Indian GP Sprint Race reports/results/points + Moto2/3 Qualifying

MotoGP 2023

Round 13 – Indian Grand Prix

History was made on Saturday at the IndianOil Grand Prix of India as Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) won the first Tissot Sprint on Indian soil, making it three victories in a row for the Spaniard – two Sprints and one GP.

The Pramac rider put on a dominant display to deny Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team), but the Italian showed his almost customary ability to bounce back from what seemed like a tougher Friday to bank another big haul of points. Still, the gap was cut once more.

Meanwhile in third, it was a welcome return to the Sprint rostrum and a continuation of the positive form so far in India for Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) as the eight-time World Champion held off Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) for P3.

MotoGP Sprint Race Report

It was a lightning start for Martin, who took the holeshot into Turn 1 and almost unbothered by the chasing pack. There was big dram for Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team), however, as he lost buckets of time – dropping through the order due to Turn 1 contact from Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) which saw Marini crash out. The comeback charge, for Bezzecchi, was on.

Meanwhile, at the front, Martin had Bagnaia for company as the reigning champ was eager to latch himself onto the rear wheel of his title rival.

Joan Mir (Repsol Honda Team) also got a brilliant start from 5th on the grid to put himself into P3 on lap 1. It wasn’t long before he fell into the clutches of teammate Marc Marquez however as the eight-time champ put himself into the top three.

Binder was a man on a mission in the opening stages too as the South African flew his way from 13th to 5th to latch himself onto the Repsol Honda duo, who were shadowing Bagnaia’s every move.

Disaster then came for Mir after his brilliant early charge, as a mistake saw him drop it at the same slow, slow Turn 3 that had bitten team-mate Marc Marquez earlier in the day. Rider ok, but chance lost on Saturday.

Martin had the bit between his teeth in the lead as he flew away from reigning Champion Bagnaia, stretching the gap to two seconds and controlling his lead to the chequered flag.

Bagnaia tried all he could to chase down the Spaniard and subsequently pulled away from the clutches of Marc Marquez to bring home crucial points in P2. Behind them, there was plenty yet to be decided.

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With the laps ticking away, Marc Marquez had plenty on his hands as Binder was breathing down the his neck. With the chequered flag drawing nearer and nearer it felt as if it was only a matter of time before South African was going to make a move…

But Marquez responded and managed to hold off Binder, the Spaniard recording his fastest lap of the race on the last lap. A good recovery from the South African, but a seriously needed return to the top three for both Marc Marquez and the Repsol Honda squad.

Marc Marquez might have finished third, but his fastest lap was slower than seven other riders managed during the 11-lap contest, and seven-tenths slower than the fastest lap of the race, a 1m44.556 recorded by Marco Bezzecchi on his final lap.

After it seemed all could be lost following that Turn 1 drama, Bezzecchi had put together an incredible recovery after dropping down the order. With six laps to go the Italian had already pushed his way into the top 10, and by the end of his awesome scything through the field he managed to pip Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) for a top five finish.

Quartararo himself enjoyed a positive Indian Sprint. The Frenchman finished just 4.327s back from the victory and was under two-seconds away from the top three as he brought home P6. His fastest lap of the race fractionally faster than Marquez’ best.

Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) moved well up the order to snap up 7th place ahead of Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing), with Raul Fernandez (CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP Team) taking the final point in P9.

Luca Marini was subsequently passed unfit due to a collarbone fracture sustained in the Turn 1 crash, and to add – metaphorically speaking – insult to injury, the Italian will also have a Long Lap penalty to serve on his return. Marini will return to Italy as soon as possible to undergo surgery and will not race at the Japanese GP next week.

Three fractured ribs (although they are clean breaks) is the unfortunate outcome of the crash for Alex Marquez at turn five in the Q1 session. The injury means Alex is forced to rest for at least ten days – which means no Japanese Grand Prix for him next weekend. The current plan is for him to return for the Indonesian Grand Prix in Lombok on the weekend of October 12-15.

