MotoGP/2/3/E wraps from Saturday at Le Mans

MotoGP 2023

Round Five – Le Mans

Saturday

MotoGP Qualifying

Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) denied Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) in the very final seconds of a blockbuster Q2 to take pole at Le Mans ahead of the returning Spaniard who is joined on the front row by Luca Marini.

MotoGP Qualifying Results

MotoGP Sprint Race

Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) put in an inch-perfect ride to take his first Sprint win in MotoGP. Just behind him, Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) fought his way through the pack to storm to another podium in second, and Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) completed the podium after a thrilling battle with Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team).

It was Bagnaia who stormed off the line to take the holeshot as the lights went out, whilst Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) shot through to second place. At turn two Martin made an incredible around-the-outside move to snatch that second place from Miller and as the riders crossed the line for the first time it remained Bagnaia, Martin, Miller, shadowed by Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) and Marquez in hot pursuit.

Sector two came around and it was disappointment in the KTM camp though as Miller crashed out at Museum corner, promoting Marquez to P3. Some spirits were lifted for the Austrian manufacturer as Binder was on the move though, pushing his way past Marini to set the fastest lap and latch himself onto the back of the top 3.

With 11 laps to go it was a four-rider scrap for Tissot Sprint glory as Bagnaia led Martin, Marquez, and Binder respectively with Marini in a distant 5th. That didn’t last long, however, as Martin lunged up the inside of Bagnaia to take the lead away from the Ducati Lenovo rider. Martin then put the hammer down and pulled out 0.7s in just one lap. From there on out, he was untouchable.

Further back Marquez and Binder were queuing up behind Pecco, and a big reshuffle at the Dunlop chicane saw Binder take full advantage to move into second place, demoting Bagnaia to P3 and Marquez to P4. Marini then caught the battle as Bagnaia was struggling to hold onto the pace of the leaders, and it became a four-rider scrap. Binder then started to edge away from that group to put a more solid hold on that second place.

Marquez pushed his way through at the Dunlop chicane with eight laps to go, seeing Bagnaia drop to 5th behind Marquez and Marini.

With the Italian clearly struggling he did his best to cling on, and snapped straight back at Marini. Next target: Marquez. Bagnaia was coming back at it, and made a move on the eight-time World Champion at the 200mph Turn 1 with 4 laps of racing still remaining.

The Italian then put the hammer down, and Marquez was unable to hang onto the coat-tails of the factory Ducati as the Spaniard faded slightly into the clutches of Marini.

Martin crossed the line to take his first Sprint win as well as his first Grand Prix points at Le Mans, bouncing back in style as Binder took second to gain in the title fight, ahead of Bagnaia completing the podium.

RelatedPosts

MotoGP, Moto2 and Moto3 Entry Lists for 2025 season

November 22, 2024

Catalunya MotoGP Test roundup – Quotes – Images – Times

November 20, 2024

After Bagnaia pulled away from the pack to defend his top 3, Marini got the better of Marquez to take 4th place.

Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) was all over the rear of the battle for 4th in the last couple of laps, but lost ground after a crucial mistake in the closing stages halted his progress and saw the Frenchman settle for 6th.

Meanwhile, further back there was a gaggle of riders swapping paintwork as Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) got the better of the chasing Aprilia Racing riders of Aleix Espargaro and Maverick Viñales to take 7th place with the Aprilias 8th and 9th respectively. Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) completed the top ten.

The tough home Grand Prix for Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) continued as the Frenchman crashed out of the Sprint to the dismay of the home crowd. Rider perfectly ok. He’d made an absolutely charge up from 13th on the grid, but lost the chance to move forward to the podium battle.

MotoGP Rider Quotes

Jorge Martin – P1

“I finally made it. I’m super proud of my team, and proud of myself because I’ve finally come back to the first position. It’s been a long time. it’s only a Sprint race but at least I got that feeling of the leading of not making mistakes and keeping the hammer down. Making that gap with Brad wasn’t easy but finally, I could make those two laps a bit more relaxed and yeah, I enjoyed a lot those last corners to finish in first position!”

Brad Binder – P2

“I knew this start was everything. If I could get a decent launch off the line, cut my way through, and just hang with the boys at the beginning I knew I could probably bring it home in a decent spot. So I gave my best out there today, I need to say thank you to my team they did an incredible job again. It’s clear what we can improve for tomorrow, so I’m really looking forward to it. I think we can do a much better job in the long race.”

Pecco Bagnaia – P3

“The battle was fun, I was enjoying it, it was quite aggressive but it’s the way I like to race. So I don’t understand the way they judged it because two weeks ago I got a penalty. And I’m NOT asking for a penalty for Marc, I’m just asking why I got one, it was normal like mine was. I think it’s correct to follow this line! It was aggressive but I like it. Battles have to be aggressive, for me. I’d like to continue like this. When there’s contact you’re upset in that moment, with the adrenaline and tension. But for me the battles like this is normal and we have to keep it like this.”

