Tension, drama, heartbreak, glory, history, and happiness: Valencia delivers a season finale to remember.

Following a highly dramatic Gran Premio Motul de la Comunitat Valenciana, the 2023 MotoGP™ World Champion is Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) after Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) crashed out of the race following an incident at Turn 4 with Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team). Pecco went on to claim victory as a phenomenal fight for P1 played out, with Fabio Di Giannantonio (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) and Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) locked onto the Italian’s rear wheel. ‘Diggia’ crossed the line in 2nd with Zarco 3rd. However, a post-race sanction for Di Giannantonio due to wrong pressures demoted the Italian to P4 with Zarco being promoted to P2 and Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) inheriting the final podium position.

Because of a Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) three-place grid penalty for ignoring the black and orange flags in Warm Up, Pecco was promoted to pole position for the final showdown, with Martin still launching from P6.

For the final and most important time in 2023 it was time to race. Bagnaia got the dream getaway from pole to grab a crucial holeshot, with Martin also making a fantastic launch to grab an early P2. Pecco P1, Martin P2 – that’s how it was after the opening lap, with the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing pair of Binder and Jack Miller P3 and P4.

Between the title fighting duo, it was as you were after the second lap but a monumental moment then took place at Turn 1 at the start of Lap 3. Martin was right in the slipstream of Pecco and as the duo chucked the anchors on into Turn 1, Martin got sucked in and made slight contact with Pecco. Martin was wide – well wide – and dropped to P8, with Pecco unhindered by the incident. Huge drama early on.

The fightback began on Lap 4 for Martin. P8 became P7 as the Spaniard got the better of Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™). Martin tried to do the same to Viñales a lap later but the latter bit straight back – and a repeat played out at Turn 11.

Up front, Binder was crawling all over the back of Pecco but focus was elsewhere. A battle was raging between Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) and Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing), with that enabling Viñales and Martin to close right in.

What happened next ultimately decided the Championship. Martin was getting visibly frustrated and on Lap 6, having finally got through on Viñales, Marc Marquez was next in line. At Turn 4, Martin lunged up the inside of the eight-time World Champion but contact was made. So much so, the pair were tangled together. Martin ran straight into the gravel as Marquez was thrown into a vicious highside, as two of the home crowd favourites were down and out. Marquez’s final race with Honda ended in huge disappointment, with Martin’s title hopes vanishing. A painful end to a wonderful campaign for the Prima Pramac star.

With Martin out, no matter what Bagnaia did, he would be the 2023 MotoGP™ World Champion. ‘MARTIN OUT’ was signalled on his pit board as the two KTMs of Binder and Miller were now first and second, with Zarco and Viñales chasing Pecco.

With 12 laps to go though, Binder made a mistake. A big one too. Just as he did in the Tissot Sprint, the South African was wide at Turn 11, and that dropped him from P1 to P6. Miller now led Pecco by just over a second.

Binder’s comeback began with an aggressive move on Alex Marquez at Turn 4, and it was one that saw him handed a drop one position penalty. With nine laps left, Miller’s race then ended. The Aussie crashed at Turn 10 which handed the lead back to Bagnaia, who had Zarco just 0.3s behind him. A disastrous few laps for KTM.

The Championship might have been decided, but the race certainly wasn’t. Binder was just 1.5s away from the lead again and Diggia tagged himself onto the rear wheel of the KTM. Soon, the Italian was into P3 with five laps to go.

With three laps left, 0.3s was still the gap between Pecco and Zarco. But cue the jaws music – Di Giannantonio was on a mission. On Lap 25 of 27, the top trio were split by 0.3s over the line. At Turn 4, Di Giannantonio shoved his Ducati up the inside of Zarco’s and made a move stick for P2. Next: the World Champion elect.

LAST LAP OF THE SEASON: Three riders, only one could win. Would Bagnaia claim the title with a win or would it be Di Giannantonio or Zarco standing on the top step? Halfway around the lap, there was no way through. A head shake from Di Giannantonio told us frustrations were there, but Pecco rode superbly to fend off both his compatriot and Zarco to win the World Championship in the best way possible: victory. A classy ride from your top three. The podium result would later change however with Di Giannantonio’s three-second penalty demoting him to P4 and promoting Binder onto the podium.

Raul Fernandez (CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP™ Team) earned his best result of the season with a fantastic P5. Alex Marquez was P6 with Franco Morbidelli (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) capping off his Yamaha career with a solid P7, as Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing), Luca Marini in his final Mooney VR46 Racing Team appearance and Viñales rounded out the top 10.

An unwell Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) finished P11 after feeling ill, with Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu), Lorenzo Savadori (CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP™ Team) and Pol Espargaro (GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3) the other finishers, as the latter ends his full-time MotoGP™ career – for now – in P14 after a crash and remount.

Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team), Augusto Fernandez (GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3) and Alex Rins (LCR Honda Castrol) were the other riders to DNF, Bezzecchi after an early race crash with Marc Marquez.

