MotoGP 2023
Round Four – Jerez
Following the American leg of the series, which was marked by unpredictable weather and low-grip conditions, from rain and a cold track in Argentina (20°C) to intense heat in Texas (45°C), the MotoGP paddock returns to Europe for the fourth round of the 2023 MotoGP World Championship over the weekend of April 28-30 at Circuito de Jerez-Ángel Nieto.
Located in the south of Spain, the track was built in 1986 and hosted its first grand prix the following year. It has since gone on to establish itself as a staple of the championship’s calendar, invariably attracting a large and enthusiastic crowd of fans who flock to the circuit to enjoy the two-wheeled entertainment underneath the Andalusian sun.
Jerez’s 4.423km lap comprises five left-hand corners and eight to the right in addition to two short straights, the longest of which is just 607 metres. Its technical layout – allied to generally good weather – means the track is used all-year-round by different types of bikes. Its tight, twisty nature features a wide variety of corners and repeated weight shifts put tyres to a relentless test.
To improve the safety standards of the Circuito de Jerez Angel Nieto, the escape routes at turns 1 and 5 were widened by 40 and 25 meters respectively. Also thanks to these works, the Andalusian track will remain on the calendar in 2024.
The MotoGP riders use the brakes in 10 of the 13 corners at Jerez. In one complete lap, the braking system is active for a total of 31 seconds, equivalent to just under a third of the entire race. The motorbikes will hardly reach 300 km/h and also for this reason there are no braking zones exceeding 270 metres. From turns 8 to 11, however, the drivers must use the brakes in four consecutive turns.
The most complex braking is the one at the sixth corner where, after a 607 metre straight, the riders almost reach 300 km/h before hitting the brakes for 5.6 seconds during which they are subjected to 1.8 g of deceleration. They enter the corner at 72 km/h after traveling 263 meters with a maximum load of 6.8 kg on the brake lever.
MotoGP Form Guide
If you’d asked for predictions of which single team would have been on every Grand Prix podium so far, with both riders, and would be leading both the teams’ and riders’ Championships on the way to Jerez, few would likely have said the VR46 camp. But they are, and it’s truly a deserved feat. Marco Bezzecchi remains the Championship leader after a less explosive but perhaps alarmingly, for his rivals, consistent Americas GP – and now we’re back onto turf he knows even better.
Marco Bezzecchi
“Jerez is certainly one of the classic tracks on the MotoGP calendar: technical, demanding and fast. A track that everyone knows well and is also crucial for setting up the bike at its best. I’m coming from the two GPs outside Europe in P1 in the overall standings, I don’t think about it too much, but it’s still a more than positive note. A sign that we are working well and that we are constant in our performances. We will give our best from Friday to stay in the strongest group for the whole weekend.”
Luca Marini, meanwhile, finally got that first Grand Prix podium to add to the feat he achieved in the Tissot Sprint in Argentina, and is another not to be underestimated.
Luca Marini
“I celebrated my first MotoGP podium with the Team, an important moment, but now it’s time to get back at work and stay focused. It won’t be easy to repeat ourselves in Jerez, but we’ll try. Compared to Texas it is a completely different track where it is really difficult to overtake. More than at other tracks, qualifying and the start will be crucial. If you work well on these aspects, perhaps most of the job is done, otherwise it is very difficult to climb the standings and recover.”
Francesco Bagnaia had a near-perfect Portuguese GP but has a mixed bag of results since. The Termas Sprint seemed calm and controlled, and the Sunday crash was in the rain, so it seemed a blip as he bounced back in the Texas Sprint. But then… down he went again on Sunday. As much as the outside picture could be one of a season derailed already, and the inside one a painful experience for the rider in the middle of it, the reigning Champion is still securely second overall – and Jerez is turf he reigned last year.
Pecco Bagnaia
“The Spanish GP will be the first of a long series of races that we will hold in Europe, and I am happy to open this phase of the season at the Jerez Circuit, where last year I took both pole position and victory. We come from two GPs where we could have obtained important results, but I crashed twice instead, so I am very motivated to do well here in Spain. I will face the weekend as I have always done to fight for victory again.”
second win in the class) and Bagnaia last year (from pole).
The reprieve of the rest seeming to take it in turns to challenge Bagnaia may soon be over, however. Enea Bastianini is expected to be back in business this weekend, and will travel to Jerez to do a medical check on Thursday. If he is back, the ‘Beast’ will not be shy. Will he be back to full fitness yet though? That remains to be seen, but his presence will be more than welcome after pre-season promised much in the red rivalry.