Luca Marini – P4

“I’m quite satisfied, first of all with the result and then with my race in general. I had a good pace, we rode fast and I finished fast. I’m just a little angry because at the start there were very aggressive overtakings and then there were no penalties after the race like in other GPs. When braking at turn 8, I found myself off the track and I lost a lot of positions. It could have been a different race. For tomorrow it will be crucial to get a good start, then manage the tyre in the best possible way and not be dirty in riding in order to reach the finishing line competitively.”

Marc Marquez – P5

“For me we must stop speaking about these small things and overtakes. I spoke with Pecco and he wasn’t angry at me. More upset because he was penalised in Jerez and I wasn’t here. They’re different actions but… guys, this is MotoGP. It’s my 11th year in the category, I think. If you want to overtake it’ll always be a close overtake and I think it’s what the fans enjoy.

“Yesterday the Stewards were in the Safety Commission and I gave my opinion. My opinion on this year is that everything that’s happened in the races has been a racing incident – the only one that should be penalised was my one in Portimao, because it was a big mistake! That one must be penalised. The rest were racing incidents and what happened today at Turn 3 was completely normal.

“We had a good race today; it was nice to be back and riding. Being in the top five was our main target and we were able to achieve it, so the team and I are happy with this after so long away. Maybe if we had the perfect race in every aspect we could have battled for the podium, but Martin and Binder were really fast today. The biggest surprise today was the pace at the end of the race, I was gaining a lot of ground and feeling better on the bike with more and more laps. Tomorrow, we have another race so another chance to keep on learning and improving.”

Marco Bezzecchi – P7

“Not a perfect race: I have struggled at the start, I lost several positions and had to recover. With just a few laps it’s not easy, I had to push a lot, but overall I’m positive, I kept a good pace. For tomorrow the feelings are good, I’m only sorry about qualifying. In the FP3 I crashed, the tire was cold, and I got back on track just for the Q2. Our goal were the first two rows, the P7 isn’t bad, I hope to be able to make the most of it tomorrow.”

Aleix Espargaro – P8

“This morning I had extremely good sensations. Unfortunately, in the second qualifying run I made a mistake on turn 1, compromising my spot on the grid. So, in the Sprint race we decided to take a gamble, using the hard front tyre that we had not been able to test in any of the practice sessions. It was a test with a view to the race tomorrow, which will certainly be useful. We definitely have the pace to do well.”

Maverick Vinales – P9

“I am not at all pleased with the race and I am extremely angry. In qualifying we had the chance to do very well. The bike was perfect and I had a shot at pole position or the front row. Instead, we had a problem with the bike (I think electronic – we are still investigating) and the second bike wasn’t ready. These are mistakes that come with a high price to pay in the race because then, starting from behind, everything becomes more difficult and we can’t express the potential we have. We need to improve and grow more because we cannot afford these situations.”

Takaaki Nakagami – P10

“At the beginning of the Sprint, I lost some time as I was behind another rider, and the moment I overtook him, I started to have a good pace. It’s a shame that at the end of the race, the rider I had in front was faster than me, and I couldn’t overtake him. We’ve taken a step forward today and have solid chances for tomorrow’s race. The goal is to be among the Top 10”.

Alex Rins – P11

“Overall, I’ve got to say we are working in the right direction. As for the Sprint, starting from the 18th position on the grid made things difficult, but I must admit that we’ve found some positives this weekend, which is very important. We are still far from the first group, but I’m riding more comfortably thanks to the setup changes we’ve made. We’ll face a comeback race tomorrow, so let’s see what happens”.

Fabio Di Giannantonio – P12

“We had a good pace and it wasn’t a bad race. The real potential is the second group. Too bad to lose so much at the start… we need to work on it. I still struggle with the front-end, I always feel at the limit and it’s hard for me to overtake. With clear track ahead I have a great pace so it would be good to get a better start tomorrow and be able to attack a bit more.”

Franco Morbidelli – P13

“It was a tricky day because we had a tough qualifying and then also a tough sprint race. I had a good start, but then I didn‘t have enough pace to stay there. But the Sprint should have given us some data that we can use tomorrow.”

Joan Mir – P14

“It was a hard race today to be honest, we have some areas we need to improve. I wasn’t able to exploit my maximum potential, both the team and I need to keep working to understand how to take the most from this bike. I am trying to change to style a bit to understand what works better, but we aren’t in the position we want to be at the moment. Tomorrow we have another race to keep on learning.”

