MotoGP 2023
Round 13 – Indian Grand Prix
MotoGP Riders
Marco Bezzecchi – P1
“I’m really happy, what adrenaline! The fans really got me excited, I would have liked to run to the stands for all of them, I’m very happy. I knew I would struggle at the start, I wasn’t perfect, but with my electronics I studied the start as best I could. I tried to achieve the P1 as soon as possible considering, from the front, you can manage the race without making the bike and tyres suffer. I made my pace, I pushed until the end. Only the last two laps I gave up a little, but I didn’t want to make any mistakes. I don’t know what to say, the best possible race after yesterday: I want to enjoy the moment with my whole Team, they are fantastic, and then work for Japan, one of the tracks I love most. This week a dear childhood friend passed away, I’m very sorry and I send a big hug to all his family. I wanted to do well, also for Luca who I know is arriving home for the surgery.”
Jorge Martin – P2
“So happy about today’s race, I gave my 150 per cent out there on the track. We decided to go with the medium rear but it wasn’t the best choice. I was struggling to keep a good pace, even to follow Pecco was complicated. After the big effort I did I was dehydrated, so when I finish the race I was just knockout, I tried to stay on my feet, but it was impossible so I went to the ground, thanks to the doctors to help me a lot to be able to go on the podium, was super important for the team and for me. We got some good points is most important and hopefully we can recover well for Japan. As soon as Pecco crashed, my leathers open, I think I didn’t close well, so I had to close them again, I lost a lot of energy at that point, the last five or six laps were so so tough for me. Eight laps to go I think was when I started to lose some concentration, I braked at the wrong point and Fabio came past, but I said to myself I have to take those points, I was not going to lose those points.”
Fabio Quartararo – P3
“It was a tough race, to be honest. I gave everything. On acceleration on the straight we are losing so much, but my crew chief told me I did one of my best races, so I can sleep well tonight. What a race! We didn‘t make any mistakes. It was a great weekend overall. I‘m pretty happy about it, and hopefully we can do many more GPs like this this year. We have to be clever, and when we get small opportunities to get these kinds of results, we have to take it. We have to be happy with this podium. I was pushing until the end, but I felt I was so much on the limit with the tyre, so third was the best we could do this weekend.”
Brad Binder – P4
“I gave absolutely everything I had today. It wasn’t quite the result we were hoping for but coming back from 12th to 4th was quite decent. Two 4th places mean it has been a solid Indian GP for us. We worked as hard as we could to maximise what we had for today. The bike felt good but I think we were just struggling a bit more than we anticipated to get out of the slower corners. It is clear what we need to improve for the future and hopefully for Japan.”
Joan Mir – P5
“A great race today. I am super happy with our performance over the weekend and of course to finish in fifth position is a big boost for us. The team and I did a great job to understand the bike more, how you need to make the lap time and be fast this weekend. On the other hand, we had a small thing in the end of the race that meant I lost ground to Fabio and we dropped back. Finally in the end we were able to push and try to catch Binder after I almost crashed. It was a big save! But yeah, a really nice race overall and I have enjoyed my time in India. Let’s keep it up in Japan!”
Johann Zarco – P6
“I take 10 points, Aleix had a technical problem so I take 10 points back from him, it’s important. For the race it’s a shame this error but I really had difficulty slowing down the bike. I have this problem of feeling to get the bike into the corners. To avoid making mistakes again I have to be careful but I was so far from the right benchmarks that at one point I said to myself: ‘Come on, try to get closer to the good mark’, and suddenly I went really far. I lost a lot of places and behind Morbidelli I tried to have the rhythm but with my strong points and my weak points. I waited for him to start to have more difficulty with the rear tyre, to slow down and then I was able to pass him.
“My front tyre increased in temperature and pressure a lot but it was manageable so when I was able to pass, I had a little less hot air but I was already in trouble. I think we were about halfway through the race, I tried to calm my heart rate and drink but I quickly emptied my little water bag, because it’s very small. Being able to drink still did me a lot of good and with 5 or 7 laps to go I ended up opening my helmet to get a little more air and that lightened me up a little.
“When the tyre returned to a more correct pressure I was able to brake better and I tried to get back on Brad and Joan but I was far away it was still worth a try in case they made a mistake. So 6th and 10 points, on a circuit that I like, at least, that I liked where I felt certain things and where I didn’t have the pace of those in front. I still did well.”