And just like that, 2023 draws to a dramatic close. Bagnaia is now a three-time World Champion as Martin gets set to come back even stronger in 2024. What a season it’s been. Now, full focus turns to Tuesday’s Valencia Test – 2024 starts very soon…

For more MotoGP info checkout our dedicated MotoGP News page

Or visit the official MotoGP website www.motogp.com

A dramatic finale sees #PECCOvsMARTIN conclude with some history made for Bagnaia as the reigning Champion defends the #1.

Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) is the 2023 MotoGP™ World Champion! Becoming the first rider to successfully defend the #1 plate since Mick Doohan, Bagnaia has also become the first rider to take back-to-back premier class crowns since Marc Marquez in 2019. And he rounded it off in style, taking his seventh win and 15th podium of the season in Valencia as drama hit for his sole remaining title rival Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing).

Born in Turin, Bagnaia first found success on MiniMotos before his career took to the international stage in 2011, racing in what was then known as the CEV on a 125. He moved up to the Moto3™ World Championship for 2013, before joining the VR46 Riders Academy and moving to the SKY VR46 the following season. In 2015 he moved to the Aspar team and raced a Mahindra, partnering with none other than Jorge Martin both that season and the year after. Pecco took his, and Mahindra’s, first Grand Prix wins in 2016 – winning him a bet with the team that saw him get the chance to ride their MotoGP™ bike at the Valencia Test too.

2017 saw a new challenge: Moto2™, and back with Sky Racing Team VR46. He took a number of podiums and was named Rookie of the Year, setting the perfect foundation for an assault on the crown the following season. His form was imperious, and he wrapped up his first title at Sepang to become the 2018 Moto2™ World Champion. From there he moved to MotoGP™ with Pramac and despite some serious speed in testing, it proved a tougher rookie although he did take a best finish of fourth at Phillip Island. 2020 saw him take a first premier class podium at Misano, before a move to the factory Ducati team for 2021.

That’s when his ascent really began. Three podiums and a pole in the first four rounds were a good start, and come crunch time he was the last remaining challenger to Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) after a late season charge. Incredibly, his first win was a gloves-off duel with Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) at Aragon, and his second victory came just a week later at Misano. He ended the year with victory too, but Quartararo took the crown and the world awaited a rematch in 2022.

Ultimately, that’s what we got. But it was a rollercoaster season for both, first for Bagnaia and then Quartararo. Still, arriving into the final round in Valencia the Italian had reeled in a 91-point deficit to lead the Championship by 23 points, making it the biggest potential comeback in history. And sure enough, he took ninth in the race, enough to secure the crown, and celebrated his first MotoGP™ World Championship as Quartararo fought to the end but couldn’t quite threaten for the win.

2023 began with a headline even before the wheels turned: Bagnaia would run the #1, becoming the first rider to do so since Casey Stoner in 2012. The year began fittingly enough with a masterclass in the season opener in Portugal, with Pecco winning both the first ever Tissot Sprint and the first GP race of the season. But it was a difficult weekend in Argentina with a P6 in the Sprint and a P16 in the race following a crash, meaning Pecco needed to bounce back in Austin. It was job done on Saturday as a second Sprint victory was secured, but Sunday saw Bagnaia crash out of the lead. Two zero points scores on consecutive Sundays were an early blow to the Italian and Ducati’s charge to try and retain the crown.

In Jerez, Bagnaia responded. A double podium – including a stunning Sunday victory holding off a KTM assault – saw him banish the Americas demons. But as the paddock descended on Le Mans, a dose of bad luck saw another Sunday DNF rear its head as Bagnaia and Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) collided.

However, a stunning run of races would follow as a busy European leg began. Doing the double on home turf at Mugello acted as the springboard, with Germany providing us with a battle for the ages between what would become the two main title protagonists. Martin edged out Bagnaia at the Sachsenring, but Pecco would win a week later as his beloved TT Circuit Assen. At that stage, Bagnaia – having fallen behind in the first three races – boasted a pretty healthy 35-point Championship lead heading into the summer break.

A fourth consecutive Sunday top two result in a fascinating Silverstone encounter saw his title lead grow to 41 points post-summer before a commanding Sprint/race double in Austria meant his advantage climbed to 62 points. Then it was time to head to Barcelona.

P2 in the Sprint behind home hero Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) helped increase Bagnaia’s lead atop the Championship table. The latter was in a confident mood heading into Sunday and starting from pole position, Bagnaia grabbed the holeshot. As drama unfolded behind at Turn 1, Bagnaia’s race would end prematurely with a highside on the exit of Turn 2. Luckily, despite having his leg run over by Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), Pecco escaped serious injury, but it was a setback. And one that paved the way for Martin to begin to claw back points in the race for the title…

It began at Misano. The venue is the VR46 Academy’s backyard but it was Martin who bagged a full fat 37 points, with two podiums taken through the pain barrier nevertheless seeing Bagnaia’s points lead shrink to 36 ahead of the final leg of the season – eight races in 10 weeks, starting in India.