MotoGP Sprint Race Results

MotoGP Rider Quotes

Jorge Martin – P1

“I started super good, start was crazy, then tried to be smooth and not make any mistakes. I was trying to understand the tyres, the track, as it was a complete different situation from yesterday, I think we got good information for tomorrow. Very happy to be the first man to win MotoGP in India. Proud of my team, we did an amazing job, even after our crash in practice three. I didn’t need to put my 100 per cent today actually, I was trying to conserve a bit the physical side, to increase the gap was my main target, but we have some more margin to fight tomorrow.”

Francesco Bagnaia – P2

“Second place was a decent result for me, the best we could have hoped for today because I didn’t have a perfect set-up on the bike. We are missing something in the last few races, Jorge has made a step forward and we must understand what we can improve. Before I was very strong in the braking but in the last couple of weekends, I’m struggling to stop the bike, we are sliding too much and have a lot of chattering on the rear, which is strange, but I’m confident we can resolve everything for tomorrow. I was a bit lucky that Bezzecchi had a contact at the first corner otherwise I would probably have finished third, so today it was important to finish in our position.”

Marc Marquez – P3

“A really important and of course good feeling day. I was there with the group, pushing and able to ride in a really good way. I had to take a lot of risks, especially at the end to defend and I set my fastest lap of the race on the last lap. But I was able to be consistent and ride well which is the main point and take away. Doing it again tomorrow will be more difficult, but we need to enjoy this moment and get another boost of motivation from it. I want to say a big thank you to the Repsol Honda Team and HRC for their continued efforts.”

Brad Binder – P4

“A great start, luckily! Happy with the progress we made today. Unfortunately we were caught out by the yellow flags again in qualifying but we have to be happy with the comeback. We made a fair few spots at the beginning but it was a tough race and I saw a few points where we need to improve for tomorrow. In general, I cannot complain. We started 13th and came back to 4th in 11 laps, so, solid.”

Marco Bezzecchi – P5

“A good recovery at the end, with a great pace despite the heat. I’m happy with this and it will be useful for tomorrow too. Unfortunately I couldn’t do anything at the start, I felt a big bump. The bike turned, the suit’s airbag exploded and I found myself at the back of the group. I’m very sorry for Luca, for his injury, because it’s never a good thing to know that a rider has suffered consequences after a crash, especially if he’s a teammate of yours and of the Academy (VR46 Riders Academy). In the race, I’m happy with the sensations while riding and the confidence in braking. I think that was the key to the overtakings and the recovery. For the GP we haven’t made a decision on the tyre yet, but let’s analyse the data and exploit all the strengths shown in this Sprint.”

Fabio Quartararo – P6

“We had a great pace for our standard, but we are still too far from the others. We have to see what we need to improve. We know our strengths and weaknesses, so hopefully the engineers find a way. We‘re going to look deeply into the data to see if there‘s a margin in some areas. Since it‘s a new track, we had a bit of an advantage as it takes the others longer to adapt, but they are improving, so we need to try to do the same.”

Jack Miller – P7

“Quali didn’t go our way and the only goal was to get a decent start and pull it together. We know even more now where we need to improve and that’s always the bonus with the Sprint. I was happy with the progress we’ve made so far and hopefully we can continue in that way tomorrow.”

Maverick Vinales – P8

“We had some difficulties on the braking sections again today. The positive thing is that in the Sprint race we collected a lot of information on how to work in view of tomorrow. During weekends like this one, where we struggle more than expected, the important thing is to stay calm and use the difficulties to grow and learn. By understanding the situation and finding a way to react, we are able to improve.”

Raul Fernandez – P9

“Honestly, we are in a good position. I got one point in the Sprint race. We had a quite difficult practice yesterday, but today, I’m really happy that I made it into Q2. I did the time alone and felt that I can enjoy and use the potential of the bike. I’m not at my top level yet but importantly, I know in which aspects I have to improve, especially for tomorrow. I thank the team and Aprilia for always supporting and believing in me. I think this is just the beginning, of course we have more work to do, we are not at the results that we want yet. But day by day, my confidence is growing and I’m really happy. The track was crazy in mixed conditions but Dorna did a really good job in managing the situation. We have some good input from the track, so in general we had a good day.”

