Marc Marquez is rumored to be making a move to Gresini Racing placing him on a Ducati for the 2024 MotoGP season. Marquez has been unhappy at Honda this year. The first half of the season was plagued with multiple crashes and multiple zero points finishes. In part it feels like Marquez may just want a change after one of his worst MotoGP seasons ever.
Honda Racing Corporation Released the Following Statement
“Honda Racing Corporation and Marc Marquez have mutually elected to terminate their four-year contract prematurely at the end of the 2023 MotoGP World Championship season.
With a year still remaining on the four-year contract between HRC and Marc Marquez, both parties have mutually agreed to end their collaboration upon completion of the 2023 MotoGP World Championship season. Both parties agreed it was in their best interests to each pursue other avenues in the future to best achieve their respective goals and targets.
This brings an end to 11 years of collaboration between the #93 and HRC in which they achieved six premier class World Championships, five Triple Crowns, 59 wins, 101 podiums and 64 pole positions together.
Marquez took his debut victory in the premier class aboard the Honda RC213V at the Grand Prix of the Americas in Austin, Texas in 2013 to become the youngest premier class winner and would become the youngest premier class World Champion later that year. In 2014 he defended his title and won the opening 10 consecutive races of year, going on to also claim titles in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 as an HRC rider with the Repsol Honda Team.
Both parties will continue to give their full support for the remaining rounds of the 2023 MotoGP World Championship season. HRC wish Marc Marquez the best in his future endeavors.”
Marquez to Gresini?
Marquez is rumored to be joining Gresini Racing where he would share a garage with his brother Alex Marquez. We can imagine that this was a strong factor in his decision to leave Honda as the two haven’t raced for the same team in MotoGp since 2020 when Alex Marquez filled in for Jorge Lorenzo who retired at the end of the 2019 season. Gresini has not yet publicly confirmed this move however. The move would end an 11 year stent at Honda. We will stand by for the official press release from Gresini if this deal is true.
Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) pulled off yet another sensational double win today winning the Japanese Grand Prix. Most notably he cut another 5 points off of championship leader Francesco Bagnaia’s (Ducati Lenovo) points lead. The margin between them is now only 3 points. This championship is far from decided and its gearing up to be a fan favorite finish which potential to come down to the final round in November. There are 6 races left on the calendar and both Martin and Bagnaia know there is no room for error if they are going to raise the trophy this season.
At this point Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing) seems to be moving in the wrong direction for championship contention. Bezzecchi lost another 3 points to Bagnaia this weekend after finishing P4 in the Japanese Grand Prix this morning. One man who leaves Japan with a smile on his face is Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda). Marquez seems to be back in good stride after he secured a P3 finish in Japan returning him to the podium.
Marc Marquez had the following words at Honda’s home race, “It feels great to return to the podium after so long away, and to do it here in Motegi, at Honda’s home, with so many fans and people from Honda here, honestly it is quite romantic. In the race it was all about understanding the wet tires once we switched over, at the start it was quite dry so it was important to be careful to not destroy the tire.
I stayed calm and when I saw there was more water on track, I began to attack. I was feeling really good with my pace and I think we could have had an interesting end to the race, but ultimately Race Direction did a really good job and they made the right call at the right time…I want to say thank you to them and of course all of the Repsol Honda Team as well, days like today have many factors at play and my team worked really well to handle everything. This podium is what we have been looking for all year and it’s a nice boost for the last push in 2023.”
Brad Binder Can’t Replicate Sprint Race Result
Unfortunately for KTM rider Brad Binder his early weekend success in the Sprint Race did not carry over to the Grand Prix. Binder crashed out of the Japanese Grand Prix early in the race on the fifth lap. The race was eventually stopped due to extreme weather conditions however the stewards did not allow Binder to rejoin the race.
Binder had the following words, “Overall I think we had a positive weekend here in Japan. We were fast in all sessions and to bring home a podium in the Sprint yesterday was fantastic but unfortunately today it was tricky with the weather conditions and we came in after the first lap for the bike swap. I started to feel good in the rain and with good pace but I had a small lock going into Turn 3 and that was it. Thank you to my team for their hard work. We’ll try and make up for it next time around.”
Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) also suffered the same fate. The race restarted at reduced distance. No major injuries were reported.