Bagnaia’s first visit to the Buddh International Circuit was a tougher one, with an unforced error seeing the #1 suffer a DNF on Sunday as Martin finished P2 to back up his Sprint win. Motegi then saw Martin take a clean sweep despite the incredible pressure of heavy rain and Bagnaia on his tail on Sunday. And so, heading to Indonesia, the gap between the Italian and Spaniard was just three points. It was game on.

The pendulum swung back in Bagnaia’s favour in Mandalika though. Martin crashed out of the lead on Sunday as Bagnaia carved his way through the pack from P13 on the grid, not having made it through to Q2, to win his first Sunday race since the Austrian GP. A huge result followed in Australia too. Martin was on course for a runaway victory at Phillip Island but an unforgettable final couple of laps saw Bagnaia finish P2 – with Martin slipping to P5 as his strategy to bolt early didn’t pay off.

Thailand saw the momentum shift back towards the purple corner in what was another epic duel. Bagnaia took P3 on Sunday behind Sprint and race winner Martin and Red Bull KTM’s interloper Brad Binder, but a track limits penalty for the South African then saw Pecco promoted to P2. Heading into the final three races of the season, Bagnaia’s lead was a slender 13 points.

A trip to Malaysia kicked off the triple-header of races that would decide whose hands would hold the 2023 crown. Martin beat Pecco in the Sepang Sprint but it was the red corner who returned the favour in the main event, with Bagnaia finishing P3 and Martin a distant P4.

Qatar was the next port of call. Martin won the Sprint in fine fashion and with Bagnaia struggling to a P5, the points gap was down to seven points ahead of the penultimate Grand Prix race of the season. The tables turned on Sunday though. Bagnaia finished P2 with Martin P10 after a tough race playing defense, and heading to the season finale in Valencia, Bagnaia was defending a 21-point lead – familiar territory for the 2022 title winner.

On Saturday it was a tense Sprint but a glorious display from Martin to pile on the pressure. The Spaniard won it as Bagnaia took only fifth, cutting the gap to 14 points ahead of the final race of the season.

Fittingly, the early stages of the Grand Prix race saw the two contenders locked together at the front, before drama then hit for Martin as he ran on into Turn 1, having been right on Pecco’s tail. He got back on track down in P8 and then tried a fight back, but it wasn’t to be as he later crashed out after colliding with Marc Marquez.

At the front, Bagnaia had his own battle still to fight, despite becoming Champion by default after Martin’s crash. After a tense final lap he just held off Fabio Di Giannantonio (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) on the drag to the line, signing off the season with a win and becoming the Champion of our 75th season of racing.

#BACK2BACKgnaia IN STATS
Having been crowned MotoGP™ World Champion in 2022 and 2023, Francesco Bagnaia becomes the third rider to take back-to-back MotoGP™ titles since the introduction of the class in 2002, along with only Valentino Rossi and Marc Marquez.

Bagnaia is the first rider to successfully race and defend the #1 in the premier class since Mick Doohan in 1998.

Bagnaia is the first Ducati rider to take more than one premier class world title. He is also the third Italian riding an Italian bike to take more than one premier class world title along Giacomo Agostini (MV Agusta) and Umberto Masetti (Gilera).

With 15 podiums in 2023, Bagnaia becomes the Ducati rider with most podiums in a single season, overtaking Casey Stoner, who held the previous record of 14.

Bagnaia becomes the fourth Italian with more than one premier class world title along with Giacomo Agostini (8), Valentino Rossi (7) and Umberto Masetti (2).

With 18 premier class wins, all with Ducati, Bagnaia sits in second on the list of Ducati riders with most wins in the class behind Casey Stoner (23).

With 35 premier class podiums so far, Bagnaia is the third Ducati rider with most podiums in the class behind Casey Stoner (42) and Andrea Dovizioso (40).

Bagnaia is the fifth rider who has clinched the title at the end of the year winning the opening Grand Prix race since MotoGP™ was introduced in 2002 along with Marc Marquez (2014), Jorge Lorenzo (2012), Casey Stoner (2007 and 2011) and Valentino Rossi from 2002 to 2005.

This season Bagnaia has stood on the MotoGP™ podium more than any other rider (15 times), including seven wins.

QUOTES
How does it feel?
“Incredible. I feel the happiest I’ve ever felt in my life. The thing is I’m happy also because I won the race. With the circumstances of today winning the race didn’t mean anything but it’s a goal that I’ve always want to do. I want to win a title with a win so I’m happy. It was quite scary out there because in the last five laps I started to feel cold on the bike and I was very scared about the front tyre. I’m very happy right now I can’t breathe, it wasn’t an easy day because I was under quite a bit of pressure but I’m very happy!”

