MotoGP: Binder Secures Surprise Win in Argentina Sprint

South African rider Brad Binder secured his first sprint race win of the 2023 season in dramatic fashion after starting P15. Binder moved up 12 positions on the first lap in a stunning effort to pass the majority of the pack. By lap three Binder had taken the lead and started to put space between him and the pack. After a late charge Marco Bezzecchi and Luca Marini completed the podium, finishing +0.072s and +0.877s behind Binder respectively. Bezzecchi had a minor incident early on in the race at turn 5 where he was forced wide and rejoined the track in 8th place.

Championship leader, Francesco Bagnaia, whom started in 3rd could only secure a 6th place finish after struggling to find pace in the late sprint race stages. Luckily for Bagnaia, his championship lead was not relinquished and he will go into the grand prix race with the championship lead. His finish saw him extend his championship lead by 1 point over Maverick Viñales.

Disaster struck for Aleix Espargaro after early success in free practice and qualifying. Espargaro ended up suffering from a low side crash which eliminated him from the race. Joan Mir did not complete the first lap leaving him out of sports scoring contention. Espargaro was not injured in the crash, and should be good to go for the grand prix race. Pole sitter Alex Marquez was not able to capitalize on his P1 start. After an early mistake Marquez salvaged a P5 finish.

After running fastest in Q1 Alex Marquez was able to cut another 4 seconds off of his fastest lap time to complete a 1:43.881. The rain had an impact on others ability to bounce back in terms of final qualifying position for the Sprint race. Marquez had some early drama in qualifying after falling off of his Gresini Racing Ducati but was able to bounce back and take pole. He stated “I’m super happy. Q1 was so difficult with the wet tyres, I wasn’t really convinced to be on dries, it was too wet,” Championship leader Francesco Bagnaia set a 1:44.739 only earning P3 behind the of Marco Bezzecchi. After being fastest in FP2 Aleix Espargaro was only able to salvage P9 which will be disappointing for the Spaniard. Teammate Maverick Viñales will also be disappointed after finishing second fastest in FP2 and 4th fastest in FP3. The sprint race is in a few hours so we will see which riders can capitalize on their qualifying success.
Top 12 Argentina Qualifying Results

The controversy in the MotoGP paddock continues. The Honda Racing Corporation has issued an official press release regarding their intent to challenge the FIM stewards decision to issue Marc Marquez a double long lap penalty for the next race he participates in. Marc Marquez was issued a penalty for a late move during the Portugal Grand Prix that resulted in Jorge Martin suffering an ankle injury and a broken toe. Miguel Oliveira was the second rider involved and later reported tendon damage that will cause him to miss the Argentina Grand Prix. It’s clear HRC has some concerns with how the penalty will be applied. The team is well within their rights to challenge the decision because they believe the FIM did not follow their own processes when issuing this penalty.

Their statement was as follows.

“In relation to the sanction imposed by the FIM on Marc Marquez for the race incident that occurred at the Portuguese Grand Prix, the Repsol Honda Team considers that the modification of the penalty consisted of a change of criteria on when the penalty should be applied, and that this modification was issued by the FIM two days after the initial sanction was final and definitive, is not in line with the current regulations of the FIM for the MotoGP World Championship. For this reason, the Repsol Honda Team intends to use all the means of recourse offered by the regulations in force to defend its rights and legitimate interests, which it considers violated as a result of the latest resolution adopted, and in particular has duly submitted an Appeal before the FIM Appeal Stewards.”

We will keep you updated on any official decisions by the FIM stewards. Marquez has already apologized to the involved riders.

Check out our original coverage on the Portugal Grand Prix here.

During the Portugal Grand Prix weekend there were a number of riders who were involved in on track incidents. A few of these incidents ended in hospitalizations. Riders have had a few days to be evaluated, and we have updates on who will be missing the Argentina Grand Prix.

Marc Marquez

Marquez was the subject of discussion all over social media and the news after a risky late lunge up the inside of Jorge Martin and Miguel Oliveira during the Portugal Grand Prix ended in all three riders being injured. He was evaluated and found to have a broken thumb which will keep him out of the Argentina Grand Prix. Marquez was handed a double long lap penalty for his late move that caused the crash.