Enea Bastianini
“I am thrilled to be back with my team because we have had few opportunities to work together this year! These weeks at home have not been easy, seeing the others race, but I will finally be able to get back on track as well. I had given 100 per cent to try to be physically ready for Austin, working out in the gym and continuing physical therapy, but the doctors advised me to wait. On Thursday, I will have a final medical checkup in Jerez, and if all goes well, I will be able to get back on my Desmosedici GP. Jerez is a track I like, but I still know I am not at 100% of my strength, so this GP will be like a test for me to get back in shape for the next races.”
If Alex Rins’ CV didn’t impress you enough before, what do you think about it now? Few riders have won on two different machines, few riders have won with an Independent Team, and no riders other than Marc Marquez have won with Honda since 2018. Qualifying was one of Rins’ best, the Sprint was impressive, and then Sunday was simply a masterclass. Can he follow it up? It may be a little much to ask for him to do so in Jerez, but his pure quality has been underlined once again – and it brought Honda a much-needed boost, ending their longest winless streak since they returned to the premier class full-time in 1982.
On the other side of the garage though, if there wasn’t enough pressure to perform for Takaaki Nakagami before, there sure is now. The Japanese rider went through a fair bit with injury struggles towards the end of last year, but he will want to move forward a little after watching his teammate win. So that will likely be the aim at Jerez – and at a venue where he’s taken his equal best result so far of fourth.
Considering pre-season form, it’s not got off to the best start for Aprilia in 2023. But that said, the season is long, the speed has been there, and every weekend is a new opportunity to see it all come together. Maverick Viñales currently sits comfortably in the upper echelons of the Championship thanks to some consistent finishes, but he’ll want some more visits to parc ferme – and to sort out those starts. One of the fastest riders in the world once the race is underway, Viñales has given himself a lot of work to do off the line at times. But then, he’s more than got that work done and made his way back through. Without it, though, you’d imagine he’d be even further up the table and buying some excess baggage for the trophies.
Aleix Espargaro, meanwhile, has had some bad luck and trouble to start to the season but has shown some good speed and a venue like Jerez, much more familiar turf for all, is probably a better place to start assessing his outright potential this season.
It’s been a quieter start to the season than Pramac are used to, in terms of points at least, and both Johann Zarco and Jorge Martin will want a good few more from Jerez. Zarco has already been on the podium in the wet and will want to polish off that dry pace, and Martin remains searching for some consistency between amazing speed, bad luck, and mistakes.
Bad luck doesn’t last forever, and finally Fabio Quartararo has reason to believe that. The 2021 MotoGP World Champion was back on the podium in Texas to put his Sprint crash – and Argentina bad luck – to bed, and that can only be good news for everyone except his rivals. Jerez is a venue he has had truly impressive speed at, and to head in with that first podium of the season under his belt whets our appetite to see what he has in the locker on more successful stomping grounds.
Fabio Quartararo
“To be back on the podium in Austin felt great, but we need to do more work. My starts improved a lot in Austin compared to Argentina, and that did help in achieving third place in the Race. Jerez is a good circuit for us. We are usually quite competitive here, and we can fight for the win, so that‘s the aim for this year as well.”
For team-mate Franco Morbidelli though, it’s gone the other way, or at least it did in Texas. It’s now hard to tell whether COTA was a blip after Argentina proved a turning point, or whether Argentina was the positive blip in a tougher season so far. Jerez, at least, is a land of data – and one he’s known success at before.
Franco Morbidelli
“We scored championship points in Austin, but we are aiming for more this weekend in Jerez. We need to be fighting more towards the front of the field, and we saw last time round that the key is in being inside the top 10 after Friday‘s P2. If you are not in Q2, the weekend gets exponentially harder. We have taken a good look at the Round-3 data and hope to book further progress this weekend. We have an extra day of testing on Monday that will also help with this.”
Alex Marquez is in need of some luck. After being sick in the Sprint in Texas and then getting wiped out by a slightly ironic Jorge Martin on Sunday, it just didn’t go his way. Marquez has also been left needing to calm down the training ahead of his first home GP to fully recover from the impact. That all said, he’s already a podium finisher with the Ducati, had some amazing speed on Friday in Texas, and now we’re heading for a venue he’s always gone well at – possibly one he’d take as a free choice for where to try and bounce back from a tougher weekend.