Do you agree that defending a title is harder than winning one?
“It was difficult because last year I arrived here and I was under more pressure than this year. I managed it quite well because I was thinking just about the race and I was conscious yesterday that we made the wrong choice with the tyre, but I was prepared for today with a medium. It helped me to understand what the drop of the tyre was so for me, it was useful.

“Barcelona was a turning point, from then on we started to struggle a lot. Not in Misano, there my big problem was being able to ride the bike because I was very much in pain with my leg. After that moment I started to struggle a bit with my speed in terms of qualifying and in terms of the Sprint. In the second part of the season I was always struggling in the Sprint. I wasn’t as fast as I was expecting. I wasn’t as fast as I was last season so next year for sure I’ll have to improve but in the past races I’ve done a big step forward, we just got a little bit unlucky. I’m very proud of my team and I’m very happy for their efforts because I think we did an amazing job. And I’m very happy and very proud of my family and my girlfriend, who have always been helping me in every situation and have showed me how happy I can be.”

For more MotoGP info checkout our dedicated MotoGP News page

Or visit the official MotoGP website www.motogp.com

Martin heads Binder and Marc Marquez on the Tissot Sprint podium as it all comes down to Sunday.

The 2023 MotoGP™ World Championship will be decided on Sunday! Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) claimed Tissot Sprint victory to cut Francesco Bagnaia’s (Ducati Lenovo Team) advantage in the title fight down to just 14 points at the Gran Premio Motul de la Comunitat Valenciana, ensuring the Grand Prix race will be the closest decider in the premier class sine 2015. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) earned podiums in the final Sprint of 2023, both getting their elbows out.

Martin produces the magic
Bagnaia got a dream launch from P2 to grab the holeshot into Turn 1 as Martin also got away well. Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) immediately bit back at Turn 2 with a late lunge on Pecco though as Binder nearly slipped up the inside of Martin.

Lap 1, Turn 11 was where Martin made his move on Pecco. Binder, on the cutback, managed to squeeze up the inside of the pair of them and heading into Turn 12, so did the fast-starting Marc Marquez. Suddenly, Bagnaia went from P2 to P5 in the space of two corners.

Martin soon got back past Marquez as we watched Bagnaia drop into the clutches of the group behind that included Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) – the Frenchman making a phenomenal start.

With nine to go though, Quartararo’s Sprint was over as he attempted to overtake Pecco at Turn 6. The front of his Yamaha let go and that was all she wrote for El Diablo on Saturday.

Up front, the top four were locked together – Viñales, Binder, Martin and Marc Marquez. Binder and Viñales were getting very busy with eight laps left and lurking just behind was Martin. At this stage, Bagnaia was 1.6s off the fight – and the Italian had Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) and Fabio Di Giannantonio (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) climbing all over his tailpipes.

Seven to go. Now, Binder was leading. Marquez showed a wheel to Martin at Turn 6 as the two made slight contact. Unfazed, Martin then carved his way past Viñales for P2 at Turn 1 with six laps to go and as expected, Marquez wasted little time in following Binder and Martin through. With five and a half laps to go, a huge moment occurred – Martin was P1. Binder went wide at Turn 10 and left the door wide open, with Martin walking through with ease.

Five to go. As things stood, the gap in the Championship was 14 points between Sprint leader Martin and fifth place Pecco. Di Giannantonio had passed Bezzecchi and was looking menacing behind Bagnaia, with Martin still holding Binder at bay.

Three to go. Binder wasn’t close enough to make a move on Martin but he was still too close for comfort. Marquez was half a second further back, and Viñales was being caught by Bagnaia, Di Giannantonio and Bezzecchi.

LAST LAP! Martin led Binder by 0.3s, with Bagnaia still holding Di Giannantonio behind him. Halfway around the lap, Binder still wasn’t close enough. Turn 10 passed by with Martin still leading and the KTM wasn’t close enough into the final corner either. Martin rode brilliantly to secure the most important 12 points of his career, as Binder and the impressive Marc Marquez bagged Valencia Sprint rostrums.

14 points, one to go
Viñales had to settle for P4 after setting the early pace, as Bagnaia came home P5 to collect five points. Not the result the Italian was searching for as the Championship chase goes down to the final day, but it could still yet prove to be a huge five points.

Di Giannantonio couldn’t find a way past Pecco and claimed P6, with Bezzecchi, Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) and Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) picking up the final points-paying positions in the Sprint.

And so, the MotoGP™ World Championship will be decided on Sunday in Valencia. 14 points in it, Pecco vs Martin – what an afternoon we have in store. Tune into the MotoGP™ race at 14:00 local time (GMT+1) to see who will be crowned 2023 MotoGP™ King in season 75.

For more MotoGP info checkout our dedicated MotoGP News page

Or visit the official MotoGP website www.motogp.com

Bagnaia keeps his cool in Q1, Martin loses out on the front row… and Viñales steals the Q2 show for a first pole position with Aprilia.