Alex Marquez – P15

“Too bad for that coming together, but these things happen. Truthfully speaking I think I paid the price for a conflictive situation between Espargaró and Bezzecchi. In any case we lost vital points, even if they were just a few and that’s not good. The feeling with the bike has improved so we start back from here and tomorrow we’ll try to fine tune and try again, maybe with a bit more luck”.

Danilo Petrucci – P16

“I am satisfied, considering today was my second day riding this bike. In qualifying, I finished just over a second off Pecco’s pole and in the race, I managed to set my best time on the last lap. Now we will make a few more small adjustments, and I believe that in tomorrow’s GP, I can aim for some points.”

Lorenzo Savadori – P17

“Today was a busy day for me, it was the first Sprint race of my career. It was good, we started today working on my feeling with the bike because yesterday we needed to try some different stuff for Aprilia. The first few laps of the Sprint were good, I fought with the Ducati and Honda boys, but then I needed to decrease my lap time as I didn’t feel very well with the front tyre. So, tomorrow we need to work more to improve on this feeling.”

Jack Miller – DNF

“Unfortunate crash because we’d been having a strong weekend so far. I put the Medium front on and it came-up a bit. I should have listened more to my own feeling with the bike because, from the get-go, I was struggling a bit, and on the second lap I wasn’t able to stay up. It was a shame but we learnt from it. We’ll see what we can do in the full race tomorrow because we had a great qualifying and the bike is really good here. I feel really strong.”

Fabio Quartararo – DNF

“My start was not too bad, but I was a bit behind arriving at the first corner and my decision in the second corner was not the right one. The pace was not bad, but to overtake at this track is difficult for us. I took the opportunity when the two Aprilias and Alex Marquez made a bit of a mess in Turn 8 and 9. But overtaking when I‘m directly behind someone remains difficult. We are working hard to find a solution. After I overtook those three riders, I wanted to push. The feeling in the front was not good, but I said to myself ’I‘m going to try. Maybe there’s another limit, maybe I can feel more.‘ But as soon as I tried, I crashed. I‘m happy we have another opportunity tomorrow. I‘m having a tough time, but the fans are still supporting me, and I‘m really grateful for that. In this tough moment, they are bringing me some positive energy.”

Augusto Fernandez – DNF

“It has been a good day but it didn’t end so well in the Sprint. The decision to use the medium front tire was not the best because I’d been feeling good with the soft but we were wary of the higher temperatures in the afternoon. I made a good start but ran wide in Turn 9 and lost a few positions. I was struggling a little bit and then crashed and wasn’t really sure why. I think we have good pace for tomorrow – and a good position – so we just need to make the right decisions and be ready to go.”

Jonas Folger – DNF

“The race was going quite well. I was trying to work on my rhythm and pace and I found a good one but crashed in Turn 7. I was not on the limit, so it was a bit strange. Anyway, I think we did a good job up until that moment so I’m looking forward to tomorrow and will try to do better.”

MotoGP Sprint Race Results

MotoGP Championship Points

Moto2 Qualifying

Another race weekend, another record for Sam Lowes (Elf MarcVDS Racing Team)! The Brit followed up his demolition of the opposition in Jerez to take pole position at Le Mans, a couple of tenths clear. Alonso Lopez (Lightech SpeedUp) put in a strong effort to take P2 whilst the Marc VDS squad put both their riders on the front row with Tony Arbolino (Elf MarcVDS Racing Team) snatching P3.

Lowes’ lap record came in with a few minutes left on the clock, but neither Lopez nor Arbolino could topple it.

Aussie teenager Senna Agius will start from 24th on the grid.

Senna Agius

“It’s been a rollercoaster of emotions going from Jerez to a different bike in Estoril and then back to another new situation here in France. I made a big step on the pace but I wasn’t ready to pull for a super fast lap in Q1 because I still tried to catch up from yesterday, where I did my personal best lap time. We got some ideas on how we can improve the feeling for the race tomorrow and give me some more confidence for the race. A big thanks to the whole LIQUI MOLY Husqvarna Intact GP-Team for giving me this opportunity to fill in for Darryn and I wanna wish him a speedy recovery.”

Moto2 Qualifying Results

Moto3 Qualifying

Ayumu Sasaki (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) is back on top! After early season speed halted by some Sunday misfortunes, the Japanese rider put big points on the board in Jerez and backed it up with another pole position. He heads the field by three tenths, with Championship rivals Diogo Moreira (MT Helmets – MSI) and Daniel Holgado (Red Bull KTM Tech3) alongside.

Sasaki led the way as the riders came back to the pits for their final runs for a chance at pole, and the fast laps came flying in as the clock ran down. Andrea Migno (CIP Green Power), Holgado, and Moreira tried to threaten Sasaki’s time at the top but the Japanese rider held strong as he moved the goalposts by 0.4s on his final flying lap.