Franco Morbidelli – P7
“I enjoyed this Race. Starting from where I was starting, P15, it was very difficult to recover, so it was nice to be able to gain so many positions and enter into some fights, especially in the beginning. Then I just managed the pace to get to the end. It‘s great for the team to get a third and seventh place. They deserve it. These kinds of results are good for the morale.”
Maverick Vinales – P8
“On the first corner I was forced to go wide and found myself in last place. From there, I began to recover, pushing constantly to the limit. In any case, I am extremely happy because I felt very good on the bike. We made great improvements throughout the weekend. This morning in the warm-up session we found a setting that allowed me to brake hard, which was exactly where we struggled most here in India, and the race was the best session of the entire weekend. I really think that we are leaving India having made a huge step forward.”
Marc Marquez – P9
“If you just looked at the final result and see ninth you wouldn’t know the whole story of our race – but to achieve what could be considered our ‘normal’ result after a crash is a positive. It was a really small crash but I was pushing very hard to stay in the slip stream of the bikes ahead, I went a bit wide and just fell. I came into this race with the motivation of the Sprint podium, so when I saw Pecco and Martin make a mistake I decided I needed to push. This led to the mistake. The most important thing was finishing the race, overall our rhythm was very close to Quartararo so I think we can be overall happy with what we have done this weekend.”’
Raul Fernandez – P10
“In general, I am happy with how the weekend went. But the race was super difficult, at the start I went wide and lost some positions and in MotoGP it’s quite difficult to overtake. We have some areas to improve on the bike but I am happy that I can understand the bike and ride it how I want. My weekend was constant, in the races, I was always in the top 10. I had time to prepare well during the summer break, and from Silverstone, I always did one step ahead, but it is not enough because I always want more. Now, we are on a really competitive level which I think myself, the team and Aprilia can work to improve together further.”
Takaaki Nakagami – P11
“Today’s conditions were tricky as getting to the end of the race, I struggled to breathe because of the hot temperatures added to the bike’s heat, it was challenging. Overall, I’ve felt good on the bike, and despite the crashes this weekend, we’ve done a solid job that hopefully will pay off in Japan, as it will be my home Grand Prix”.
Miguel Oliveira – P12
“Probably, it’s the first weekend where I was not competitive. In any case, all the Aprilia struggled a little bit somehow this weekend but I would have liked to still be a bit better. We could see clearly where our weak points are and where we would need to work and push more to find solutions, especially the acceleration out of the slow corners which seems to be one of the points we need to focus on. I’m just looking forward to turn things around a little bit in Japan and to be able to get a good performance there.”
Pol Espargaro – P13
“I think that was one of the hardest races I have ever done. It has been a really tough weekend and I’m not so happy with the result because I was not that fast. Anyway, we reached the end of the race and that was a target because I’m not in the kind of physical condition for these conditions yet. Looking at what I can do and where I can finish it is promising for the future. Now, Motegi, and a circuit I really like.”
Jack Miller – P14
“That was a weekend of highs and lows here in India, that’s for sure. When you finish 14th, it’s fair to say Sunday wasn’t the day I’d hoped for.
“I did pretty well out of the first-corner mess on Saturday in the Sprint race and was able to get up to seventh, but she was a different story on Sunday. I had a bit of contact and went out of the track at Turn 1 off the start which wasn’t ideal, and I tried to make up too many positions in one go there on the second lap and fired myself off the end of the track again, so it was an uphill battle from there.
“I tried to get my head down and stuck in after that. I got stuck behind (Honda’s Stefan) Bradl for a few laps and the front tyre temperature went through the roof … once I could finally get clear from him I could cool the front tyre down a bit and could put in some semi-decent laps, but it was too little, too late by then. So 14th is what we got.
“I struggled with grip from the get-go, front and rear, and wasn’t really able to carry a lot of corner speed at all – without breaking the rear loose on the entry, I wasn’t really able to get the thing to turn. I need to be able to work on corner speed, two-wheeling it rather than sliding it to turn. We tried a different set-up this morning in warm-up and I wasn’t entirely happy with that, so we went back to what we knew from the Sprint race for the main race, but the grip level seemed a bit lower today. I wasn’t able to carry much corner speed or confidence, that’s definitely plagued us these last couple of races.