The grid is decided as we prepare to crown the 2023 MotoGP™ World Champion at the Gran Premio Motul de la Comunitat Valenciana, and it sets the stage for quite a showdown – or two. Despite a trip through Q1, Championship leader Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) kept cool grab the upper hand on the grid, and he’ll line up second with a clean line of sight down to Turn 1.

After some serious speed but a dash of drama, rolling out of his final attempt after a second moment of Q2, Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) will line up in P6 on the outside of the second row.

Between the two, Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) and Red Bull KTM Factory Racing duo Jack Miller and Brad Binder head into the race with likely very different targets… and ahead of them all, Friday’s fastest Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) took a stunning first pole position since the 2021 Dutch TT.

Here’s how the final qualifying of the year unfolded!

Q1
After the first runs, Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) led the way from Bagnaia, but when the field headed back out for a final crack at it, the #1 was setting red sectors to take over on top with just over four minutes remaining, beating the previous benchmark by three tenths.

Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) had been on to challenge Alex Marquez but wasn’t able to best Bagnaia’s new best effort, but next time around the Frenchman was close again.

Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team), meanwhile, was sat behind Bagnaia. But the number 23 wasn’t seriously threatening the top on first time of asking. Were there team instructions? Would there be should the ‘Beast’ take over in P1? Red sectors with two minutes to go made that question relevant, but the lap went away from him just enough for Bastianini to cross the line and take fourth.

And then Bagnaia pitted. With just over a minute still left on the clock, it was a confident move. Would it pay off? Alex Marquez didn’t seem to have anything left in the locker to improve, Augusto Fernandez (GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3) slotted into third… and it all came down to Bastianini. But a red first sector went grey in the second on the timing screens, and Bagnaia headed through on top, joined in Q2 by Alex Marquez.

Q2
In Q2, Bagnaia’s first lap put him sixth over the line and then 11th by the time the field pitted. And when they did, it was Binder on provisional pole with Martin missing out by hundredths. But then the reigning Champion headed back out… and took over on top.

The next one was a fast one too, and Bagnaia shaved a tenth and a half off his own best. Next it was Martin’s turn to light up the timing screens, however, and with some company from Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team). There was an absolute heart in mouth moment not long after too: Martin headed wide and the open door was most definitely a tempting one, with Marquez setting red sectors behind the number 89. The two came very, very close to contact but there was none made as Marquez slotted back in behind the Ducati, and both finished the lap – with Marquez improving his time enough, still, to take P8.

Meanwhile, Viñales was on the move. Amongst the drama of the title contenders’ quite contrasting Saturday mornings, the Aprilia Racing rider pulled a stunner out of the hat. He was fastest on Friday and did it again to take a first pole with Aprilia and first since Assen in 2021, beating Bagnaia to it by 0.092.

Zarco slotted into third, Miller was able to leapfrog that former fastest effort from teammate Binder, and Martin now completes the second row after his one final shot at the top ended with a wobble.

THE GRID
Viñales heads Bagnaia as the reigning Champion stayed overwhelmingly cool despite the pressure, with Martin’s teammate Zarco an interesting presence alongside on the front row.

Miller and Binder, holeshot kings earlier in the season, are also quite a threat in fourth and fifth – adding a bit of an extra hurdle for Martin. For his part, the number 89 will want to make sure he has two very different starts to the one he suffered under the floodlights on Sunday at Lusail.

Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46) lines up in P7 ahead of Q1 graduate Alex Marquez, with Marc Marquez bumped down to P9 by the end of play – crashing out of his final effort at Turn 2, rider ok.

Raul Fernandez (CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP™ Team) completes the top ten ahead of Qatar GP winner Fabio Di Giannantonio (Gresini Racing MotoGP™), with Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) last in Q2.

The stage is set for a first match point for Bagnaia, and after on Friday it seemed it was advantage Martin – on track, at least – it looks a little different heading into the Tissot Sprint. Can Martin hit back once the lights go out? He’ll need to, as Bagnaia needs to gain just four points on him to take the crown, with the #1 21 ahead on the way in. The magic number for Bagnaia to wrap it up is a gap of 25 or more…

For more MotoGP info checkout our dedicated MotoGP News page

Or visit the official MotoGP website www.motogp.com

Viñales breaks the lap record to head Martin, Bagnaia heads for Q1 as Friday serves up some serious talking points.

The heat has officially hit fever pitch in the title battle and a huge Saturday at the Gran Premio Motul de la Comunitat Valenciana awaits. For one, Championship leader Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) is heading for Q1. Two, amid some interesting mind games from Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) as the Spaniard looks to overturn that 21-point deficit. He was also second quickest on Friday as Bagnaia took only P15. And all that as Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) set the pace thanks to a 1:29.142 – a new Circuit Ricardo Tormo all-time lap record.

Mind games aplenty
After FP1 saw Martin take P3 and Bagnaia P13, all eyes were on Practice and the soft rubber went in early with qualifying incredibly important at the tight and twisty Valencia layout – especially for the two title protagonists. The final five minutes of the Practice session is when things got even more interesting as Martin headed out armed with a definite game plan.