Alex Marquez
“We are about to get to our home venue, a special track with an incredible atmosphere. It’s not among my favourite layouts, even though I like it and I’m eager to make amends after the disappointing result at Austin, where we had the pace to do well. We’ll give our very best as always and maybe get some extra speed from the crowd on the grandstands. Fitness-wise I feel a lot better, I worked with my physiotherapists to be in top form and I cannot wait to jump back on my Desmosedici.”
Team-mate Fabio Di Giannantonio will be hoping the change of scenery can improve his situation too, with a good record at Jerez. After a difficult few races so far with only flashes of pace, the Italian will need to stay calm and collected as he looks to take a step forward.
Fabio Di Giannantonio
“I’ve always been quick at Jerez and it’s a crucial track in the championship. It’s often said that if you’re quick at Jerez it means that the bike set-up is ready for many other tracks on the calendar. It’ll likely be a hot race and we’ll be aiming at out third top-ten result of the year, while hoping to improve some more. We can’t forget also the test on Monday, a really important one.”
There hasn’t since been the blast of fireworks to echo Brad Binder’s Argentina Tissot Sprint win, but the South African has remained quick if in search of some better luck. When he did have it, it was a fifth place in the Sprint in Texas. Now at Jerez, with a lot more experience and some incredible memories from that back of the grid very first Moto3 win, can the number 33 find that calling card consistency to pair up with his pace?
For team-mate Jack Miller it’s a similar search. The Australian has impressed from the outset and will be aiming to bounce back from that crash out of a podium place in the Americas, and Jerez is a circuit where he’s won in MotoGP, too.
Someone else who’s ready to race this weekend has been on the top step in Jerez: Dani Pedrosa. The MotoGP Legend and three-time World Champion returns to the ranks at Jerez as a wildcard, on track to provide even more information to the Austrian factory’s push towards the front. Hopefully, to enjoy it too. And for the fans in the stands it’ll be something special – a hero of another era still making his mark in this one.
We missed him in Argentina and we certainly noticed his return in Texas. Miguel Oliveira had a solid Sprint as he got back in action, and then followed it up by immediately getting back into the top five in the Grand Prix. He was also right on Maverick Viñales for a few laps, although the Top Gun managed to pull away.
Miguel Oliveira
“I’m confident after Austin, which was a track, that is difficult for me. Coming back from the injury, it was nice to score some points. The goal for Jerez will remain the same, continue on this line in scoring points in both races. Hopefully we can make another step forward in terms of speed and improving the Qualifying. I’m looking forward to discover Jerez with the Aprilia. I’m very motivated.”
Raul Fernandez, meanwhile, continues to struggle to make those steps we’d started to see in pre-season. Aprilia – and RNF – seem patient with the former Moto2 record breaker, and it is a lot to ask to immediately go from rookie on one machine to frontrunner on another. He’ll want to get something to click soon though, and Jerez is another chance to take on more familiar turf as he searches for that speed.
Raul Fernandez
“Jerez is a very important track for me. Of course, it’s always something special having a race in Spain, my home country in front of our fans. I will try to get a good feeling aboard the Aprilia RS-GP, like I had in Texas last time out and I hope I’ll be a bit luckier avoiding problems. We’ll try to do our best. I think we have potential and step by step we arrive closer to the top, but I think it’s time to get some results now to confirm we can be there.”
Rookie Augusto Fernandez is having a solid start to his MotoGP career, with some good consistency and managing to get up in the mix a couple of times. He’s also now had his first top ten finish, and he’s scored points at every round. With a first home race on the horizon, he’ll be aiming to do the same again.
Augusto Fernandez
“I can not wait to go to Jerez for the Spanish Grand Prix. To be honest, I am really looking forward to being back in Europe on tracks that I know better, at least much more than Austin for example. Continuing our progression is our main goal, but I am hoping that my level of knowledge of this track will help me to be closer to the other guys and fight for higher positions.”
Meanwhile, Jonas Folger will be on a similar mission to home in on his new teammate. His debut at COTA saw him garner a couple of points in a race of attrition, and the German will be wanting to take another step forward at Jerez.
Jonas Folger
“With Texas in the bag, we have a bit more experience with the bike and the team now, so I feel confident about going to Jerez. It is a familiar track to me and I have good memories there from the past, including a win in Moto2 and a podium in the 125cc category. It is definitely one of my favorite tracks, so I am looking forward to going racing there with my team and more confidence, and hopefully we can make a good result.”
On one side of the Repsol Honda garage, Joan Mir will be looking to reset as the paddock returns to Europe and to home turf. After some bad luck and some injury struggles, it’s a good venue to arrive to as he continues his adaptation – and he’ll want to stay calm despite Rins’ early lead in those stakes. It’s still early doors, both for Mir on the Honda and the Honda on its mission to take a step forward. Stefan Bradl is also expected to be back out wildcarding, so that’s some more data.