“India, the first time here for all of us … I’m not someone who does simulators or plays video games when we have a new track, I get out there and walk it to see it with my own eyes first! Yeah, it was hot and Sunday was hard for 21 laps, but we could have done the 24 laps we were originally scheduled to do, three more laps would have been no problem. It was kinda like Townsville in the middle of summer, so no complaints from me! It was like doing motos in the middle of January at home…
“I quite liked the layout and it was a hard track to stitch the lap together, definitely. You think from looking at the track from the outside that it’s all about the braking zones, but as much as that it’s about getting the changes of direction perfect in the two fast chicanes, particularly Turns 6-7. It’s a hard track to get perfect, way more technical than any of us expected. The fast chicanes reminded me of Mugello a bit, and other parts were a bit like Sachsenring with the elevation change, you’re aiming at the apex of the corner well before you can actually see it. You’re riding on feel as much as anything, and you always feel like you’re braking either way too early or too late! It’s a visually deceiving track, not like anywhere I can think of really. Difficult, but fun.
“As you all know it’s been an amazing time for me and Ruby with us becoming parents since Misano with little Pip being born last week.
“It was super hard to leave home to come here, that’s for sure – definitely the toughest goodbye I’ve ever had to do, but I’ll get back to them soon enough. Dad life is pretty good! It was a bit of a rush for me to get there after Misano – I left the test, got home Wednesday night, and then Pip was born Thursday. It’s been like a dream ever since. I can’t even describe how it feels to be a dad … I mean, people tell you a lot of things beforehand but it’s a complete game-changer. I get emotional just talking about it! It’s more than I can ever ask for.
“We’re straight to Japan now, and I have good memories from there after last year and it’ll be good for my confidence. I’m looking forward to heading back there, it’s a track I like a lot. We have a good bike, it’s about trying to fine-tune it to get everything sorted the way we want it and the way we need it. What we tested in Misano can help us improve, but these other boys are all improving each weekend and we need to do the same.”
Stefan Bradl – P15
“It’s good that I’ve scored a point; as it’s a nice way to finish the weekend and to build something better next week in Japan. At race time, I just tried to get through it because it made no sense to take several risks considering yesterday’s crash and today’s conditions. I did my job the best I could, and finally, we grabbed a point; I’m always happy to help LCR”.
Michele Pirro – P16
“A very difficult weekend for me, I really struggled from a physical point of view but above all my ankle has gotten worse since yesterday, so I found it hard to push. In the race I had to manage my strength, it wasn’t easy at all so in reality I just thought about finishing the race. When I saw Pecco go down, I was really demoralised! Now we go to Motegi, we will try to recover our strength and energy and hope to have a better weekend at a track where we have more data and where we hope to be more competitive. I want to thank the team and I hope to give them more satisfaction in Japan.”
Francesco Bagnaia – DNF
“First, I want to apologise to the team because objectively I made a mistake, which is unfortunately inevitable when you are at the limit like today. We accepted the risk of going with the harder compound and it was the better choice for my performance because with the medium the other Ducatis were using I was struggling a lot. This is something strange because everybody usually chooses the same tyre. For me this weekend it wasn’t working, I was having a lot of front locking, so we decided to go with the harder and until that moment I was competitive. I was fighting with Jorge, and as soon as I took him, I lost the front. Despite the difficulties we would have finished second today, but Bez was unstoppable. For Japan, we must find a solution, because I want to be back leading and we want to win. The points are for sure very important but for me it is more important to find a solution under braking.”
Aleix Espargaro – DNF
“It’s a pity to finish the weekend this way. These were three difficult days but today, in spite of everything, I could have made a play for the top five and I felt rather good in the saddle. The problem happened suddenly. What I noticed throughout the weekend was the great amount of heat on the bike and this has created some problems for us in the past. It’s something that we need to analyse because other races in high temperatures are coming up. We don’t have much time available, but I hope that the Aprilia team will be able to resolve the problem.”
Fabio Di Giannantonio – DNF
“I was having an excellence race, I had a great pace and the top speed was better compared to yesterday. I started off in an aggressive way as I could do that and the bike was excellent. We have been competitive throughout the whole weekend but unfortunately at some point the shoulder prevented me from riding. I basically couldn’t control the bike anymore and was forced to retire. I’m really sorry for the team, unfortunately this is an injury I’ve been carrying since Misano and it’s making things more complicated for us.”
Augusto Fernandez – DNF
“We had an issue with the rear ride height device after three laps. A real shame because I was feeling strong: we just kept running into problems all weekend, like yellow flags and so on. We made a step in the Misano test and I think we can start each Grand Prix in a more competitive way; that’s why I am now looking forward to Motegi.”