Plenty of red sectors came flying in but all eyes were on the title duo, who were locked together in the pitlane after being out on track together. Martin latched himself onto the back of Pecco and shadowed him around the out-lap – including running wide at Turn 8 – as Pecco tried his best to find a time to propel him into the top 10.

That didn’t happen on his first flying lap and with time only allowing for one final lap to be laid in the session, the pressure was on Bagnaia. But it would prove too late as a crash for Pol Espargaro (GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3) at Turn 3 brought out the yellow flags, and that was that. Bagnaia ended Practice in P15, meaning Q1 awaits for the Championship leader… and Martin’s tactics seemingly worked a treat as he headed straight into Q2 as the second fastest rider on track.

A top 15 covered by just 0.659s
With just over half a second covering the top 15, fine margins again made all the difference, and Viñales ends Friday with that freshly-pressed lap record. Behind Martin in second, his teammate Johann Zarco enjoyed a positive day and ended Friday as one of three riders underneath the seven-year-old lap record too. How crucial could Zarco’s pace prove to be for the rest of the weekend for Prima Pramac Racing and Martin?

Elsewhere, Fabio Di Giannantonio (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) continued his strong form to claim P4, with compatriot Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) – despite a crash at Turn 8 – completing the top five.

Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) ended the 60-minute Practice stint in P6, while eight-time World Champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) gets set for a Q2 appearance following a positive day as the #93 finished Friday in seventh. Raul Fernandez (CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP™ Team), Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) – another crasher in Practice – and Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) are the other riders who bagged automatic Q2 spots.

The reigning Champion’s Q1 hurdle
Bagnaia will have teammate Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team) for company in the biggest 15 minutes of the season, while the likes of Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™), Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™), Franco Morbidelli (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™), and Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) will also fancy their chances of processing.

A mouthwatering day awaits in Valencia. The 2023 title tale has taken a twist on Friday, but what does qualifying and Tissot Sprint Saturday have in store? You’ll have to tune in to find out!

SHOWTIME IN VALENCIA
The stage is set for Qualifying and the Tissot Sprint! Make sure you tune in:

MotoGP™ FP2: 10:10
MotoGP™ Q1: 10:50
MotoGP™ Q2: 111:15

MotoGP™ Sprint: 15:00

For more MotoGP info checkout our dedicated MotoGP News page

Or visit the official MotoGP website www.motogp.com

This is it! Hear from Bagnaia, Martin, and a host of riders heading for pastures new (probably!) with our Thursday rundown

Here we go. It’s time to decide the 2023 MotoGP™ World Champion and we know one thing for sure: it’s going to be Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) or Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing). Split by 21 points on the way in but with a maximum of 37 still on the table, there’s everything to play for.

On Thursday, the two posed for a photo op on the main straight and then headed the press conference billing as the first line-up of the day. The next? A motley crew of familiar, successful and relevant faces as we prepare for the last Grand Prix of the season: Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing Team), Qatar GP winner Fabio Di Giannantonio (Gresini Racing MotoGP™), eight-time World Champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team), the returning Alex Rins (LCR Honda Castrol), and 2023 Moto2™ World Champion Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo).

Here are some quotes, photos and postcards from that face-to-face #PECCOvsMARTIN picture on the main straight.

LINE UP: BAGNAIA – MARTIN

Does it feel any different to a year ago?
FRANCESCO BAGNAIA: “Honestly, two points less than last year but 12 more to gain. So for sure it’s a different situation with 37 points available every weekend. Let’s see, it will be important to start well tomorrow and have a good feeling, and then in practice we need to really be pushing to be in the top ten but I’m quite sure that this track with the new surface will be very good for us.”

Is it a case of attack being the best form of defence this weekend?
“I will do the maximum for sure. Tomorrow it will be very important to understand everything and on Saturday, for sure it will be very important to be competitive and try to win the Sprint, and then on Saturday afternoon, decide the strategy for Sunday’s race. The goal will be to start on the front row and push in Sprint race to have the possibility to win.”

How difficult would it be to do it on Saturday?
“The hopes are to try to win the championship on Saturday, but you know if I see the risk is too high. I will take whatever the result we get and try again on Sunday. For sure we’re in a better situation than Jorge but 21 points are never enough to be calm.”

How hard is it to treat it like a normal weekend when the Championship is at stake?
“For sure in some situations you’re actually the most calm and people around you are the most anxious. Last year when I was eating lunch before the race. I was calm and just thinking about my things. Normally I eat a lot, but this time it was all friends and family eating all the food as they were feeling a lot more pressure than me, but I have to say that on Sunday last year I was feeling a lot of pressure before the start and it wasn’t easy for sure, but I think this year I understand it a lot better. I’ve learnt a lot from the first year so I think I’ll be able to manage it better, but the pressure will grow day by day.”

What will it mean to you if you win it back-to-back?
“From what I remember just Vale and Marc have done it so it would be really great to reach this kind of goal but it’s something I can’t think about right now. I just need to think about tomorrow and try and enjoy my riding. I know this is a good track for us, and it will be good to be competitive.”

