MotoGP Malaysian Grand Prix Malaysia Sepang

MotoGP: Malaysian Grand Prix Preview: Tension begins to build

November 9, 2023 November 9, 2023

As title tension begins to build, the paddock prepares for the final three rounds of the season.

MotoGP returns this weekend after a one-week break for round 18 of the Championship in Malaysia. It is the start of a triple header for the Championship, with the title fight looking as close as ever.

The gap in the Championship is just 13 points, with Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) continuing to lead. Satellite rider Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Ducati) is in chase and is on a roll, winning the last five MotoGP Sprints. Mathematically, three riders can still win the MotoGP World Championship in 2023, with Marco Bezzecchi a further 66 points behind.

However, the World Championship can be wrapped up this weekend in the Moto2 class. Pedro Acosta currently leads the Moto2 Championship by 63 points, with just 75 points remaining this year. Tony Arbolino is in second place, with Jake Dixon in third and out of Championship contention.

In Moto3, Jaume Masia leads the Championship on the Leopard Racing Honda with three rounds to go. Ayumu Sasaki is 17 points behind after a disastrous Grand Prix of Thailand two weeks ago. Sasaki hit a slow bike, crashing out and allowing Masia’s lead to increase with a fourth-place finish.

The weather forecast looks mixed this weekend with intermittent showers across the three days. There is also a chance of thunderstorms in Sepang, with weather as unpredictable as ever at this time of year.

Rider replacements and wildcards

This weekend, Alvaro Bautista will wildcard with the Aruba.it team onboard a factory Ducati machine. It is Bautista’s first Grand Prix since 2018 before he made the switch to the WorldSBK paddock.

Since racing in WorldSBK, Bautista has experienced incredible success, battling for the World Championship in his first season. The Spaniard would finish second before moving to Honda for two seasons. In 2022, he returned to race for Ducati, winning two consecutive World Championships.

WorldSBK Alvaro Bautista wins title 2023 — Bautista won 27 races in 2023 to win the title Image credit: Ducati Media

As a reward for his success, Bautista returns to the paddock in which he spent 17 years in (nine in MotoGP). His best finish on a Ducati in the premier class came in 2018 with a fourth place at Phillip Island.

Iker Lecuona will return this weekend, once again as a replacement rider for Alex Rins onboard the LCR Honda. Lecuona has acted as a replacement rider on four separate occasions this season. Alex Rins crashed at the Italian Grand Prix, breaking his leg in the Sprint, and he is still not 100% ready to return.

Classic races

The Sepang International Circuit has hosted many remarkable Grand Prix, including the infamous 2015 race. After a season-long rivalry and clear tension between Valentino Rossi and Marc Marquez, there were fireworks in Sepang.

It was an intense race-long battle between the Italian and the Spaniard, which came to an end at turn 13. Content between the two riders caused Marquez to crash and Rossi to stay on the motorcycle and finish in third. Rossi was put to the back of the grid for the final round and allowed Jorge Lorenzo to win the title.

Another brilliant race came last season, with Francesco Bagnaia attempting to win his first MotoGP World Championship. Fabio Quartararo and Enea Bastianini were behind, trying to keep their Championship hopes alive.

At the beginning of the race, Jorge Martin led the field and built a comfortable gap before crashing out. This allowed the win to be decided between Bagnaia and Bastianini with a last-lap duel in store for fans. Francesco Bagnaia was able to win the race by a whisker as Bastianini only managed second.