Marco Bezzecchi Runs at the Top of the Table in Practice

Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team Ducati) continued his recent good form in the MotoGP championship in Practice Friday afternoon topping the table. Bezzecchi set a 1m28.533 as riders started to dip into the 1:28s. Bezzecchi’s fastest lap set a new lap record on Lap 23 of the session. He had a mechanical issues late in the session but the issue did not affect his ability to stay a top the table. Maverick Viñales ran second fastest by a margin of 0.044s improving on his finish from FP1 by moving up one position. Championship leader Francesco Bagnaia ran third fastest but was just under 3 tenths off of the lead. Bagnaia didn’t seem to have an answer for the pace but there did not appear to be any major concerns for only amounting to third.

Iker Lecuona who is stepping in for the injured Alex Rins finished 23rd in the session. Lecuona was almost 1.7 seconds off of Bezzecchi’s fastest lap. It appears Lecuona will be filling in for Rins as Lecuona’s World SBK season schedule allows.

Marquez Woes Continue

Mac Marquez has yet another off into the gravel. Marquez was able to save the bike but Marquez and his time in the gravel is something he will soon like to move past. Repsol Honda brought a new aero package to the Red Bull Ring and Marquez commented on the progress stating “There was a lot of work to do today, it was very mentally demanding as we worked across two different aero packages. Your riding style needs to change quite a lot for the new aero.”

Bezzecchi Continued

“We will keep using it here because at this type of track it has some improvements that are clear, but we will need to keep trying it at other tracks. I pushed very hard at the end of the afternoon session and we improved our lap time, unfortunately we lost our last fast lap – but this can happen. The target is understanding the aero package and seeing what’s possible tomorrow.”

The latest whispers of the paddock suggest that Marquez may be on his way out from Honda and possibly landing with KTM. However, such a move is still just speculation and Marquez has stated he is not thinking about this transition at this time.

Full Practice Results are Below

The MotoGP championship lands at the Red Bull Ring this weekend for the CryptoDATA Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich 2023. MotoGP returns after a short break in the season schedule. The playing field appears to remain dominated by Ducati but this isn’t the end of the story. The championship is very much not over with Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo) now only leading the championship by 41 points.

There may be a shake up at the top of the table after the dust settles this weekend. This is especially true if today’s FP1 results are any indication of what is to come for the weekend. In FP1 Johann Zarco ran fastest setting a 1m29.838 best lap. He was the only rider to dip into the 1m29s in this session. Second fastest went to Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha) which has unfortunately been an uncharacteristic occurrence for the former world champion. Quartararo and Yamaha have struggled to keep up with the strides made by Ducati this year. This coupled with some crash plagued races have ushered Quartararo to P11 in the championship. There is almost no hope of competing for a world title this year. Instead this year will be a building year as we know that Quartararo will return to MotoGP next year with Yamaha.

Full Practice Results are below

Current Championship Standings

Ducati have given Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing) an ultimatum regarding his future on riding a factory Ducati. Ducati feels Bezzecchi has definitely earned the honor after his performances thus far in the 2023 campaign. However, this opportunities comes with caveats. Ducati do not appear to support Bezzecchi staying with the Moony VR46 Racing Team as a part of this deal.

Ducati sporting director Paolo Ciabatti told Speedweek, “Honestly, there’s a possibility he’ll join Pramac, but it’s not certain. On the one hand, Pramac has the contractual option of getting current factory machines for both riders. And if they exercise that option, we have to respect that. And for internal reasons we can only equip four riders with current factory machines. Building more bikes like this is too complicated. We did that for 2022, it didn’t work. At that time, Luca Marini got a fifth factory Ducati.”

Pramac currently houses Johann Zarco and Jorge Martin. Its not clear which of these riders would be leaving if such a move occurred. What we do know is a deal like this comes with an expiration date. The team will soon begin plans for next season and will need to know who their man is.

Does Bezzecchi’s Loyalty Play a Role Here?

Mooney VR46 Racing has invested heavily in Bezzecchi over the years helping him jump start his career and ultimately his MotoGP debut. Bezzecchi will have to decide if he wants the bike she’s dreamed of to be more competitive in the championship or to take a risk by forgoing the opportunity and potentially running into new challenges with a new manufacturer. Mooney VR46 has been rumors to be moving in the direction of Yamaha.

Nothing is in stone but its clear that Ducati wants Bezzecchi to stay but on their terms. We will continue to report on this story as it develops.

Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) secured the team’s first win of the season at Silverstone for the British Grand Prix. Espargaro started the race from P12. The race was yet again plagued with rain. Some teams opted for rains but the rain seemed to subside as soon as rain tires went on.