Valentino will be here this year too… is it important to have him around?
“Yes absolutely, it will be important because he’s faced many different situations and it could be a great help to have him by my side and trying to understand everything. For sure it’s something extra to have on my skill list!”

How confident are you that you can turn it around?
JORGE MARTIN: “It’s a bit more difficult for sure. I think the way we were coming was good, we were recovering points in a good way but now I’m a bit far. I’m quite relaxed. I understood after Qatar it’s a bit difficult to win. I’m happy with all the season I did. I will try enjoy the weekend, win both races. I think I’m capable of doing that at a track I really enjoy. I’m really fast here so let’s go for it and try win both!”

Looking back on Sunday in Qatar… has it been difficult?
“For me it was quite easy to forget about. I understood it wasn’t my fault. I was trying to help my people to be happy, it should be the other way around. It is what it is, I don’t want to think about it more but just focus on this weekend. In the past 21 points were a lot but now not so much, we still have our chance. Whatever comes is good. If we finish second, it is good, if we win awesome.”

Any answers from what went wrong in Qatar?
“Not yet, for sure it was a hard race. I struggled from the first lap. I don’t have any answers yet. These things need time to analyse. Maybe I spoke too much after the race, but you know, I’m an impulsive person. We don’t know what happened exactly but maybe in one or two months we’ll know.”

On his record in Valencia:
“I didn’t like it when I was in Moto3 but as soon as I won my first race in 2017, I started loving it! Now it’s a track I really enjoy, I’m always fast, always have a great pace and yeah I did the last two pole positions. I am confident. It is a track where we can win both of them, but the problem is even winning both of them may not be enough.”

You’re also Teams’ Champions, are you proud to be part of it?
“I’m so proud of this team. When I arrived, we weren’t even in the top three and this year we won. For a satellite team it’s really important and big thing to beat all the factory teams. I’m really proud of them. I think I have everything to fight for title in the future also. I’m really happy to be here and hopefully we can do it in the next seasons.”

LINE UP: MARINI – DIGGIA – MARC MARQUEZ – RINS – ACOSTA

Can we expect you on a different bike on Tuesday?
LUCA MARINI: “Yeah, I think news will come soon so there’s not many things I can say at the moment so we will see in the next few days.”

If you are a factory rider… are you ready for that?
“Yes, in my opinion, I’m feeling great and improving a lot and it’s always been my dream to be in a factory team and to develop a bike to bring a manufacturer to victory. So in my opinion, this is the right moment. There was this opportunity because after Marc’s decision, which was a big shock for everyone. But I think also maybe in the future if not next year it was something that was going to happen so now there is a good opportunity for me and I will try to do my best and this is the maximum I can say for now.”

What can you say about what VR46 has done for your career?
“It was a fantastic journey. I’ve shared the best moments of my career with this team and I want to say thank you to all the group that we have now, but also the members that were a part of the group in the past years and in Moto2. I’ve enjoyed every moment and I want to enjoy it even more this weekend here in Valencia because we have something more to do also here.”

What do you think? It’s possible here this weekend?
“I think that this track is always very difficult and the qualifying is very important because it’s difficult to overtake. The tarmac is also new so this could change something and also it will be difficult with the cold temperatures in terms of tires, but I remember the last season at the test I was first with a very good feeling with the bike, so I think that we start with a good base so let’s see after the Friday practice sessions what my position is.”

Still on cloud nine after Qatar?
FABIO DI GIANNANTONIO: “It has been amazing. An amazing feeling, an amazing energy all around me. It was fantastic and I can say that I’ve watched it between 20 and 25 times! I’ve spent a lot of time in front of my phone watching the race so yeah, it’s been super special!”

How was the call with your dad?
“A lot of tears for sure! For him, its been his dream since I was a little kid. When you achieve something big, you always think of the moments when you are a little kid with your father and mother and little motor. The early days, you don’t think much about the future, you are just with a little pocket bike and you start to enjoy. Suddenly you are a MotoGP rider and you won your first race so for sure it was a great moment to see my father on the phone and yeah…. Cheer for this!”

Back-to-back potential winner? Does he believe?
“We are in a good moment. We’ve been fast everywhere let’s say. In Qatar we were super fast. We are in a good way but for sure a lot of riders will be fast. We all start from zero. I think a lot of riders will have a chance to win on Sunday. Let’s see, maybe we can do another good job and from my side I want to do a good job in my last race for Gresini.”

And what about a 2024 ride?
“I was super proud of Paolo’s words. He has been so good to me so yeah I’m super proud. Let’s say that I’ve come with a helmet and a suit to test on Tuesday. We are working on something cool. We have good chances to test on Tuesday and now we have a little more chance to be on the grid in 2024.”