Fabio Di Giannantonio – P10

“I am angry because we did a good race but this morning we weren’t lucky in qualifying and then I lose so much time on the straight, maybe more than what I earn in the mixed part… we’re competitive but we’re missing something and tomorrow the race will be complicated. Plus the shoulder is not 100% fit, today I chose to race without painkillers and not it hurts a lot…”

Augusto Fernandez – P11

We started far back on the grid but my pace was good. I felt strong. It was a shame to miss my final lap in qualifying because of the yellow flags but I made a good recovery. We need to take out more of our pace tomorrow. I also didn’t make the best start today so that’s another area where we can still improve. We had the speed to be in the top ten again, so we’ll try tomorrow.”

Miguel Oliveira – P12

“The situation is difficult, for sure we are not performing as we expected. There are a lot of slow corners that you need to restart and that is not helping us too much. For some reason, we are not able to be that competitive. It also didn’t help that I didn’t qualify well and struggled a bit today. In the Sprint race, I was a bit better. But a lot of things happened, I had to give away one position as I was told I overtook under the yellow flag and I also had a oil leakage, so it was not easy today. For tomorrow, I wish to be competitive and to finish in the points with a good potential.”

Takaaki Nakagami – P13

“I’m disappointed with the result because, in the end, we haven’t reached the top 10. However, we are closer in terms of lap times, which is important. On the Sprint, I mainly struggled at some corners, although I felt good in others. Having today’s information, I’ll fight and give my best tomorrow to get to the top 10”.

Michele Pirro – P14

“The whole weekend has been a bit complicated for me, I have really struggled. The only positive thing in the race was that I managed to lap close to my qualifying times and this means that I took a step forward in that direction. Compared to qualifying we have reduced the gap, so I hope to take a further step tomorrow and finish the race in the best possible way.”

Franco Morbidelli – P15

“I made many mistakes during the Sprint because after getting caught up in the incident in Turn 1 on the opening lap, my chances were practically gone. So, I focused on the braking areas and trying to understand what we can do to improve there. It was basically a practice session for me. We are trying a different solution to find the 0.2s or 0.3s we‘re missing compared to Fabio. It‘s important to stay focused on the present and try to maximise everything.”

Joan Mir – DNF

”I think overall we had a really solid Saturday, we earned our best grid position of the year and continued to be able to run at the front. We started the race well and in those opening laps it was all going well and I was feeling really good on the bike. Unfortunately, I made a mistake and then crashed soon after, this is obviously a shame because it would have been fantastic to bring home a result for the team. Still we were able to show more of our potential and we will try to finish the job we started today in the main race on Sunday.”

Aleix Espargaro – DNF

“Let’s be realistic – it was not a good day. Yesterday, the feeling was good, whereas today the others improved more than we did. Less than perfect qualifying meant starting from behind and then on the first turn I had to go wide to get around the crashed bikes, so in my eagerness to make up positions, I crashed. In the long race, I expect to battle at least in the top six. With more laps to race, there is space to exploit our pace better.”

Johann Zarco – DNF

“It’s a shame to end the Sprint with a crash, but I feel good and I’m ready to give 100 per cent in the race tomorrow. The pace wasn’t bad, we need to make a small step to fight for the top positions.”

Stefan Bradl – DNF

“I stood up from the gravel, and at the beginning, I thought it had been my fault. Then, watching the videos, we realized that I couldn’t do differently, as the rider I had in front moved incorrectly. I don’t blame him because he couldn’t look backward. That’s part of racing; we’ll try again tomorrow”.

Pol Espargaro – DNF

“Always a pity when you’re taken-out on the first corner. You cannot prove anything. A bad situation and there was nothing we can do. We can only look to tomorrow now and a bit more luck.”