Miguel Oliveira

Oliveira was one of the two riders taken out in the Marquez incident. The specific injuries to Oliveira have not been revealed publicly. The team has commented stating there was much “further damage” than originally observed. Oliveira will be sitting out of the Argentina Grand Prix. After the race he stated, “Today was a shame, obviously to end my home Grand Prix in just two laps was not something I expected. However, we can still be proud on the progress we made throughout this week. We had a difficult day on Friday and then to do qualifying like how we did it yesterday and to almost have the podium in hand on the last lap in the Sprint Race was amazing. We had a good start today, to lead and then coming second, I think there was a clear opportunity for us to score a podium. I’m still very bruised on the right side of my hip from the crash, hopefully I can do everything I can do be fully fit for Argentina next weekend.”

Statements from the Team

Razlan Razali, Founder and Team Principal CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP Team said the following in a press release, “That hasn’t been a good result of the first race, for obvious reason. I will push for tougher penalties for riders who recklessly endangered other riders in this incident. MotoGP riders need to be made an example for the younger Moto2 and Moto3 riders and reckless racing like this need to be severely punished so that riders are aware of what not to do. After all, it’s a 25 laps race not a sprint race and this happened to Miguel on the third lap. Fortunately, Miguel is okay with no broken bones and we wish him a good recovery in the next couple of days before flying off to Argentina. For Raul, he showed a good progress during the Sprint Race yesterday, unfortunately for the main race today, he suffered some issues with his right arm. We will have to evaluate the situation and find a solution for the next race.” 

The CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP Team is pushing for harsher and severe penalties from the FIM Stewards releasing the following statement.

“MotoGP races whether it be a sprint or main races, are high-speed and high-intensity, where every rider wants to win at all costs. However, such aggressive behavior can often lead to dire consequences, not only for the riders themselves but also for their fellow competitors.

The incident at the recent race between Marc Marquez and Miguel Olivera should serve as a wake-up call for riders in MotoGP, Moto2, and Moto3. Thus, it is imperative that they are reminded of the severity of the punishment for any kind of reckless and irresponsible racing.

CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP Team condemns such behavior and strongly advocates for stricter penalties to deter future offenders including the team own riders. We urge the FIM Stewards to take quick and decisive action against such reckless riding, setting examples for the younger and upcoming riders in Moto3 and Moto2.

We believe that safety is the top priority in any sport, and MotoGP must take necessary actions to ensure the safety of all its riders. We look forward to supporting the FIM Stewards in their ongoing efforts to develop a safer and more responsible racing environment.”

Jorge Martin

After Marquez collided with Jorge Martin’s right leg while attempting a pass. Martin was forced wide and off track to avoid a major incident. He suffered an injured ankle and broken toe, but will be participating in this weekend’s races in Argentina. Martin was visually and verbally furious regarding the incident stating, “It’s not the first time he has destroyed my race. Maybe in the future he can manage to avoid me. Or Race Direction can do something.”

Pol Espargaro

Pol had a high side crash that sent him tumbling across the track into the barrier at high speed. Espargaro was diagnosed with a pulmonary contusion, jaw fracture and a fractured dorsal vertebra earlier this week. He is expected to make a recovery, but the process will be a long one. He will need surgery on his jaw in the coming week. More tests are required to determine the extent of his back injury. We will keep you updated as more information is released.

Enea Bastianini

Bastianini was involved in a collision with Luca Martini during the first ever MotoGP Sprint race at the Portugal Grand Prix. Luca Martini lost the front end of his bike and crashed into Bastianini. Bastianini went down and suffered a broken shoulder blade. The FIM stewards have chalked the incident up to a racing incident and no penalties were issued. Bastianini is expected to miss the Argentina Grand Prix this coming weekend.

Francesco ‘Pecco’ Bagnaia finishes in first place to solidify his place at the top of the drivers championship. After an ill advised move by Marquez which ended in Marquez crashing and wiping out Miguel Oliveira. Bagnaia did not see much threat to his lead in this victory. Pecco will walk away from the Portugal Grand Prix weekend with maximum points. A self stated “great start” to the 2023 campaign.

Marquez will be disappointed with a DNF after securing a surprise pole position in qualifying. The incident with Marquez and Oliveira is currently under review by the stewards. Marquez received a double long lap penalty for the next grand prix in Argentina. Both riders have been examined and Oliveira appears to have no broken bones or major injuries. However, after an update was received from his hometown hospital it was revealed that “further damage” was revealed. Oliveira will miss the Argentina Grand Prix. Marquez suffered a broken thumb and will likely miss the Argentina Grand Prix. Marquez will serve his double long lap penalty at Circuit of the America if he is not able to race in Argentina. Jorge Martin who was also a victim involved in the scuffle suffered a minor ankle injury and a broken toe. Martin plans to be race ready for Argentina next weekend.