Full Japanese Grand Prix Results
New Championship Standings
Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) took yet another chuck out of Francesco Bagnaia’s championship lead in the Japanese Grand Prix Sprint race today. Bagnaia is now just 8 points ahead of Martin in the Championship standings. This means that there is potential for a championship leader swing this weekend in the Grand Prix which would be the first swing we’ve seen in the 2023 campaign. An elated Martin stated after the race, “I couldn’t be happier, Pole and Sprint today, I’m super satisfied. Together with the team, we’re doing an incredible job, and I can say we’re under a lucky star… but we deserve it.”
Bagnaia Loses Grasp on Championship
Bagnaia has dominated all season but a recent downturn in form plagued with crashes and mechanical failures has seen Bagnaia’s grasp on the title dwindle round by round. Martin was admittedly nervous on the day but he didn’t let that affect him. Martin won the race form pole and Bagnaia is now the one who is feeling the pressure. Bagnaia didn’t get the best of starts dropping to 4th at the start of the race. Brad Binder (KTM) who took second place in the sprint passed him with ease and Binder’s teammate Jack miller also benefited. Bagnaia had to contend with a feisty Jack Miller (KTM) in the fight for third but would eventually pass him on Lap 10 and wouldn’t look back.
It was an unfortunate day for Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia) as his Aprilia had more mechanical issues that have seemingly been lingering despite his recent race success. He did not finish the race and retired. Otherwise the sprint was largely uneventful. A number of riders were warned for exceeding track limits. Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha) was the only rider to receive a long lap penalty in the race. He completed the penalty and finished P18. Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing) who currently sits in third in the championship standings didn’t do himself any favors after finishing P7 in the sprint. He lost 8 points in the standing to Bagnaia. There is time for him to gain ground but with Jorge Martin in peak form he will have to make a move soon before the two at the front run away with the title race.
Full Race Results are Below
The IndianOil India Grand Prix has etched its first winner into the record books. Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing) won the first ever Indian Grand Prix which shook up the championship race. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo) crashed out of the grand prix leaving the door wide open for Bezzecchi and current second place championship sitter Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) to take advantage. Due to Bagnaia not finishing the race. Martin is now only 13 points behind the championship lead. Bezzecchi is 44 points behind. With the win in India Bezzecchi showed the world that he isn’t done yet and that this championship fight is long from over.
As reported by Tribune India Bezzecchi stated the following after the race, “It’s a track that I liked the first time I rode on it. There was some hard braking, but also some fast parts and chicanes. Physically, I felt better with the head, so change of direction was not a problem. Sector three was really fantastic to ride.” Bezzecchi finished the race 8 seconds clear of Jorge Martin.
In a dramatic change of events Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha) secured his first podium of teh 2023 campaign placing third. Quartararo stated the following after the race, “It was a tough race, to be honest. I gave everything. On acceleration on the straight we are losing so much, but my crew chief told me I did one of my best races, so I can sleep well tonight.”
Quartararo Continued
“What a race! We didn‘t make any mistakes. It was a great weekend overall. I‘m pretty happy about it, and hopefully we can do many more GPs like this this year. We have to be clever, and when we get small opportunities to get these kinds of results, we have to take it. We have to be happy with this podium. I was pushing until the end, but I felt I was so much on the limit with the tyre, so third was the best we could do this weekend.”
Brand Binder (KTM) finished 4th ahead of Joan Mir (Repsol Honda) who has needed a pick me up after some disappointing results in recent rounds. Mir was very pleased with the top 5 finish. “A great race today. I am super happy with our performance over the weekend and of course to finish in fifth position is a big boost for us.”
“The team and I did a great job to understand the bike more, how you need to make the lap time and be fast this weekend. On the other hand, we had a small thing in the end of the race that meant I lost ground to Fabio and we dropped back. Finally in the end we were able to push and try to catch Binder after I almost crashed. It was a big save! But yeah, a really nice race overall and I have enjoyed my time in India. Let’s keep it up in Japan!”
Full MotoGP IndianOil India Grand Prix Results are Below
Updated Championship Standings
Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) continues his charge toward MotoGP Championship contention with a win in the first ever Tissot Sprint Race at the Indian Grand Prix. The win marked his third win in a row as he charges after Francesco Bagnaia in the points standings. Martin led from the beginning of the the race after the riders cleared turn 1. Bagnaia held second place for the entire race. Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda) was able to translate his early weekend success in practice to get back on the podium in the sprint race.