Alex Marquez – DNS

“Unfortunately there’s not much to say. It was an unfortunate crash and we paid the consequences for it. I will need to rest for a few days and the goal is to return for the Indonesian GP. It’s a shame that the injury arrived in such a particular time of the year but we’ll do our best to recover and be ready for Lombok.”

MotoGP Team Managers

Francesco Guidotti – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team Manager

“Brad was very happy with the improvement of the bike compared to yesterday and unfortunately in Q1 we were a victim again of the yellow flag situation and his lap was cancelled. Starting from the fifth row wasn’t easy but he was already 5th out of the first corners. It was a great start and he kept the rhythm of the leading group. We’re not happy but we are satisfied with our work to get to that point. Jack did a great race also. He started well and kept the position. One of his best Sprints from recent GPs. It wasn’t an easy day because of the delay after the rainstorm and it meant we had to keep the focus for a long time, especially because we don’t have any experience at this circuit. It was important to feel the condition of the track in the damp. I think the whole team worked well and we made the best of the situation today.”

Pablo Nieto – VR46 Team Manager

“A truly unfortunate start of the Sprint: first of all the contact between Luca and Marco, which ruined the race for both, and then the consequences of the crash for Luca. Such a pity. There is nothing to say about the dynamics, it is a type of racing accident that can happen if you have two riders fighting at the top positions. We are very sorry, also because Luca suffered a fracture of his left collarbone and will have to undergo surgery in Italy in the next few days. We wish him the best and look forward to seeing him on the track as soon as possible to continue fighting with the strongest guys at this level. On Marco however, he demonstrated that he is in a state of grace, with a recovery that I haven’t seen for a long time. Congratulations to him who didn’t give up after the first corner, tomorrow he will certainly be able to say something.”

Massimo Meregalli – Monster Yamaha Team Director

“Today went differently from what we expected because of the torrential rain earlier in the afternoon. We had delays and an extra ’wet session‘, but in the end we were able to complete the first bit of MotoGP racing action on Indian soil. It was a mixed day on track and also a mixed day for our team. Fabio got the maximum result he could get today. He did a good job in qualifying and also made the most of the package in the Sprint to take sixth. Franky was unlucky to run into yellow flags in Q2 on his second time attack, so he was starting from further down the grid than he would have liked. In the end he never really felt comfortable during the Sprint. We will analyse the data carefully to find some improvements for tomorrow‘s Race, especially considering that we might find ourselves riding in similar conditions again.”

Nicolas Goyon – GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3 Team Manager

“The first ever Grand Prix in India and we’ve had highs and lows in the pitbox. Augusto missed Q2 this morning because of flags in his fast lap. It is part of the rules but he was heading for a time that would have put him on the third row in Q2. It gave us some hope for the race and he was strong as usual in race conditions and pushed all the way to the end. He set his fastest lap on the last one! Our grid positions are not the best and we know it is our weak-point at the moment. The pace he showed today provide some encouragement. On the other side of the garage Pol is trying to regain confidence and although he was at a disadvantage on the grid he was still looking to attack the race. Unfortunately it all ended so fast for him. Luckily though he was not injured and we’ll reset for tomorrow.”

MotoGP Championship Points

MotoGP Qualifying

Somebody hadn’t told Aleix Espargaro about the schedule for Q2 being pushed back a few minutes as he waited at the end of pit-lane to be released all on his lonesome, before eventually realising that something was awry… His tyres losing temperature on the shoulders, he pushed back to his garage for a minute, enough time to throw a bit of a hissyfit at team personnel, before proceedings actually did get underway…

Marc Marquez went down softly at the slow turn three on his second flying lap but was quickly back up and running again.

Marco Bezzecchi was the first to better the 1m44.410 set by Raul Fernandez in Q1, a 1m44.401 propelling the VR46 rider to top of the time-sheets. That was short-lived though as Jorge Martin then banged in a 1m44.153 to go top. Luca Marini then pushed Bezzecchi further back to third.

