MotoGP 2023
Round 16 – Australian Grand Prix
Marco Bezzecchi and Luca Marini are at Phillip Island aiming to recover all the energy needed to face this Sunday’s GP scheduled on the Australian track as both are still recovering from broken collarbones.
Still third in the overall standings with 283 points thanks to the excellent third place in the Sprint and fifth place in the Race at Mandalika, Bezzecchi returns at work on the Ducati Desmosedici GP to stay in the slipstream of the strongest group on a track that saw him among the protagonists last year with the title of Rookie of the Year.
Marco Bezzecchi
“I can only be happy and satisfied with the weekend we leave behind. We achieved two excellent results despite the injury. On paper, here at Phillip Island, things should be better. The track is fast, but there are no hard brakings, the point where, on a physical level, I suffer the most. Let’s keep working, do our best to recover for the race. The track is one of my absolute favorite and last year I was really fast with a very solid race.”
Similar ambitions also for Luca, despite an early finish on Sunday at Mandalika, he did capture second place in the Sprint after claiming pole position in what were tricky conditions in Indonesia. Marini is currently eighth on the championship ladder.
Luca Marini
“As a rider, but also as a spectator, the Phillip Island race is magical! Always a wonderful weekend, both from a purely sporting and non-sporting point of view. I’m arriving with this spirit: it won’t be easy, compared to Indonesia everything changes, the tires, the layout, the temperatures, but I’m sure the Ducati will be competitive as usual. Let’s recover all the energy we can and see you on Friday morning on track to have fun.”
MotoGP Championship Points
| Pos | Rider | Points |
| 1 | BAGNAIA | 346 |
| 2 | MARTIN | 328 |
| 3 | BEZZECCHI | 283 |
| 4 | BINDER | 211 |
| 5 | ESPARGARO | 177 |
| 6 | VIÑALES | 165 |
| 7 | ZARCO | 162 |
| 8 | MARINI | 144 |
| 9 | MILLER | 135 |
| 10 | QUARTARARO | 132 |
| 11 | MARQUEZ | 108 |
| 12 | MORBIDELLI | 79 |
| 13 | OLIVEIRA | 73 |
| 14 | DI GIANNANTONIO | 70 |
| 15 | FERNANDEZ | 67 |
| 16 | MARQUEZ | 64 |
| 17 | RINS | 54 |
| 18 | NAKAGAMI | 50 |
| 19 | FERNANDEZ | 39 |
| 20 | BASTIANINI | 36 |
| 21 | PEDROSA | 32 |
| 22 | MIR | 20 |
| 23 | ESPARGARO | 12 |
| 24 | SAVADORI | 9 |
| 25 | 25 FOLGER | 9 |
| 26 | 26 BRADL | 8 |
| 27 | 27 PIRRO | 5 |
| 28 | 28 PETRUCCI | 5 |
| 29 | 29 CRUTCHLOW | 3 |
| 30 | 30 LECUONA | 0 |
Australian Grand Prix Schedule
Brought to you in AEDT by Kayo Sports
| Friday | ||
| Time | Class | Event |
| 0900 | Moto3 | FP1 |
| 0950 | Moto2 | FP1 |
| 1030 | bLU cRU | FP1 |
| 1045 | MotoGP | FP1 |
| 1200 | bLU cRU | FP2 |
| 1315 | Moto3 | FP2 |
| 1405 | Moto2 | FP2 |
| 1500 | MotoGP | Practice |
| 1615 | bLU cRU | Q |
| Saturday | ||
| Time | Class | Event |
| 0840 | Moto3 | FP3 |
| 0925 | Moto2 | FP3 |
| 1010 | MotoGP | FP2 |
| 1050 | MotoGP | Q1 |
| 1115 | MotoGP | Q2 |
| 1215 | bLU cRU | Race |
| 1250 | Moto3 | Q1 |
| 1315 | Moto3 | Q2 |
| 1345 | Moto2 | Q1 |
| 1410 | Moto2 | Q2 |
| 1500 | MotoGP | Sprint |
| 1610 | bLU cRU | Race |
| Sunday | ||
| Time | Class | Event |
| 0900 | bLU cRU | Race |
| 0940 | MotoGP | WUP |
| 1100 | Moto3 | Race |
| 1215 | Moto2 | Race |
| 1400 | MotoGP | Race |
2023 MotoGP Calendar
| Rnd | Date | Location |
| 17 | Oct-22 | Australia, Phillip Island |
| 18 | Oct-29 | Thailand, Chang |
| 19 | Nov-12 | Malaysia, Sepang |
| 20 | Nov-19 | Qatar, Lusail |
| 21 | Nov-26 | Valenciana, Valencia |