Joan Mir
“My first time riding in front of the Spanish fans as a Repsol Honda Team rider will be special, I am hoping we can have another weekend of improvements. The end result in Austin was not what we wanted with the crash, but we found an important step in the race that I am looking to trying in Jerez. Austin to Jerez is a very big change in terms of layout and demands but I have always felt comfortable there. I’m also looking forward to the post-race test, a day to just focus on our work and my riding.”
The biggest question, however, was the 93 side once again… but now we have the answer. Marc Marquez won’t be back just yet, and instead it’s a familiar face from our paddock and that of WorldSBK who is set to step in: Iker Lecuona, he’ll be back in the saddle in front of his home crowd, now with Honda.
Iker Lecuona
“First I want to wish Marc all the best in his recovery, he is the reference in MotoGP and I think not only the fans, but also the riders miss him a lot. For me, of course it’s an incredible opportunity to return to MotoGP and ride with the team of my dreams. Doing it in front of the Spanish crowd is extra special. But we have to be realistic, it will be a very tough and demanding weekend. I have spent this year and last year fully focused on WorldSBK with Team HRC and now I need to get used to everything that is different in MotoGP as well as learn a brand-new bike – the Honda RC213V. No matter what, I will do my best and let’s see what the outcome is.”
MotoGP Championship Points
| Pos | Rider | Nat | Points |
| 1 | BEZZECCHI Marco | ITA | 50 |
| 2 | BAGNAIA Francesco | ITA | 41 |
| 3 | ZARCO Johann | FRA | 35 |
| 4 | MARQUEZ Alex | SPA | 33 |
| 5 | VIÑALES Maverick | SPA | 32 |
| 6 | MILLER Jack | AUS | 25 |
| 7 | MARTIN Jorge | SPA | 22 |
| 8 | BINDER Brad | RSA | 22 |
| 9 | MORBIDELLI Franco | ITA | 21 |
| 10 | QUARTARARO Fabio | FRA | 18 |
| 11 | MARINI Luca | ITA | 15 |
| 12 | RINS Alex | SPA | 13 |
| 13 | ESPARGARO Aleix | SPA | 12 |
| 14 | FERNANDEZ Augusto | SPA | 8 |
| 15 | NAKAGAMI Takaaki | JPN | 7 |
| 16 | MARQUEZ Marc | SPA | 7 |
| 17 | DI GIANNANTONIO Fabio | ITA | 6 |
| 18 | MIR Joan | SPA | 5 |
| 19 | OLIVEIRA Miguel | POR | 3 |
| 20 | FERNANDEZ Raul | SPA | 2 |
Moto2
Austin staged a classic duel between Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) and Tony Arbolino (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team), and the former just came out on top in one of the first big clashes of the titans this season. Arbolino still retains that Championship lead, however, and will be eager to hit back and extend it as the paddock heads for Acosta’s home turf at Jerez.
We can also likely expect the likes of Alonso Lopez (CAG SpeedUp) and Aron Canet (Pons Wegow Los40) to have a little more in the locker on their home turf, and it will be another interesting shuffle.
Aussie teenager Senna Agius has been called up to replace the injured Darryn Binder in the Intact GP squad this weekend.
Moto2 Championship Points
| Pos | Rider | Nat | Points |
| 1 | ARBOLINO Tony | ITA | 41 |
| 2 | CANET Aron | SPA | 33 |
| 3 | ACOSTA Pedro | SPA | 29 |
| 4 | DIXON Jake | GBR | 26 |
| 5 | SALAC Filip | CZE | 22 |
| 6 | LOPEZ Alonso | SPA | 20 |
| 7 | GONZALEZ Manuel | SPA | 16 |
| 8 | LOWES Sam | GBR | 15 |
| 9 | CHANTRA Somkiat | THA | 15 |
| 10 | ARENAS Albert | SPA | 15 |
| 11 | GARCIA Sergio | SPA | 12 |
| 12 | BINDER Darryn | RSA | 10 |
| 13 | VIETTI Celestino | ITA | 8 |
| 14 | ALCOBA Jeremy | SPA | 6 |
| 15 | BALTUS Barry | BEL | 4 |
| 16 | ALDEGUER Fermín | SPA | 4 |
| 17 | ROBERTS Joe | USA | 4 |
| 18 | TORRES Jordi | SPA | 0 |
| 19 | GOMEZ Borja | SPA | 0 |
| 20 | FOGGIA Dennis | ITA | 0 |
| 21 | VD GOORBERGH Zonta | NED | 0 |
| 22 | DALLA PORTA Lorenzo | ITA | 0 |
Moto3
As we head onto his home turf for the first time, Daniel Holgado (Red Bull KTM Tech3) remains the Championship leader in Moto3, but solely by virtue of having taken a win as Diogo Moreira (MT Helmets – MSI) is now equal on points with the Spaniard. Who will leave Jerez ahead?