Most riders then returned to the pits for a change of rubber before their final tilt at pole.

Marc Marquez positioned himself behind Pecco Bagnaia on the second run, and a little further behind was Marc’s Repsol Honda team-mate Joan Mir.  Marquez was losing ground on Bagnaia from the exit of all the turns before madly scrambling under brakes to try and claw some of that ground back. It actually turned out though that Mir was doing a better job of the two, moving up to fourth place with three-minutes to run.

Marco Bezzecchi then banged in the first ever 1m43s lap of the Buddh International Circuit, on a motorcycle, to go top. Two-minutes to run…

Bagnaia improved to third but then ran on at turn one, so that was his last opportunity to improve gone.

Jorge Martin’s last run was spoiled so Bezzecchi stayed on top to take pole position ahead of Martin, Bagnaia and Marini, a Ducati 1-2-3-4.

Joan Mir will start from fifth place on the grid alongside team-mate Marc Marquez while Maverick Vinales heads the third row alongside Aleix Espargaro and Fabio Quartararo.

MotoGP Qualifying Results

Moto2 Qualifying

A damp Buddh International Circuit played into the hands of Jake Dixon (Inde GASGAS Aspar Team) as an exchange of fast laps with Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) saw the Brit come out on top with a 2:01.924, taking pole by just 0.032s. Sergio Garcia (Pons Wegow Los40) was also setting red sectors after fighting his way up from Q1. Getting those extra laps in the earlier session helped the Spanish rookie take his first Moto2 front row.

Zonta van den Goorbergh (Fieten OlieGP) was another who came through Q1 and put his extra track time to good use as he took P4, joined by Darryn Binder (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) and Alonso Lopez (GT Trevisan SpeedUp) who took 5th and 6th. Tony Arbolino (Elf MarcVDS Racing Team) didn’t show the wet-weather form we know he’s capable as the Italian finished a second off the pace in P7. He’ll want a lot more on Sunday after topping the timesheets on Friday.

Arbolino is joined on row three by Joe Roberts (Italtrans Racing Team) and Somkiat Chantra (IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia), with Celestino Vietti (Fantic Racing) rounding out the top 10.

Moto2 Qualifying Results

Moto2 Championship Points

Moto3 Qualifying

Saturday at the IndianOil Grand Prix of India saw torrential conditions delay proceedings ahead of Moto3 Q2, after right after Q1 had taken place largely in the dry. Jaume Masia (Leopard Racing) excelled in the rain as the Spaniard put on a dominant display and got to grips with the conditions to set the fastest lap of the session on his final tour with a 2:09.336. Matteo Bertelle (Rivacold Snipers Team) bagged 2nd place, 0.727s back from the polesitter, with Ayumu Sasaki (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) taking a much-welcomed front row.

It wasn’t a great day in the office for Daniel Holgado (Red Bull KTM Tech3) as the Championship Leader failed to fight his way through Q1 and will have to start the Grand Prix of India from P19 – and after passing a medical review ahead of the race.

On the second row, it’s Scott Ogden (VisionTrack Racing) leading the way in P4, with Kaito Toba (SIC58 Squadra Corse) and Diogo Moreira (MT Helmets – MSI) joining him in 5th and 6th. Stefano Nepa (Angeluss MTA Team) had a decent wet-weather showing and snapped up P7. Joining the Italian on the third row will be Taiyo Furusato (Honda Team Asia) and Collin Veijer (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) in 8th and 9th, with David Salvador (CIP Green Power) rounding out the top 10.

Joel Kelso was running higher up the order earlier on but had slipped to sixth by the end of the session.

As well as Holgado’s crash in P3 and then subsequent check up, there was also drama for Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) in the morning. He didn’t follow the protocol after a crash at Pit Entry and then ignored a black flag, so he was given a back of the grid start and a Long Lap penalty to create a real mountain to climb on Sunday.

Moto3 Qualifying Results

Moto3 Championship Points

Indian Grand Prix Schedule
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2023 MotoGP Calendar