VR46, would it be cool to ride with Rossi’s team?
“Since it is only the bike available…once Luca makes the announcement! For sure it is a great team. Their work behind the scenes is amazing. What they do in the academy all together with the guys, and also, all the staff they have, they have been super good. They started in Moto3, and then to Moto2 and MotoGP. They’ve always been super good in every class so that means they are a really good team. It would be an amazing experience and challenge and an opportunity to learn a lot of things.

Will it be an emotional weekend?
MARC MARQUEZ: “Of course, it is a special weekend and it’ll be a super difficult weekend to control emotions and be focussed on track. I don’t like to say that it will be my last race with Honda because you never know, but it will be the end of an era and the end of a nice chapter where we’ve achieved six world championships in 11 years which have been amazing. But it is true that this weekend I want to enjoy myself on track and I want to enjoy all the moments because next year you know it will be difficult to imagine me working with another group, but in the end it was my decision and yeah it’s what I want to do. I enjoy everything with them because they are my friends and we have an incredible relationship but yeah I’m looking forward to finishing the season in a good way.”

Best three moments with Honda?
“I would pick six, my six world championships. The photos that are on here on the helmet. The last one that was the last podium in Motegi. It’s something super special for me. The best moment was 2013 when we won the title in the first year that we arrived in MotoGP. Boom we exploded. Everything started there and it was amazing, then of course I’m super lucky because I’ve had many many good moments and I can’t just choose one.”

What do you think? What do you think it’s possible this weekend?
“I don’t know. It’s a circuit and the layout that I like, but I’ve been struggling in the races so let’s see where we are on Friday and where we are during the weekend. Of course, I can’t try any crazy things but we need to be realistic and yeah I need to do my best as I have done in the past races and let’s see, but the first goal is to try and enjoy the weekend with all my people.”

How excited are you to try the Ducati?
“I’m sorry but I won’t speak about it, especially because I have huge respect for Honda and to my team and my full commitment will be until the last lap in Valencia, so yeah I’m just focus on this weekend and then on Monday, we will start working with the next year’s team.”

ALEX RINS: “Honestly, after the last GP weekend in Australia, we did an x-ray in Melbourne Saturday morning because I was feeling a lot of muscular pain in my leg. It looked like I had a hernia so we flew directly to Madrid to make a surgery to improve this pain. They opened in the morning, and then at night I left the hospital. The doctors did a fantastic job. I walked home as the pain improved immediately. The last month I’ve been working as hard as possible at home to be here in Valencia. It’s a shame it is the last race because now I’m feeling more or less better than before. Anyways, we have this weekend to enjoy and to ride, and to say goodbye to LCR. It is an amazing team, we had a very difficult season with injury, but we did a great result in Austin to get the victory so I would like to just enjoy the final GP.”

Riding now pain free?
“I rode the production bike in Montmelo. It was quite nice. In Montmelo it is right then left and then the long right corner and I had zero pain. We need to remember it is a production bike and not a MotoGP bike, the power and brakes are not the same, but it was a great test.”

Timeframe for 100% fitness?
“To be 100%, it was not a regular fracture. It was not a clean fracture. So the be at 100%, they said I need nine to ten months to recover everything but now we are in a good shape. The pain is very low during the day. I am walking perfect. I think the next step is to jump on the bike, we have more muscle on the leg than before, so I think it is going to be ok.”

And on his Yamaha debut on Tuesday?
I’m looking forward to it. It’s a big challenge. It will be difficult but I did it last year. It was not easy because you change everything, your team, your group, your crew chief. It won’t be easy but for sure, I mean tomorrow id Friday, we have three days to ride in Valencia on new tarmac so let’s enjoy.”

PEDRO ACOSTA: “It’s going to be difficult to manage all the emotions, so I’m trying to focus on enjoying my last Moto2 race, with the fans and the team, because it’s also my last weekend with them. it’s not going to be so easy. But I’m more focused on Monday, not Tuesday, to understand how a MotoGP team works, how the KTM project goes in one way. I’ll have a long winter to think about it but for now it’s just a moment to try and enjoy it, get to know everyone in the team and understand how to ride these MotoGP bikes.”

What are you most looking forward to, the power, carbon brakes?
“Both. In the end I just want to understand how to ride this bike fast. I want to understand how a MotoGP team is working, how everyone in the team is working, I know KTM put a lot of guys from the factory at Tech 3 and I think that will help a lot to have a fast way to understand how to ride.”

Biggest thing learned with the Ajo team?
“Racing is easy if you take it easy! We’re here living the dream, I will say but we’re still the same ‘lucky bastards’ as before! I don’t know, it as so nice to spend three years with Aki, he helped me a lot just more to understand how life is. I was so young when I arrived here, I don’t know. It’s going to be nice to feel the emotions that are going to come.”

And that pesky number question…
“You’ll see on Tuesday morning! Don’t worry. When you open the garage, you’re going to see!”

For more MotoGP info checkout our dedicated MotoGP News page

Or visit the official MotoGP website www.motogp.com