The grand prix did not serve Fabio Quartararo well. Quartararo had another catastrophic start on the opening lap dropping from 10th to 15th on lap 1. Quartararo was able to fight through the grid, and finish 8th. This finish is no consolation for the Monster Energy Yamaha rider as he will look forward after an unsuccessful weekend seeing him only securing 8 Riders championship points; 29 points behind Bagnaia.

Rounding out the top of the table. Aprilia Racing’s Maverick Viñales finishes the weekend with 25 points followed by Mooney VR46 Racing Team’s Marco Bezzecchi finishing in 3rd with 16 points. There were 17 different overall points scorers in the riders championship. Complete standings for the Portugal Grand Prix can be found below:

The first sprint race of the 2023 MotoGP season has concluded with Francesco Bagnaia defending his title with a win the on Saturday at the Portugal Grand Prix. Having fallen short of pole position to Marc Marquez. Bagnaia quickly bounced back and solidified his presence on track when it counted. After being fastest in FP2 Jack Miller was able to salvage 4th. Marc Marquez was not able to capitalize on his unexpected pole position finish in qualifying but he was able to salvage a podium.

Saturday’s sprint race was the first of the new race weekend format that will feature half distance races for all 21 rounds this season. These races will occur on the Saturday before the main event grand prix on Sundays, and offer additional opportunities for riders to score championship points. The change in racing format was influenced by the pressures a substantial decrease in viewership and ticket sales surrounding the MotoGP championship. Pundits for the series and with the Motorsports Network conducted a survey prior to the start of the season to determine what fans wanted to see to improve viewership. Over 100,000 responses were provided, which speaks volumes to fans still being invested in the sport despite preseason viewership concerns. There are 20 more rounds in the 2023 season so there will be plenty of data gathering opportunities to help us understand if Dorna is able to increase viewership with these changes.

The decision to add sprint races has a mixed response from the riders. Monster Energy Yamaha rider Fabio Quartararo stated his distaste, “There will be a big accident soon. It’s a jungle.” Quartararo had a disappointing finish at P10 after falling to as far as 19th after a lap 1 racing incident with Joan Mir. Joan Mir received a long lap penalty for Sunday’s grand prix. Other riders saw it as an opportunity to score championship points. The top 5 in the sprint race represent 4 different manufacturers. Tomorrow we will determine if the top 5 can repeat that success in the grand prix.

Tune in tomorrow:

Sunday 26th March 2023

• Warm-up: 04:45 – 04:55 ET / 01:45 – 01:55 PT
• Race:  09:00 ET /  06:00 PT 

Top 10 Results for the Portugal Grand Prix Sprint Race

1. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) – 1:38.577
2. Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing + 0.149
3. Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) + 0.224
4. Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) + 0.226
5. Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) +0.285
6. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing)) + 0.228
7. Miguel Oliveira (CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP™ Team) + 0.292
8. Johann Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) + 0.418
9. Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) + 0.440
10. Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) + 0.445

KTM Racing rider Jack Miller is on top after practice 2 for the MotoGP Portugal Grand Prix weekend. Practice 2 saw two red flags; one resulting in serious injury for Tech3 GASGAS rider Pol Espargaro. Espargaro was airlifted after a nasty high side crash in turn 10. The latest reports confirm that he did not suffer from any neurological damage however further test results are pending. MotoGP Medical Director Ángel Charte stated in a commentary with DAZN, “Pol Espargaro had a high energy crash with a big polytraumatic injury that we will have to see to what level when we do the complementary exams in Faro Hospital – all over the spine, back and lumbar. At the cervical level, he’s perfectly fine, neurologically he’s fine – he didn’t lose consciousness at any time, and didn’t need intubation at any point. But it’s true that he had a serious pulmonary contusion, which will have to be checked again with the CT and MRI scans we’ll be taking at Faro Hospital.” We are hoping he sees a speedy recovery.

FP2 results are below.

Ducati dominance continued this past weekend in Portimão with Francesco Bagnaia fastest in pretesting setting a new track record on day two. Ducati accounted for seven of the top eight fastest in Portimão. Fabio Quartararo broke up the Ducati train going third fastest overall for Monster Yamaha after logging 88 laps on day two of testing. After some early  disappointment with not being able to improve lap times on day one.

Quartararo knew there is more work to do if he is going to earn a result for Yamaha at the Portugal Grand Prix but for now spirits seem high. Quartararo said, “ Today we made a big improvement, especially with new tyres. We’ve tried all aero-packages Yamaha brought here and also some settings from the past that were working well. I’m pretty happy. We are still missing a few things, but we made a massive step from yesterday and from Sepang. We are much closer to be ready for GP1 than we were yesterday, although we are not 100% ready yet. We will be giving our best, for sure. We are not giving up.” His mood seemed to lighten with this post testing tweet.