Marquez had the following words, “A really important and of course good feeling day. I was there with the group, pushing and able to ride in a really good way. I had to take a lot of risks, especially at the end to defend and I set my fastest lap of the race on the last lap. But I was able to be consistent and ride well which is the main point and take away. Doing it again tomorrow will be more difficult, but we need to enjoy this moment and get another boost of motivation from it. I want to say a big thank you to the Repsol Honda Team and HRC for their continued efforts.”
Mooney VR46 Teammate Collide
Marco Bezzecchi and Luca Marini collided at turn 1. Marini struggle to get the bike slowed down and rear ended Bezzecchi. Bezzecchi was able to recover to P5. Behind Brand Binder (KTM) who had a late challenge for 3rd but Marquez was able to hold him off.
Full Indian Grand Prix Tissot Sprint Race Results Below
Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing) ran fastest in Practice on day one of the inaugural MotoGP Indian Grand Prix. Marini edged out championship contender Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) by 0.008 seconds. In third was Aleix Espargaro who was only 0.035 second behind. The top three in the session were separated by less than a tenth of a second.
Marquez Finishes P4
Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda) returned to form in Practice finishing P4. After the session he stated, “When we arrive at a new track it’s true that I am able to quickly find the limit of the track. From FP1 I was there and in FP2 we were able to stay there even if we lost a little bit of margin as the overall grip came up. But finally, we were able to get a spot in Q2, which is the target, but I think many riders will make a step tomorrow.”
“The front three rows of the grid and the objective for tomorrow and then let’s see what happens in the Sprint. The heat here is different to at other tracks but I don’t think it will be a big issue for tomorrow, for the long race on Sunday we will have to see.” Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing) who’s title hopes are dwindling as of late finished P5 to round out the top 5.
The session started off with a 45 minute delay due to poor track conditions. The delay lasted 45 minutes before riders could head out. Amidst early week controversy that the track was not going to be complete and ready by the race weekend. There is speculation that some of those worries came to life with this delay. However, the show went on and the Practice session did take place so there is some positive to come out of the situation. Championship leader Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo) struggled to find form and never contended for the top spot in the session.
Full Practice Results are Below
The IndianOil Grand Prix of India joins the MotoGP calendar for the first time this weekend. Over 500 visas have been issued to get the event rolling ensuring the riders and staff will be able to enter the country. Vaibhav Sinha, CEO of Fairstreet Sports (the organizer of the event) had the following words in an interview with Sportskeeda Business of Sports. “There is a huge potential for MotoGP to become a mass sport in India. The sport as it has been seen in Latin America and South America motorcycle is a more massy sport than Formula 1. To add to this, India is the largest two-wheeler market in the world. As per Nielsen Sports Fan Insights 2022 Report, with a staggering population of 1.4 billion and an annual sale of 18 million bikes, India stands as the largest global market for motorcycles.”
Sinha Continued on the Fan Base in India
“The natural affinity between the audience, riders, and owners of motorcycles like Honda, Yamaha, KTM, and Ducati, which also happen to be the brands competing on the racing track, is a significant factor. This connection creates a genuine resonance with the sport and the teams, forging a strong bond between the audience and MotoGP. Even though Formula 1 is bigger than MotoGP globally, the potential for India to embrace the sport is immense. India is a market that is more accepting of a mass sport like MotoGP.
The series is expecting fan numbers in the hundred of thousands over the weekend. Previous to the weekend there were concerns that the organizer would not be able to get the infrastructure setup in a timely matter for the series to go racing on time. As of today we haven’t heard of any new delays. MotoGP does have the option to forgo certain sessions on Friday to help provide more time but ideally all will be completed by the end of the day Thursday. We will report back on any delays that may arise in the close stages of setup.