They’ll be in the spotlight once again, and Jaume Masia (Leopard Racing) will want to join them after a first podium of the year in Texas. Ayumu Sasaki (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) once again looks to bounce back… and new winner Ivan Ortola (Angeluss MTA Team) will want to double down!
Young Aussie Joel Kelso faces a fitness test on Thursday but expects to be back on the grid this weekend.
Moto3 Championship Points
| Pos | Rider | Nat | Points |
| 1 | HOLGADO Daniel | SPA | 38 |
| 2 | MOREIRA Diogo | BRA | 36 |
| 3 | SUZUKI Tatsuki | JPN | 27 |
| 4 | MUÑOZ David | SPA | 20 |
| 5 | NEPA Stefano | ITA | 19 |
| 6 | MIGNO Andrea | ITA | 16 |
| 7 | ARTIGAS Xavier | SPA | 16 |
| 8 | TOBA Kaito | JPN | 14 |
| 9 | RUEDA José Antonio | SPA | 13 |
| 10 | MASIA Jaume | SPA | 11 |
| 11 | OGDEN Scott | GBR | 11 |
| 12 | SASAKI Ayumu | JPN | 10 |
| 13 | SALVADOR David | SPA | 9 |
| 14 | YAMANAKA Ryusei | JPN | 7 |
| 15 | KELSO Joel | AUS | 7 |
| 16 | ÖNCÜ Deniz | TUR | 6 |
| 17 | AZMAN Syarifuddin | MAL | 5 |
| 18 | BERTELLE Matteo | ITA | 4 |
| 19 | VEIJER Collin | NED | 4 |
| 20 | FENATI Romano | ITA | 3 |
| 21 | ALONSO David | COL | 2 |
| 22 | WHATLEY Joshua | GBR | 1 |
2023 Jerez MotoGP Weekend Schedule
Times in AEST
| Friday | ||
| Time | Class | Event |
| 1700 | Moto3 | FP1 |
| 1750 | Mot2 | FP1 |
| 1845 | MotoGP | FP1 |
| 2115 | Moto3 | FP2 |
| 2205 | Moto2 | FP2 |
| 2300 | MotoGP | FP2 |
| Saturday | ||
| Time | Class | Event |
| 1640 | Moto3 | FP3 |
| 1725 | Moto2 | FP3 |
| 1810 | MotoGP | FP |
| 1850 | MotoGP | Q1 |
| 1915 | MotoGP | Q2 |
| 2050 | Moto3 | Q1 |
| 2115 | Moto3 | Q2 |
| 2145 | Moto2 | Q1 |
| 2210 | Moto2 | Q2 |
| 2300 | Motogp | Sprint |
| Sunday | ||
| Time | Class | Event |
| 1900 | MotoGP | WUP |
| 2000 | Moto3 | Race |
| 2115 | Moto2 | Race |
| 2300 | MotoGP | Race |
2023 MotoGP Calendar (Revised)
| Date | Grand Prix | Circuit |
| 30 Apr | Spain | Circuito de Jerez-Angel Nieto |
| 14 May | France | Le Mans |
| 11 Jun | Italy | Autodromo del Mugello |
| 18 Jun | Germany | Sachsenring |
| 25 Jun | Netherlands | TT Circuit Assen |
| 06 Aug | Great Britain | Silverstone Circuit |
| 20 Aug | Austria | Red Bull Ring-Spielberg |
| 03 Sep | Catalunya | Barcelona-Catalunya |
| 10 Sep | San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini | Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli |
| 24 Sep | India** | Buddh International Circuit |
| 01 Oct | Japan | Mobility Resort Motegi |
| 15 Oct | Indonesia | Mandalika International Street Circuit |
| 22 Oct | Australia | Phillip Island |
| 29 Oct | Thailand | Chang International Circuit |
| 12 Nov | Malaysia | Sepang International Circuit |
| 19 Nov | Qatar* | Lusail International Circuit |
| 26 Nov | Comunitat Valenciana | Ricardo Tormo Circuit |
