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 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
Alex Marquez beat out championship contender Jorge Martin in Practice on day one of the Malaysian Grand Prix weekend. Marquez set a lap that was just under two tenths faster than Jorge Martin. Martin is on the heels of championship leader Francesco Bagnaia. Martin is currently 13 points behind Bagnaia in the championship race. We have reached the point of the season where every finish and session matters to find an advantage from Sprint and Grand Prix race time.
Bagnaia finished P8 which won’t do him any favors if he can’t improve come the Tissot Sprint Race. The KTMs of Brad Binder and Jack Miller were 3rd and 4th fastest in the sessions. A points lead change is possible come later today. Bagnaia will have some work to do because everyone in front seemed to have left some pace on the table during the Practice sessions. Martin had originally topped FP1 but lost our in FP2.
Rest of the Pack
Aleix Espargaro had a nightmare of a day finishing 20th in the field. He crashed 4 times in one day. “I’ve definitely had better days, but I can’t say that I’m particularly worried, ” said Espargaro after the session. “We are well aware of the problem, so tomorrow we’ll go back to a standard solution and I’m sure I’ll be able to be fast. It will be a demanding Saturday since I have to go through Q1, plus the last crash left me a bit scratched up and that won’t make life easy. We are riders and we know this can happen. The important thing is to know where to make changes”.
World Superbike champion Alvaro Bautista is making a one off feature in Sepang this weekend with Aruba.it Racing. He finished P22 in an uneventful day but we will see how qualifying plays out.
Full Practice Results Are Below