MotoGP Race Schedule (Local time)
September 22, Friday
Free Practice 1: 11:15 AM to 12:25 PM
Practice: 3:30 PM to 4:40 PM
September 23, Saturday
Free Practice 2: 10:40 AM to 11:10 AM
Qualifying 1: 11:20 AM to 11:35 AM
Qualifying 2: 11:45 AM to 12:00 PM
Tissot Sprint (12 laps): 3:30 PM
September 24, Sunday
Warm-up: 11:10 AM to 11:20 AM
Rider Fan Parade: 11:30 AM
Race (24 laps): 3:30 PM IST
Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) came out firing this weekend at Misano. Martin’s championship hopes improved after the rider secured pole position and wins in both the Tissot sprint race and Grand Prix at Misano. Martin won the race over Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing) by 1.3 seconds in perfect weather conditions. The two finished ahead of championship leader Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo). After the race weekend Bagnaia only holds a 36 point lead over Martin. With 8 races to go before the end of the season this championship fight is far from over. Martin and Bezzecchi have been in impeccable form the last few rounds and Bagnaia is playing damage control but it cannot be ignored that his early season dominance seems to be slipping away.
In addition to threats ahead. Bagnaia had to contend with wild card entry Dani Pedrosa (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing). Pedrosa was closing on Bagnaia but ran out of time to make a lasting move finishing the race just under 7 tenths behind Bagnaia. Pedrosa had the highest average speed of the race and will be wishing he had a few more laps to close the gap.
Mixed Feelings in the KTM Camp
With Pedrosa’s success there were some positives to the weekend but both Brand Binder and Jack Miller did not have the grand prix finish they wished for. Disaster struck for Binder on Lap 8. The KTM star went down at the hairpin as his podium hopes ended. It was a low side crash and he was able to continue to bring home a P14 finish. The crash promoted Pedrosa as the lead KTM on track. KTM’s suffered another blow when Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) crashed out of the race after being involved in a scuffle with Michele Pirro (Aruba.it Racing). Pedrosa was the only KTM rider to finish in the top 10.
New Beginnings Offer New Opportunities
The next race round will take place in India. This will be the first time the series has raced in India and the fan anticipation is at an all time high. The race will take place at Buddh International Circuit. A Change in championship lead is possible at this race so Francesco Bagnaia will need to be perfect to avoid losing more ground to Jorge Martin in the championship fight. We will report more as we approach that race. IN the mean time check out the full results for the race and current championship standings.
Full San Marino Race Results
Championship Standings
Jorge Martin converted his pole position finish in qualifying into a win in the Misano Sprint Race. Martin got the holeshot off the start and by the second lap he was already a second ahead of Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) and Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo). Martin fought tooth and nail to maintain his early lead and succeeded. The drama behind was an exciting spectacle between reigning champion Bagnaia and Dani Pedrosa who was knocking on the podium making challenges through out the sprint. Pedrosa fell short in the end.
As the race progressed it was Martin and Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racingat the front battling it out. Bezzecchi closed the gap by lap 3. Bezzecchi reduced Martin’s cushion to just 0.5 seconds. However Martin fought back finding the pace to extend his lead again and he wouldn’t look back. Martin currently sits 45 points out of first place in the championship. He is riding with a purpose and may make a late lunge for championship contention. Bagnaia isn’t making it easy though. Even when Bagnaia isn’t winning he’s playing damage control by finishing on the podium. Martin will look to pull the double this weekend in the main race.
It was a successful outing for the Marquez brothers Alex and Marc Marquez. Both finished in the top 10 in the sprint race. Aleix Espargaro could not repeat his recent success in the sprint finishing P7. Uncharacteristically Espargaro was almost 8 seconds off of the lead. However, both Aprilia Racing riders also finished in the top 10 which is a decent points finish for the team.
Full Misano Spring Race Results are Below
Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing) broke the Circuit record during Practice today. He did so running 0.163 seconds faster than the second place finisher Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing). Bezzecchi broke the record previously set by Viñales in the session.
In a guest appearance Dani Pedrosa (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), MotoGP Legend, finishes in the top 3. Pedrosa is one of the most talented and successful riders in the History of MotoGP. It is no surprise that he still has what it takes to ride at the top level with some riders half his age. Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) and Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing).
Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo) was clear to ride after crashing in the last round from the lead. It was clear that there maybe bee a lingering injury stunting his pace as he could only muster the pace to reach P7. Surprisingly he finished behind Marc Marquez who found his form finishing in P6 making it into Q2. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) did not repeat his success from the last round and fell to P12. He crash during the session eliminating his opportunity to improve his time that was quickly topped.
Full Practice Results are Available Below