Only two rounds of a riveting 2023 MotoGP™ World Championship remain, and we still have absolutely no idea who will be crowned Champion! Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) is targeting back-to-back successes, and currently holds a slender 14-point advantage over Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) in the standings, with 74 points left on the table.
Only on three occasions has the title race been closer this year, with 13 points between the two after the Indian GP and also heading into last weekend’s Malaysian GP, while the end of the Japanese GP saw just three points separating them. We did see the lead change hands during the Indonesian GP too, when Martin surged to the top of the standings after a Tissot Sprint victory, but Bagnaia bounced back with victory on Sunday in Mandalika as the Pramac rider crashed out.
Ahead of the final two rounds of the campaign, let’s take a look back through the season so far and see just how we arrived at this point.
Portuguese GP
Pecco perfection in Portimao saw the reigning World Champion get his title defence underway in emphatic fashion with a double, taking the first-ever Sprint win alongside a GP victory. Martin had a less-than-ideal start, despite taking a Sprint P2, as he recorded a DNF on Sunday.
Bagnaia – 37 Martin – 9
Argentina GP
We saw Bagnaia at his best during the season opener, but it wasn’t quite the case a week later in Termas de Rio Hondo as he picked up just four points from the weekend, all in the Tissot Sprint. Martin managed just two in the Sprint, but did pick up a P5 on Sunday to take 13 from the weekend.
Bagnaia – 41 Martin – 22
Americas GP
Having won the Sprint at COTA, Bagnaia’s Sunday blunder saw him crash out of the lead and leave him with 12 points for the weekend. It wasn’t any better for Martin though, as he also failed to see the chequered flag on Sunday after a Sprint P3.
Bagnaia – 53 Martin – 29
Spanish GP
Jerez has become a happy hunting ground for the #1 in recent years, and it proved the case once again as he took his second Grand Prix win of the campaign to go with a Sprint podium, which also saw him surge to the summit of the world standings. It was a case of a couple near misses for Martin, who recorded P4s in both events.
Bagnaia – 87 Martin – 48
French GP
If Jerez has become a favourite of Bagnaia’s, Le Mans must be his bogey track. Having crashed out of the lead in 2022, he also failed to see the chequered flag in 2023 after getting mixed up in a crash with Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing). The weekend promised much after a Sprint P3, but ended in disappointment as Martin finally came to the fore in the history racing city. The Pramac rider took his first Sprint win and placed second on Sunday, leaving just 14 points between them.
Bagnaia – 94 Martin – 80
Italian GP
Bagnaia bounced back in the next round though, taking his second double of the campaign at his home GP, but Martin had a fine weekend too, collecting Sprint and GP podiums.
Bagnaia – 131 Martin – 107
German GP
The Sachsenring saw Martin announce himself as a serious contender for the 2023 MotoGP™ World Championship, taking his first double of the year and beating Bagnaia in the race to boot! The reigning Champion was on the podium in both events, but the weekend belonged to the #89.
Bagnaia – 160 Martin – 144
Dutch GP
Another classy outing from Pecco saw him extend his title lead with a Sunday victory in Assen, while Martin couldn’t reach the heights of the week before, failing to get onto the podium in either event.
Bagnaia – 194 Martin – 159
British GP
At Silverstone, Bagnaia responded to a Sprint P14 with a Sunday P2, while Martin once again couldn’t get onto the box but came away with 14 points from the weekend.
Bagnaia – 214 Martin – 173
Austrian GP
The Red Bull Ring was up next, and Bagnaia recorded his third double of the year to take the maximum 37 points from the visit to Styria. Again, it was an underwhelming outing for Martin, who recorded his third race in a row without a podium or victory in either the Tissot Sprint or Grand Prix race, and the gap between the two was 62 points; the widest margin of the season.
Bagnaia – 251 Martin – 189
Catalan GP
The MotoGP™ circus rolled onto Barcelona shortly after, and Bagnaia was once again on the Sprint podium. However, he highsided out of Sunday’s event in dramatic fashion on the opening lap which saw the red flags wave. The race restarted without the Italian, and Martin profited to score his first podium in four attempts and close the gap to 50 points.
Bagnaia – 260 Martin – 210
San Marino GP
Still feeling the effects of his Catalan crash, Bagnaia put in a frankly superhuman effort to not just compete in Misano, but come away with two P3 finishes, though it was Martin who stole the headlines after recording his second double of the year to take home the maximum.
Bagnaia – 283 Martin – 247
Indian GP
After his Misano double, momentum had shifted in the direction of Martin and he was keen to capitalise. The Spaniard took victory in the Sprint ahead of Bagnaia at Buddh International Circuit, and followed it up with a P2 after Pecco crashed out of the position. Leaving India, only 13 points separated the two.
Bagnaia - 292 Martin - 279
Japanese GP
Motegi delivered Martin his third double of the year, matching Bagnaia’s tally, but the reigning World Champion maintained his title advantage courtesy of a Sprint P3 and Grand Prix P2. However, there were now just three points in it.
Bagnaia – 319 Martin – 316
Indonesian GP
For the first time since the Spanish GP, we saw the Championship lead change hands as Martin recorded a fourth Sprint win on the trot, with Bagnaia finishing P8 on Saturday in Mandalika. Then, another twist in the title tale came as Martin crashed out of the lead on Sunday despite holding a three second advantage, and Pecco mounted a sensational comeback from 13th on the grid to take the win and seize back control of the Championship.
Bagnaia – 346 Martin – 328
Australian GP
Adverse weather conditions saw the Grand Prix race switch to Saturday and the Tissot Sprint cancelled, but it looked like it had little effect on Martin who once again built up a considerable advantage out front. However, his soft tyre gamble backfired late on and he went from P1 to P5 in the closing stages with Bagnaia finishing on the podium.
Bagnaia – 366 Martin – 339
Thai GP
After a couple of trying weeks, Martin reinforced his title credentials with a stunning victory in a sensational Thai GP. ‘The Martinator’ lived up to his name as he held off both Bagnaia and Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) in the fourth closest premier class podium to complete his fourth double of the season, and reduce the gap to just 13 points.
Malaysian GP
Our most recent Championship outing saw the top two go tit-for-tat in Sepang, with Martin besting Bagnaia to a Sprint podium, with roles reversed on Sunday as Pecco held off the challenge of his Pramac counterpart.
Bagnaia – 412 Martin – 398
Only 14 points stand between the title rivals as they gear up for the last two rounds. The upcoming showdown at Lusail presents a golden opportunity for Bagnaia to clinch his first match point of the year, yet we anticipate Martin will have something to say. The upcoming round promises to be a thriller, and you won't want to miss a moment. Be sure to tune in starting Friday, November 17th, for the highly anticipated Qatar Grand Prix!