Moreira had a charge for pole at the end of the session but the young Brazilian fell short, still starting just ahead of Holgado, who’s in third. Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) snatched 4th place on the grid and despite a crash for the Migno at the end of the session, the Italian’s lap time was enough for him to bag him a spot on the 2nd row as he finished 5th.

COTA and Jerez winner Ivan Ortola (Angeluss MTA Team) put himself on the 2nd row in 6th, ad the third row is made up by Jaume Masia (Leopard Racing), Xavier Artigas (CFMOTO Racing PruestelGP), and Romano Fenati (Rivcold Snipers Team), as the rookie Syarifuddin Azman (MT Helmets – MSI) rounds out the top 10.

Joel Kelso heads the sixth row.

Moto3 Qualifying Results

MotoE Race One

Jordi Torres (Openbank Aspar Team) started 2023 on top! The Spaniard duelled compatriot Hector Garzo (Dynavolt Intact GP MotoE) right to the line for the first honours of the new era, coming out on top after a last lap duel. Matteo Ferrari (Felo Gresini MotoE) crashed out of the fight at the front and has a Long Lap for Race 2 after a dramatic start, with Randy Krummenacher (Dynavolt Intact GP MotoE) coming through to complete the rostrum on his first electric start.

Garzo took the holeshot from Ferrari as the top two shot off the line, with Torres slotting into third from third on the grid. Nicolas Spinelli (HP Pons Los40) moved up into fourth after a solid start too, with the rookie on the move and a gap forming behind the top four.

At the front, it was Garzo vs Ferrari, with the lead changing on Lap 2 and then again a lap later, and in some style. That wasn’t the end of the drama for either though, with Ferrari then suddenly crashing out with four to go… leaving Garzo with a little breathing space ahead of Torres.

The chasing group had also had a shake up, with Spinelli crashing out before both Miquel Pons (LCR E-Team) and Mattia Casadei (HP Pons Los40) went down at Turn 7 – just a lap before Ferrari did the same. That made it a duel for the win and huge group fight to complete the podium, with Krummenacher leading the train on the penultimate lap.

It also added more drama for Ferrari as the Yellow Flags were still out, and he was given a Long Lap penalty to serve in Race 2. The drama wasn’t done for Race 1 yet though: a Long Lap for Kevin Manfredi (Ongetta SIC58 Squadra Corse) after a shortcut ensured the Italian wouldn’t be on the rostrum, but he was still in the fight for it until the final lap.

That final lap saw Torres choose his moment to perfection, attacking into the chicane and then getting the hammer down to try and hold Garzo off. And that he did, with the number 81 able to hold on to the line, taking the first FIM Enel MotoE World Championship victory by less than a tenth.

Behind Garzo, the podium fight saw Krummenacher come out on top as the Swiss rider makes his electric debut on the rostrum, ahead of Kevin Zannoni (Ongetta SIC58 Squadra Corse). Hikari Okubo (Tech3 E-Racing) completed the top five.

MotoE Race One Results

MotoE Race Two

Matteo Ferrari (Felo Gresini MotoE) came out swinging in Race 2 at Le Mans, overcoming a Long Lap penalty for a crash under yellows in Race 1 to charge back to the front and take the win.

Jordi Torres (Openbank Aspar Team) was forced to settle for second but consolidated his points lead, with Hector Garzo (Dynavolt Intact GP MotoE) leaving Le Mans with two podiums after another top finish in Race 2.

Garzo repeated his Race 1 heroics to nab the holeshot as the lights went out, with Ferrari slotting into second and Torres once again shadowing in third. Nicolas Spinelli (HP Pons Los40) likewise made a good getaway to slot into fourth, with teammate Maria Casadei making quicker progress on take two, up into fifth.

Ferrari didn’t take long to strike for the lead, but just as he took over the Race Direction message came through: serve the Long Lap given for that Race 1 crash under yellows. The Italian pushed on to try and make the biggest gap possible before heading in though, and he was absolutely caning it. He took the penalty on the last chance lap to do so, re-emerging behind Torres as Garzo after the number 81 had grabbed the lead.

The mission was clear, and the mission was a success. First he stalked Garzo before finding a way through at Turn 1, and as the final corners dawned on the penultimate lap he was lining up a repeat. He pulled it off in style on Torres, able to stay just ahead over the final lap to take that first win of the year in style.

Torres’ second place was a tactical one as the Spaniard increased his points lead, however, and Garzo leaves with two podiums for second overall.The fight just behind saw Casadei dispatch teammate Spinelli as the Pons team locked out the top five.

MotoE Race Two Results

MotoE Championship Points

2023 Le Mans MotoGP Weekend Schedule
Times in AEST

2023 MotoGP Calendar