Moto GP
Moto GP 2023
Francesco Bagnaia looks to retain the World Riders Championship in 2023, but with the new format introduced this year, competition will be fierce.
Marco Bezzecchi cruises to victory in the Argentina Grand Prix as he wins his first MotoGP Race!
It was a memorable weekend for Marco Bezzecchi and his team as the Italian excelled in Argentina, winning the MotoGP Race, and finishing 2nd behind Brad Binder in the MotoGP Sprint Race. Bezzecchi had expressed his lack of confidence going into this weekend, stating that he struggles in wet conditions. A potential career best performance in Argentina may encourage him to have a little more belief. It was Johann Zarco and Alex Marquez who made up the podium positions in 2nd and 3rd respectively, and it was a fall from grace for reigning champion Francesco Bagnaia as he crashed with 8 laps to go and ended up finishing 16th! Bagnaia has now lost his no. 1 spot in the overall rankings, after being overtaken by Bezzecchi, who leads the way. After the first weekend of the MotoGP Championship, some people may have thought Bagnaia would run away with it, but what the last few days have shown us is that anything can happen on the track, and it can happen to anyone.
Here is how the MotoGP race finished:
1st Marco Bezzecchi 🇮🇹 44mins 28.5180secs
2nd Johann Zarco 🇫🇷 +4.085secs
3rd Alex Marquez 🇪🇸 +4.681secs
4th Franco Morbidelli 🇮🇹 +7.581secs
5th Jorge Martin 🇪🇸 +9.746secs
6th Jack Miller 🇦🇺 +10.562secs
7th Fabio Quartararo 🇫🇷 +11.095secs
8th Luca Marini 🇮🇹 +13.694secs
9th Alex Rins 🇪🇸 +14.327secs
10th Fabio Di Giannantonio 🇮🇹 +18.515secs
11th Augusto Fernandez 🇪🇸 +19.380secs
12th Maverick Vinales 🇪🇸 +26.091secs
13th Takaaki Nakagami 🇯🇵 +28.394secs
14th Raul Fernandez 🇪🇸 +29.894secs
15th Aleix Espargaro 🇪🇸 +36.183secs
16th Francesco Bagnaia 🇮🇹 +47.753secs
17th Brad Binder 🇿🇦 +48.106secs
Overall Standings:
Position Rider Points
1st Marco Bezzecchi 🇮🇹 50
2nd Francesco Bagnaia 🇮🇹 41
3rd Johann Zarco 🇫🇷 35
4th Alex Marquez 🇪🇸 33
5th Maverick Vinales 🇪🇸 32
6th Jack Miller 🇦🇺 25
7th Jorge Martin 🇪🇸 22
8th Brad Binder 🇿🇦 22
9th Franco Morbidelli 🇮🇹 21
10th Fabio Quartararo 🇫🇷 18
11th Luca Marini 🇮🇹 15
12th Alex Rins 🇪🇸 13
13th Aleix Espargaro 🇪🇸 12
14th Augusto Fernandez 🇪🇸 8
15th Takaaki Nakagami 🇯🇵 7
16th Marc Marquez 🇪🇸 7
17th Fabio Di Giannantonio 🇮🇹 6
18th Joan Mir 🇪🇸 5
19th Miguel Oliveira 🇵🇹 3
20th Raul Fernandez 🇪🇸 2
An Insight into Marco Bezzecchi
The MotoGP winner didn’t start off as a natural in the sport, and was somewhat fearful of riding, not wanting to battle with the other kids. Those close to him explained that many times he only completed a couple of laps, and then asked to go home because it got too busy on the track. He was still very much into the sport though, and his hometown Rimini was the hub for bike lovers, with the sport on everyone’s TV. He looked up to MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi and would always be watching him and copying the rider’s moves. There came a point when Marco realised how fun the battle could become for himself and would end up rising to the highest level in MotoGP, very quickly surpassing Moto3 and Moto2.
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Written by Matthew Cullingford 03-04-2023
A New Year, a New Format in MotoGP
The wait is finally over! Moto GP is back, and with some new changes being implemented this year, here is an update on some of the rules and procedures:
A New Format - The Tissot Sprint
There is a new format making its debut for MotoGP this year and the Tissot Sprint has been added, but what does this mean for the rules and regulations?
How is the Grid Determined?
The grid that is determined in qualifying will count for both the MotoGP sprint and the upcoming MotoGP race.
How is the sprint Scored?
For the MotoGP Sprint, the points are pretty much half a normal race:
1st = 12pts
2nd = 9 pts
3rd = 7pts
4th = 6pts
5th = 5pts
6th = 4pts
7th = 3pts
8th = 2pts
9th = 1pt
Riders who finish lower than this don’t receive any points.
How Do Track Limits Work?
In a short MotoGP race, 1 track limit results in a warning and 3 track limits results in a penalty. In a longer race, 3 track limits is a warning and 5 track limits is a penalty.
You may now be wondering… have the penalties changed🤔…No.
When are the Weekend Penalties Due?
Penalties can be dealt out at any time during a race, except for the MotoGP sprint – penalties will only be dealt out during the sprint if there is an opportunity to do so.
What is the Grid Procedure?
There is a 15-minute grid procedure. The special grid procedures for things like rain on the grid already exist. The only difference in the MotoGP Sprint is it’s a shorter grid procedure.
What Happens if a Race is Interrupted?
A race that is interrupted when it’s less than 3 laps in is cancelled and will try to be restarted. If the race is at more than ¾ of the lap race distance, the results would be the same as a completed race.
Does Cancellation Affect Points Scored?