Team Managers
Pablo Nieto – VR46 Team Manager
“Marco and the whole Team have a smile back on their faces after yesterday and I am very happy. He has dominated since Friday, immediately very fast on the new layout, pole position, yesterday a stratospheric race pace and today he repeated himself without mistakes. He deserves it, the whole Team deserves it, they are working really hard with Ducati to achieve the maximum result in every GP. They must enjoy the moment, including all our guys and the partners who support us, but then I’m sure they will go back to the data to better prepare Japanese GP. Good luck to Luca who is landing in Italy right now. We can’t wait to see him back into the garage.”
Massimo Meregalli – Monster Yamaha Team Director
“What a race! These 21 laps were a really tough challenge for the riders. Fabio rode a faultless race though, and that is what got him onto the podium. It was great to see him battle at the front again where he belongs. Franky also did a good job. That and some nice battling have earned him seventh place, which is also a satisfactory achievement when you‘re starting from so far back on the grid. All in all, this Race was a great morale boost at the start of the Asian leg of the season. It gives us extra motivation for Yamaha‘s home GP in Japan next week.”
Francesco Guidotti – Red Bull KTM Team Manager
“Another solid race for Brad. He had a good start but was hit in the first turn and lost a few positions. His pace was enough to fight for the top five. We couldn’t make the best of the technical package here so to come away with two 4th places means we have to be happy. Of course, we should be more in front but the result today was OK. Being on, or as close to, the podium is our seasonal target and while you can always want better now-and-then we have to be happy with a 4th. Unfortunately for Jack he could not repeat that good race from Saturday. He was complaining about grip and also had some mistakes under braking. We have a few days to check the data from today and to try to be faster. We go to Japan with confidence after the performances last year and some references.”
Razlan Razali – CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP Team Principal
“We had a 10th for Raul and a 12th for Miguel which proved to be a very difficult, intense and extremely hot condition for our riders at the inaugural Indian Grand Prix. Miguel faced difficulties from Friday, but I think we can be happy with his result. For Raul, he is very much comfortable on his RS-GP and we are happy for him in the top 10. We know what we have to do for Raul and we need to investigate and do our best for Miguel in the next round. So, that’s Indian Grand Prix, it was exciting, it was quite an experience and very well received for the first year and we look forward to come back in 2024. Thank you India for the hospitality, it was fantastic. And next week, we say Konnichiwa for the Japanese Grand Prix.”
Wilco Zeelenberg – CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP Team Manager
“We’ve just finished our first race here on Indian soil and we were quite happy honestly with the track layout and with the performance of the whole grid. Of course, it’s not an easy weekend when you come to a new track. The guys and also the bikes were not really as good as we had it in Misano and Barcelona. But we have both boys in the points, a 10th for Raul, which is very positive. Last time, we were sixth and eighth and now 10th and 12th, which means good points. Anyway, this is not something to celebrate like crazy, but both riders finished a heavy race like this is very important. So, we keep this experience for next year. Let’s focus on Motegi now, where we are actually building up already in three days. Job done here, so we can go forward to the next event.”
Nicolas Goyon – GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3 Team Manager
“We leave India with a bitter taste and after a challenging weekend. Pol’s target was to finish the race and bring some points home and he achieved that but it was one of the most difficult weekends of his career for him physically. He is not 100% for these extreme conditions. He suffered and brought the bike to the finish. The whole team would like to thank him for that huge effort. On Augusto’s side there is obviously frustration and we all felt there was potential for this weekend. He had some strong results but we missed a better qualifying and starting far back on the grid was not an advantage. The technical issue stopped his progress and it’s a disappointment for the whole team but we’ll come back even stronger in Japan for some big points.”
Piero Taramasso – Michelin
“We immediately understood that the track conditions were better than expected. On a green track, with a surface temperature of 42°C and 70% humidity in the air, we quickly identified that the Medium was a very good choice for the front, and that the Soft and Medium options would be preferred for the rear. During the Sprint race, the Medium/Soft combination worked perfectly for 100 per cent of the field. In the Grand Prix, only Jorge Martin made a different choice at the rear, and he finished in second position which shows that both possibilities worked perfectly. Two riders also opted for the Hard compound at the front (Francesco Bagnaia and Franco Morbidelli), but whatever the compounds selected, the lap times, consistency of performance and race pace were impressive.
“The challenge of this type of weekend, quite exceptional in the history of the championship, was to discover and understand the circuit by anticipating all the different situations as much as possible. It was then a matter of establishing reference times in the light of each new piece of information. We of course had testing plans with our partners, but it was the ability of our teams to analyze and adapt, that allowed us to quickly converge on the right tyres for the bikes. The hot and humid conditions were very trying for everyone, and in this context the versatility of the tyres was essential. We are leaving India on a positive note, with very high-performance levels, and data which will be valuable to us for future editions.”