Quartararo set a 1’39.292s, which was more than 0.3s quicker than his fastest lap on Day 1. At the time it put him in third place provisionally. He then continued assessing aero-packages and race simulations to gather data for the upcoming race weekend. While teammate Franco Morbidelli didn’t have quite as much success finishing 19^th after logging 195 laps between Day 1 and 2 of testing; Team Director for Monster Yamaha, Massimo Meregalli had some positive takeaways.

“Today we wrapped up pre-season testing. Because Yamaha had prepared many items this winter, we knew we had a lot on our plate for this final 2023 pre-season test. We only had two days, so we prioritized accordingly. Fabio and Franky both evaluated aero-package options and tried settings we felt are promising for the first GP weekend, held here two weeks from now. Fabio made a big step today, so that’s positive. Franky also tried many things during this test and gathered a lot of data that should be helpful for Round 1. We got a lot of work done, but there’s still more to do. We will now carefully go over the data we collected here, and subsequently draft a strategy on how we will tackle the first GP of the 2023 season. I’m sure the fans are as impatient to get the racing started as we are. We will put in our full effort to be ready to go.

With testing coming to an end social media is in a frenzy of ups and downs, positive team outlooks and some that need to go back to the drawing board as we approach race 1 of the MotoGP season. Ducati remains on top having run fastest in all preseason testing events. However, for some teams Portimão revealed more weaknesses than strengths. One such team is Repsol Honda. It’s clear that Marc Marquez wasn’t optimistic about the direction the RC213V was heading after an early low speed crash however after the final day of testing  he stated:

Marc Marquez on Portimão testing after finishing 14^th fastest
“We had the best feeling of our pre-season today, I was riding well and I was able to do a Sprint Race simulation. Riding for a longer run I was able to focus more on my riding style and keep making improvements there. Our rhythm wasn’t bad and today we worked more towards what will come at the Portugal GP. We were able to make a few steps, of course you want more. The most important thing was that today I had the best feeling with the bike so far.”

Honda Repsol teammate Joan Mir also shared some words that seems to be a big more encouraging. “Today we were able to make some more progress forward in adapting to the Honda. There is still a lot I need to learn and adapt to because it’s still a new bike and some aspects that are not yet second nature. Overall it has been an off-season of progress but of course as a rider you are always wanting more and more. We head into the opening races wanting to keep improving and to see what’s possible.”

Full Day two testing results can be found below:

By Yamaha Racing; This press release was not authored by Speed Trap Magazine Staff. Read the original press release here: Yamaha MotoGP 2023 Livery Release

The Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP team unveiled their brand-new colour scheme at Yamaha Indonesia Motor Manufacturing’s 2023 ‘3S Dealer Meeting’, the largest dealer meeting in the world within Yamaha’s network.

Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. President Yoshihiro Hidaka, General Manager Motorsports Development Division of Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. and President of Yamaha Motor Racing Takahiro Sumi, Yamaha Motor Racing Managing Director and Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team Principal Lin Jarvis, Yamaha Indonesia Motor Manufacturing President Dyonisius Beti, Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team Director Massimo Meregalli, and riders Fabio Quartararo and Franco Morbidelli took to the stage to share their excitement ahead of the 2023 MotoGP World Championship kick-off in Portugal in March.

All eyes were on the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP team today as they showed off their new 2023 livery in Jakarta, Indonesia, at Yamaha Indonesia Motor Manufacturing’s 2023 ‘3S Dealer Meeting’. This being the largest dealer meeting in the world within Yamaha’s network, it made the perfect occasion for the premiere of the brand-new 2023 Factory Yamaha colour scheme – an event motorsports fans had been highly anticipating.

Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. President Yoshihiro Hidaka, General Manager Motorsports Development Division of Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. & President of Yamaha Motor Racing Takahiro Sumi, Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team Principal & Yamaha Motor Racing Managing Director Lin Jarvis, Yamaha Indonesia Motor Manufacturing President Dyonisius Beti, Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team Director Massimo Meregalli, and Factory Yamaha riders Fabio Quartararo and Franco Morbidelli took to the stage at the 2023 ‘3S Dealer Meeting’ to share their thoughts on ‘a new era’ for the Yamaha and Monster Energy Company partnership.