Espargaro’s win came at the demise of Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo) who Espargaro passed on the second to last corner to take the lead and win the race. Brand Binder rounded out the top three in the race. It was heartbreaking for Bagnaia after he had bounced back after a slow start to the weekend. Bagnaia finished p14 in the Sprint Race and looked to bounce back. The P2 finish in the Grand Prix was a bit of damage control for the championship standings. Bagnaia had lost ground to Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) due to the result in the Tissot Sprint Race. Bagnaia held a 27 point lead prior to the Grand Prix ahead of Bezzecchi. Bezzecchi missed the opportunity to close the gap as he crashed out of the Grand Prix. Bagnaia extends his championship lead to 47 points due to the Bezzecchi DNF. Bezzecchi also loses a position to Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) who now sits in seconds place; 41 points behind Bagnaia.

There were 5 retirements in the Grand prix which included, Marco Bezzecchi, Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda), Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo), Alex Marquez (Gresini Ducati) and Joan Mir (Repsol Honda). It was a disappointing day for the Repsol Honda team. Both riders had made progress over the weekend but to have both riders DNF is not how the team wanted to end the weekend.

Full Race Results are Below

New Championships Standings

After securing pole position Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) was not able to capitalize on track position and had to settle for P2 in the Tissot Sprint Race at Silverstone. Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP) came out of the block on fire to secure his first win in MotoGP in the Tissot Sprint Race at the Monster Energy British Grand Prix. The conditions in the sprint race were an improvement from qualifying and stayed mostly dry with reports of very light rain in some sectors of the circuit. By lap 6 Marquez had built a 1 second lead however Bezzecchi made a late charge to cut the lead down to 0.366 seconds. Bezzecchi was not able to get past Marquez before the checkered flag flew. Given that conditions had vastly improved relative to rain plagued qualifying. Lap times began to drop dramatically and tires started to heat up.

Championship leader Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo) had an extremely poor start. His start eliminated his chances of catching the front runners by the second lap of the race. Bagnaia finished 14th, one of his lowest finishes of the season. Maverick Vinales (Aprilia Racing) made up 5 positions to secure a podium in the sprint race. In fourth place was Johan Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) and Vinales’ teammate Alex Espargaro finished in fifth.

Bezzecchi on the Charge

The race had implications in the title race with Bagnaia now only holding a 27 point lead over Maroc Bezzecchi who gained 9 points on Bagnaia by finishing 2nd in the Sprint race. With the Grand Prix tomorrow the championship lead is nearly in reach based on the outcomes of this weekend. Bezzecchi could climb to withing 2 points of the championship lead if Bagnaia does not score any points on Sunday.

Full Tissot Sprint Race Results are Below

Post Tissot Sprint Race MotoGP Championship Standings

Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) rode with a purpose Saturday securing pole position for the British Grand Prix. Bezzecchi edged out a flying Jack Miller (KTM Racing) by 0.270 seconds in the session. In unfamiliar fashion Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP) returns to the top of the grid after running third fastest 0.412 second behind Bezzecchi. Championship leader Francesco Bagnaia could only reach P4 in the session after crashing out and not being able to return. Luca Marini rounded out the top 5.

Bezzecchi secured pole despite having a crash which ended his session. However, he appeared to escape the crash without major injury and retained pole. The rain played a huge factor in the rider’s ability to be aggressive with lap times. Multiple riders crashed in qualifying making every lap set important.

Full Qualifying Results are below

MotoGP lands in Silverstone this weekend for the British Grand Prix. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) came out swinging after after running sixth fastest in FP1. The lap times dropped dramatically from FP1 to Open Practice with most dropping 2-3 seconds off of their opening lap times. Based on the new qualifying format the top 10 in Open Practice will progress to Q2. In uncharacteristic fashion, championship leader Francesco Bagnaia had no answer for the 1:58.183 lap time set by Espargaro. Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) ran second fastest ahead of Brad Binder (KTM Racing) in third.

The top 5 in open practice is a familiar bunch with Binder and Martin still in the running for the MotoGP Championship. Currently Martin sits in seconds place one point ahead of Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) at 159 points. Binder is a bit further back at 114 points. Regardless, any rider in the top 5 has a good chance at the title depending on how the season ends. Full open practice results are available below. Qualifying begins tomorrow.

Full Open Practice Results

This Article was not written by Speed Trap Magazine Staff

From GAS GAS Factory Racing….

GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3 will at last welcome back their ‘captain’ as former world champ and multiple MotoGP podium finisher, Pol Espargaro, passed a compulsory fitness test today at Silverstone and will take part in the British Grand Prix – round nine of the series – this weekend.

The MotoGP star is feeling fit and strong and is ready to return to the saddle of the GASGAS RC16 for the first time in competition since the season-opening round in Portugal during March. Pol made decent progress in his recovery from a back injury and is now eager to re-join the GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3 pitbox and his crew. #44 easily sailed through the medical checks at the historic British circuit that is one of the longest and fastest on the calendar and is pumped to tackle his first MotoGP Sprint on Saturday and Grand Prix dispute ‘in red’ on Sunday.

Pol’s presence and his competitive experience is sure to spread to rookie teammate Augusto Fernandez who has been learning and impressing at the ‘deep end’ of MotoGP racing so far. GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3 will field their original rider roster for just the second time this year when Free Practice gets underway on Friday morning.

Pol Espargaro #44: “Finally! I’m really happy the day has arrived when I can get back in the paddock, see my team and get back on the bike. I’ve missed this part of my life a lot. I know it will not be easy this weekend, in fact, it will be like starting the pre-season again. I will have to listen to my body, understand the new bike and also get familiar with the format this year. I really want to thank everyone at the Pierer Mobility Group and all those who have been behind me and supporting me.”

Current LCR Honda Rider Alex Rins will leave the Honda side for a new MotoGP seat with Monster Energy Yamaha. Rins will race along side Fabio Quartararo in 2024. Franco Morbidelli will be leaving the team at the end of the 2023 season. He is rumored to be making a move to Mooney VR46 Racing but the move has not yet been confirmed. Whether Morbidelli will make a lateral move in MotoGP or potentially join another team out side of the series is yet to be confirmed. We will keep you updated as this story develops.

Notes from Yamaha…

Lin Jarvis Managing Director, Yamaha Motor Racing

“We are delighted that Alex is joining the Yamaha line-up, and we warmly welcome him to the Yamaha MotoGP group.

“We expect Alex to be a great asset. He has vast experience as a MotoGP rider and is known to be a natural talent and a multi-time MotoGP class race winner. He already has experience with two other MotoGP manufacturers and has ridden bikes with similar characteristics to the YZR-M1, which should help him adapt quickly to our bike. His win in COTA earlier this year underlines his speed, hunger, and determination to succeed.

“Alex has been away from the MotoGP paddock for a while due to the injury he sustained at Mugello, but we are confident that he should be fully recovered and up to speed for the 2024 season. We are really looking forward to working with him and believe that he will collaborate well with Fabio and enhance the total performance of the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team.”

Lin Jarvis Continued on the Departing Morbidelli

“First and foremost, I want to thank Franky for his hard work and dedication ever since he started with the Factory Team and also long before that when he was a Satellite rider for Yamaha. The Yamaha and Morbidelli partnership led to some great results, including an outstanding vice-champion title in 2020.

“It‘s a shame that the last two years didn‘t play out the way we both wanted and hoped for. We discussed the possibilities to continue our partnership, but ultimately we decided that 2024 would be a moment to make a change, both for Yamaha and for Franky.

“The team will proceed to fully support Franky in every way we can to close out our time spent together in the best possible way.”

From MotoGP.com….

Following a request from the MotoGP™ Technical Director, the FIM MotoGP™ Stewards have confirmed that a tire pressure monitoring system will now be enforced for both the Tissot Sprint and the MotoGP™ Grand Prix race, starting from the Monster Energy British Grand Prix. All riders use Michelin tires as they are the tire sponsor for the series.

Technical infringements normally result in disqualification from the session or race, but as the system is new to the MotoGP™ Class and it’s being brought in mid-season, the Stewards have agreed a gradual penalty scale. To make sure the penalties apply to the actual Sprint or Grand Prix race where the tire pressure doesn’t comply, they will be time penalties given out after the race.

-1st offense: Warning 
-2nd offense: 3-second time penalty 
-3rd offense: 6-second time penalty 
-4th offense: 12-second time penalty

The penalties will become more strict as the season progresses and teams become more familiar with the rule changes. Tire pressures will be established by Michelin on a round by round basis. The requirement will only be monitored during the Sprint and Grand Prix races during the weekend. There will be a minimum tire pressure in the Moto2™ and Moto3™ classes. The rule also applies to the FIM Enel MotoE™ World Championship. Michelin will likely set different parameters for each class given the differences in pace.

Actions for the British Grand Prix kicks off next weekend. You can find more details here: Monster Energy British Grand Prix at Silverstone.