MotoGP Race Results
Pos | Rider | Bike | Time/Gap |
1 | Marco BEZZECCHI | DUCATI | 36m59.157 |
2 | Jorge MARTIN | DUCATI | +8.649 |
3 | Fabio QUARTARARO | YAMAHA | +8.855 |
4 | Brad BINDER | KTM | +12.643 |
5 | Joan MIR | HONDA | +13.214 |
6 | Johann ZARCO | DUCATI | +14.673 |
7 | Franco MORBIDELLI | YAMAHA | +16.946 |
8 | Maverick VIÑALES | APRILIA | +17.191 |
9 | Marc MARQUEZ | HONDA | +19.118 |
10 | Raul FERNANDEZ | APRILIA | +26.504 |
11 | Takaaki NAKAGAMI | HONDA | +28.521 |
12 | Miguel OLIVEIRA | APRILIA | +29.088 |
13 | Pol ESPARGARO | KTM | +29.728 |
14 | Jack MILLER | KTM | +31.324 |
15 | Stefan BRADL | HONDA | +35.782 |
16 | Michele PIRRO | DUCATI | +49.242 |
Not Classifed | |||
DNF | Fabio DI GIANNANTONIO | DUCATI | 2 laps |
DNF | Francesco BAGNAIA | DUCATI | 8 laps |
DNF | Aleix ESPARGARO | APRILIA | 10 laps |
DNF | Augusto FERNANDEZ | KTM | 15 laps |
MotoGP Max Speeds Across Race Weekend
Pos | Rider | Bike | Speed |
1 | Aleix ESPARGARO | APRILIA | 356.4 |
2 | Jack MILLER | KTM | 354.6 |
3 | Francesco BAGNAIA | DUCATI | 352.9 |
4 | Maverick VIÑALES | APRILIA | 352.9 |
5 | Marco BEZZECCHI | DUCATI | 352.9 |
6 | Fabio QUARTARARO | YAMAHA | 352.9 |
7 | Johann ZARCO | DUCATI | 352.9 |
8 | Fabio DI GIANNANTONIO | DUCATI | 352.9 |
9 | Pol ESPARGARO | KTM | 352.9 |
10 | Brad BINDER | KTM | 352.9 |
11 | Takaaki NAKAGAMI | HONDA | 351.2 |
12 | Augusto FERNANDEZ | KTM | 351.2 |
13 | Jorge MARTIN | DUCATI | 351.2 |
14 | Miguel OLIVEIRA | APRILIA | 351.2 |
15 | Joan MIR | HONDA | 351.2 |
16 | Marc MARQUEZ | HONDA | 349.5 |
17 | Raul FERNANDEZ | APRILIA | 349.5 |
18 | Michele PIRRO | DUCATI | 347.8 |
19 | Franco MORBIDELLI | YAMAHA | 347.8 |
20 | Stefan BRADL | HONDA | 347.8 |
21 | Alex MARQUEZ | DUCATI | 344.4 |
22 | Luca MARINI | DUCATI | 344.4 |
MotoGP Championship Points
Pos | Rider | Points |
1 | BAGNAIA | 292 |
2 | MARTIN | 279 |
3 | BEZZECCHI | 248 |
4 | BINDER | 192 |
5 | ESPARGARO | 160 |
6 | ZARCO | 157 |
7 | VIÑALES | 138 |
8 | MARINI | 135 |
9 | MILLER | 109 |
10 | MARQUEZ | 108 |
11 | QUARTARARO | 105 |
12 | MORBIDELLI | 77 |
13 | OLIVEIRA | 69 |
14 | FERNANDEZ | 58 |
15 | RINS | 47 |
16 | MARQUEZ | 45 |
17 | DI GIANNANTONIO | 43 |
18 | NAKAGAMI | 40 |
19 | PEDROSA | 32 |
20 | FERNANDEZ | 29 |
21 | BASTIANINI | 25 |
22 | MIR | 16 |
23 | ESPARGARO | 11 |
24 | SAVADORI | 9 |
25 | 25 FOLGER | 9 |
26 | 26 BRADL | 6 |
27 | 27 PIRRO | 5 |
28 | 28 PETRUCCI | 5 |
29 | 29 LECUONA | 0 |
2023 MotoGP Calendar
Rnd | Date | Location |
15 | Oct-01 | Japan, Motegi |
16 | Oct-15 | Indonesia, Mandalika |
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 |