Yamaha has a long-term global alliance with the team’s title sponsor, Monster Energy Company, based on their mutual passion for racing. A first multiple-year title sponsorship agreement with the Yamaha Factory Racing MotoGP team was signed in the summer of 2018 and came naturally, as Monster Energy Company sponsors multiple Yamaha teams (among them the Yamaha Factory Racing MotoGP team since 2013) and riders (including Quartararo and Morbidelli) in various racing classes. The multiple-year title sponsorship agreement with the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP team was extended at the Catalan GP last year, and fittingly celebrated when Fabio Quartararo went on to win the race that same weekend.

Riders

With the colour scheme of the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP YZR-M1 updated for 2023, the pit box, the riders’ leathers, and the team clothing couldn’t stay behind. The new camouflage look blends Yamaha’s colours (with a new addition of grey) with the adventurous lifestyle colour scheme of Monster Energy. Their iconic Monster claw branding remains instantly recognisable on the bikes, in the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP team logo, and on the team uniforms.

Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP are also pleased to announce that throughout the 2023 racing season the bike will continue to feature the slogans of Yamaha Motor Philippines and PT Yamaha Indonesia Motor Manufacturing, starting from the IRTA MotoGP Official Pre-Season Tests held from 5-7 February and 10-12 February in Sepang, Malaysia, and on 11-12 March in Portimão, Portugal.

Moreover, the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP team is delighted to confirm the continuation of their relationship with numerous Official Sponsors and Official Partners, including the new prominent placement of Beta Tools as they have expanded their longstanding involvement with the MotoGP team.

OFFICIAL SPONSORS

Monster Energy Company: https://www.monsterenergy.com/

– Eneos: https://www.eneos.co.jp/index.html

– Blue Core: https://global.yamaha-motor.com/showroom/bluecore/en/sp

– Yamalube: http://yamalube.com

– Akrapovic: http://www.akrapovic.com

– Yamaha Indonesia Motor Manufacturing/Semakin Di Depan: http://www.yamaha-motor.co.id

– Yamaha Motor Philippines/MIO: https://www.yamaha-motor.com.ph/product-series/mio-series.html

– BETA Tools: http://beta-tools.it

– Alpinestars: https://www.alpinestars.com

– VR46: https://www.vr46.com/en

– bLU cRU: https://www.yamaha-racing.com

– Gilles Tooling: http://www.gillestooling.com

– RCB: https://www.racingboy.com.my

– Furukawa Electrics: https://www.furukawa.co.jp/en

– Debem: https://www.debem.com/en/

– DID: https://www.did-daido.co.jp/en/

– NGK Spark Plugs: https://www.ngkntk.co.jp/english/

– BMC Air Filters: http://www.bmcairfilters.com

– Pont Grup: http://www.pontgrup.com

– Capit: https://www.capit.it/

– 2D: http://2d-datarecording.com

– Axalta: https://www.axalta.com/corporate/en_US.html 

– Yamaha Corporation (Yamaha Music): https://www.yamaha.com

– Michelin: https://www.michelin.com/eng

OFFICIAL PARTNERS

– Alpinestars: https://www.alpinestars.com

– Siemens-LMS:  https://www.plm.automation.siemens.com/global/en/products/simcenter/

– BLS: https://www.blsgroup.com/en/ 

– BETA Tools: http://beta-tools.it

– GOM: https://www.gomlab.com/

– RCM: https://www.rcm.it/

– Toyota Material Handling: https://toyota-forklifts.eu/ 

– Hygenia: https://www.hygenia.it

– Camaleonic Analytics: https://camaleonicanalytics.com

– 3M Peltor: https://www.3msverige.se/3M/sv_SE/company-ndc/

– Namedsport: https://www.namedsport.com

– ParkingGO: https://www.parkingo.com/en/

– Flex: https://flex.it/en/

– Airbank: https://www.airbank.it/en/index.php

HOSPITALITY PARTNERS

– Mokador: https://en.mokador.it/ 

– Ca’ dei Frati: https://cadeifrati.it

– Pastificio Artigiano Fabbri: https://pastafabbri.it/en/

– Azienda Olearia del Chianti: https://www.oleariadelchianti.com/en/home

The upcoming MotoGP season is shaping up nicely, currently projected to count 21 GP rounds and 42 races (due to the new MotoGP race weekend format that includes a MotoGP sprint race on the Saturdays). Yamaha Factory Racing MotoGP Test Team rider Cal Crutchlow will be joining Quartararo and Morbidelli at the Official MotoGP Sepang Test, as Yamaha intends to deploy all forces to make their 2023 campaign a success.