex Marquez double down on podium finishes finishing P2 behind Bastianini. Bagnaia finish in third 7 seconds ahead of Jorge Martin in fourth.

Bastianini Comment on the Victory

Bastianini had the following words after the race, “It’s fantastic and emotional to get back to winning after a difficult period. Today I didn’t want anything else, I just wanted to win, I didn’t care about the rest, and I knew I could do it. In the race I pushed from the start as in qualifying, maintaining the gap, but I was totally at the limit, and couldn’t give anything more but in the end, the victory came. I think that something exploded inside me this weekend and I went back to having fun.

Certainly, one of the keys is that we modified the engine braking strategy, coming into line with what we saw from Thailand. What changed also was that I am not continually making mistakes when braking, which until recently happened every lap. I’ve always said that when you get back to having fun, you also go a lot faster.”

Bagnaia and Martin are now separated by 14 points as we head into the final two race weekends of the season. With 2 sprint races and 2 grand prix left in the season. The race for points is coming down to the wire. Alex Marquez and Enea Bastianini forced a fight behind in both the sprint and grand prix at Sepang. The two went toe to toe all weekend leaving it all on the track. The finishes this weekend eliminated Marco Bezzecchi from title contention completely. He was the only other rider that could have mathematically made a late run for the title besides Martin and Bagnaia.

Yamaha Bags Two Top 10 Finishes

Fabio Quartararo and Franco Morbidelli both finished in the top 10 in the Malaysian Grand Prix. The Yamahas have been behind in terms of development in 2023 in comparison to the Ducatis. However, in the last few races the Yamaha have shown glimpses of improvement. 2023 is over for Yamaha but valuable data is to be gained for 2024. Quartararo stated, “I’m happy. I had a great start and great first lap. It took us so long to overtake Jack, so we lost a lot of tire performance because of tire consumption. But I’m feeling happy. I think the top 5 was the best result we could get today. Being able to fight today was a good mentality boost.”

Morbidelli added his comments, “It was a positive weekend and Race. We were able to be consistent in the Race and recover many positions. I’m happy with the job we’ve done this weekend, and after a strong Race I’m even happier. Today the bike was working very well, and we were able to be fast on the straight and overtake.”

Full Malaysian Grand Prix Results

World Championship Standings

Alex Marquez translated his early practice pace into a race win in the Tissot Sprint race at Sepang International Circuit. The Gresini Racing rider showed impeccable form, dominating the field in the closing laps. The battle behind was the story of the day as the championship race intensified with Jorge martin finishing in second place ahead of Francesco Bagnaia. The pair are now separated by just 11 points as we head into the Malaysian Grand Prix on Sunday. There is no longer room for mistakes as a DNF at this point could dramatically swing the advantage in one direction for either rider.

Marquez won the race by 1.589 seconds. Once he got a taste of clean air there was no slowing him down. Jorge Martin finished ahead of Bagnaia by the same margin as the pack started to stretch out in the end stage of the race. Despite a glimpse a brilliance from the KTMs in practice Enea Bastianini was able to beat out both Brad Binder and Jack Miller to mount a fight for third with teammate Bagnaia. Binder remained in striking distance until the end of the race but couldn’t quite find the line to make a move.

Next up is the Grand Prix where everything is on the line for the championship fight.

Full Sprint Race Results

World Standings After the Sprint Race