If over 50% of the race has been completed, the points are as normal. However, if less than 50% has been completed drivers will be awarded half the normal number of points. Also, as previously mentioned the race is essentially null and void if less than 3 laps have been completed
What is the Fuel Limit?
The fuel limit for the MotoGP Sprint is 12 Litres (half the amount permitted for the MotoGP Race)
How Does the Tyre System Work?
The tyre allocation is exactly the same as previous years as there is the same amount of track time during a weekend for this year compared to previous years that haven’t had the MotoGP Sprint.
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Written by Matthew Cullingford 29-03-2023
Reigning champion Francesco Bagnaia comes out on top in the first Grand Prix of 2023 in Portugal
The first Grand Prix of the year was packed with drama, crashes, brilliant overtakes, and fantastic driving. It wasn’t a good start in his home country however for Miguel Oliveira in the full length race as he got slammed into by Marc Marquez at turn 3. It was a thrilling battle for 4th spot between Alex Marquez, Brad Binder, Jack Miller, Aleix Espargaro, Johann Zarco and Fabio Quartararo. In the end it was Zarco who overtook Alex Marquez in the last lap with a brilliant overtake to claim 4th! Maverick Vinales did his best to compete with Francesco Bagnaia for top spot, but it wasn’t enough as Bagnaia won his 2nd race of the weekend.
Portuguese GP result:
1.Francesco Bagnaia 🇮🇹 (Ducati) 0:41:25.401
2. Maverick Vinales 🇪🇸 (Aprilia) +0.687s
3. Marco Bezzecchi 🇮🇹 (Ducati) +2.726s
4. Johann Zarco 🇫🇷 (Ducati) +8.060s
5. Alex Marquez 🇪🇸 (Ducati) +8.125s
6. Brad Binder 🇿🇦 (KTM) +8.247s
7. Jack Miller 🇦🇺 (KTM) +8.381s
8. Fabio Quartararo 🇫🇷 (Yamaha) +8.543s
9. Aleix Espargaro 🇪🇸 (Aprilia) +9.294s
10. Alex Rins 🇪🇸 (Honda) +11.591s
Overall Standings:
1. 🇮🇹Francesco Bagnaia 37pts
2. 🇪🇸Maverick Vinales 25pts
3. 🇮🇹Marco Bezzecchi 16pts
4. 🇫🇷Johann Zarco 15pts
4= 🇦🇺Jack Miller 15pts
6. 🇪🇸Alex Marquez 12pts
7. 🇪🇸Aleix Espargaro 11pts
8. 🇿🇦Brad Binder 10pts
9. 🇪🇸Jorge Martin 9pts
10. 🇫🇷Fabio Quartararo 8pts
Meet the Riders
Get an insight into the riders’ lives away from MotoGP and find out things you may not know 👀
🇮🇹Francesco Bagnaia - 26yrs ⇾ Has a phobia of insects 🪳
🇪🇸Maverick Vinales - 28yrs ⇾ Enjoys playing the guitar 🎸
🇮🇹Marco Bezzecchi - 24yrs ⇾ Really enjoys skateboarding and snowboarding, and has done since a young age 🏂
🇫🇷Johann Zarco - 32yrs ⇾ Likes to learn music 🎼
🇦🇺Jack Miller - 28yrs ⇾ Enjoys camping and fishing ⛺️🎣
🇪🇸Alex Marquez - 26yrs ⇾ Has to eat pizza on a Sunday night… with PINEAPPLE! 🍍
🇪🇸Aleix Espargaro - 34yrs ⇾ Has six different tatoos, with his favourites being the initials of his wife inside a heart, and the motto ‘always believe in yourself’
🇿🇦Brad Binder - 27yrs ⇾ Enjoys hanging out with his mates, having long nights out 😎
🇪🇸Jorge Martin - 25yrs ⇾ Enjoys going drifting in the night, especially when it snows in Andorra 🌨️🇦🇩
🇫🇷Fabio Quartararo - 23yrs ⇾ Has previously done modelling, and likes playing golf 🏌️
🇵🇹Miguel Oliveira - 28yrs ⇾ As well as being a MotoGP racer, he is also studying to become a dentist! 🦷
🇪🇸Marc Marquez - 30yrs ⇾ Loves eating chocolate, but maximum 85% darkness 🍫
🇮🇹Fabio Di Giannantonio - 24yrs ⇾ An art enthusiast, and likes photography📸
🇪🇸Pol Esparagaro - 31yrs ⇾ His Favourite hobby is playing the piano, which he is very talented at, and has said that he will put on a concert for the paddock if he wins the MotoGP World Championship! 🏆🎹
🇪🇸Alex Rins - 27yrs ⇾ Enjoys playing many sports including cycling and tennis, and also likes to spend time with his family.
🇪🇸Augusto Fernandez - 25yrs ⇾ Enjoys skiing ⛷️
🇪🇸JoanMir - 25yrs ⇾ Enjoys going up the mountains and really likes the sea, and snorkelling🤿
🇯🇵Takaaki Nakagami - 31yrs ⇾ Loves shopping, relaxing with his dogs by the sea, and working out in the gym 💪
🇪🇸RaulFernandez - 22yrs ⇾ His favourite subject at school was mathematics
🇮🇹Enea Bastianini - 25yrs ⇾ Enjoys cooking the best pancakes 🥞
🇮🇹Franco Morbidelli - 28yrs ⇾ Loves animals and owns three different pets: a cat, a dog, and a turtle🐢
🇮🇹Luca Marini - 25yrs ⇾ Enjoys spending time with his friends and girlfriend, and also likes playing video games🎮
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Written by Matthew Cullingford on 27/03/2023
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