As the MotoGP™ riders currently enjoy a well-deserved vacation, it's time for reflection on the opening act of the 2023 campaign. Eight Grands Prix in, and we have already seen drama delivered by the bucketload, with twists and turns aplenty as the paddock traversed across Europe and the Americas. So then, who has stood out to date, and who has flattered to deceive?
Reigning Champion Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) was expected to fight at the front, and the Italian has largely lived up to expectations, despite some hit and miss form during the opening rounds. Pecco couldn’t dance a wet Termas tango and crashed out of contention, before buckling at the Texas rodeo at COTA. Then there was of course the French GP flashpoint with Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing), with a collision leading to some gravel trap handbags.
Since Le Mans, it has been close to Pecco perfection on track, claiming the Tissot Sprint and Grand Prix double in Mugello which was followed by two podiums at the Sachsenring and a Sprint podium and GP win at Assen. Though he’ll enter the summer break as the Championship leader, he’ll have an eye over his shoulder as some threats to his throne have emerged close to home.
Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team), 2022 Rookie of the Year, has continued his development into a top class rider and a genuine contender. The MotoGP™ sophomore has capitalised on Bagnaia’s mistakes to take wins in Argentina and France, while he’s followed his factory counterpart over the line in Portugal and the Netherlands in Sunday’s races, and has a burgeoning collection of Sprint wins and podiums to his name too. Having led the Championship after three rounds of action, the VR46 Academy graduate has dropped to third as another challenger has staked his claim.
It had been a long time coming, but it was worth the wait for Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) as he became the new SachsenKing in Germany with a Sprint and GP double. A first GP win since the 2021 Styrian Grand Prix was preceded by back-to-back P2s in France and Italy. There were Sprint successes in Portimao and Austin, but they were then followed by DNFs on Sunday as he struggled for consistency. There have been no such issues in the later rounds, and he has surged up to second in the standings, one point ahead of Bezzecchi heading into the summer break and offering another threat to Bagnaia’s crown.
The leading trio in the Championship all ride aboard Ducati machinery, and it is little surprise given that the bike that is the envy of the grid. Everyone knew the Bologna bullets would be the riders to beat in 2023, and it was up to the other teams to bring the fight to them. What has come as a surprise though is the constructor that has proven a major thorn in the side of the Italian brand.
An underwhelming pre-season saw KTM fly under the radar coming into the new campaign, but it didn’t take long for people to stand up and take notice of the Austrian brand. A decent opening outing in Portimao was followed up by a sensational Argentina GP Sprint win from Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), with the South African starting 15th on the grid. The starting prowess of the RC16 has been a sight to behold all year, and we saw the benefit of it once again in Jerez, this time coupled with a better qualifying, as Binder claimed another Sprint victory. Teammate Jack Miller was also on the podium in that event, while both riders took Sunday podiums in the south of Spain.
Binder and Miller have become something of Sprint specialists, adding more podiums in France and Germany respectively, while the South African was unfortunate to miss out on a double podium in Assen having crossed the line in both events in third place.
In the Championship picture, Binder sits fourth and could be a real problem for the top three as the season progresses, while Miller is a little further back in seventh. A special mention must also be said for rookie Augusto Fernandez (GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3), who has scored points in every feature race to date, with a P4 in Le Mans an outstanding best.
In something of a role reversal to KTM, Aprilia had a strong start to the year with a positive pre-season backed up by an opening weekend podium from Maverick Viñales. However, since then Top Gun has had his fair share of problems coupled with misfortune. Issues at lights out plagued the RS-GP for multiple races while crashes and mechanical complications have seen him record DNFs in four of the last five races. On the other side of the garage, Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) hasn’t hit the heights of 2022, but has recently put in a string of strong performances, including three consecutive top sixes and a podium in the most recent outing in Assen, leaving him eighth in the standings.
At CryptoDATA RNF, there has been a bleaker look on the year, with Raul Fernandez failing to really fire as of yet, and Miguel Oliveira having a luckless run with injuries and getting caught up in other rider incidents. In general, Aprilia's season remains finely in the balance, with all four riders and the RS-GP having clear potential, and they will hope to unlock that after the summer break.
Over at Yamaha, expectations were high that Fabio Quartararo could challenge regularly after getting the top speed he craved for on his YZR-M1, but it was clear from Day 1 that it may not be the case. There have been positives for sure, with podiums at COTA and a Sprint breakthrough in Assen moments to savour, but qualifying struggles have been a concern for the 2021 World Champion, and leaves he and his team with work to do ahead of the second half of the season.
The same can be said for Honda, who are desperately scrambling for a solution to their woes. Things started well for the Japanese brand, with Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) flying to a brilliant Sprint podium in Portimao, but then that was overshadowed by a massive Sunday collision with home hero Oliveira, an incident that ruled both riders out for some time. Then, at COTA during Round 3, Alex Rins (LCR Honda Castrol) put in a sensational performance to claim a debut victory aboard the RC213V, but unfortunately, that’s as good as it has been for Honda in 2023. Since then, crashes, multiple injuries and visible on track frustrations have derailed their progress.
A well-deserved break awaits teams and riders, and when we return, Silverstone will host Round 9 of the 2023 Championship with everything still to play for.