MotoGP: Best moments of the 2023 season

The 2023 MotoGP World Championship was an incredible season with new winners, great racing, and new faces but what were the highlights of the year?

Before the season even began there was a brand-new weekend format was brought in with one less Free Practice only one Practice going towards Q1/Q2 slots. It was an exciting change with close and dramatic racing from start to finish and no tyre conservation.

Fabio Di Giannantonio proves everyone wrong

After a tough learning season, Fabio Di Giannantonio entered his second year in the premier class. The Italian finished 20^th in the standings with just one finish inside the top 10 in his rookie year.

Marc Marquez announced that he would join the team in 2024, joining his brother in the Gresini Racing Team. This left Fabio Di Giannantonio without a seat and was left to fight for his ride.

Di Giannantonio threw everything at the final half of the season and began to find a set-up which worked with his riding style. What unfolded was a fourth-place finish in Indonesia and a first podium at Phillip Island.

Many thought this would be the highlight of his season until he lined up on the front row under the lights in Qatar. It was a fabulous showing from Fabio after a race-long battle with Francesco Bagnaia.

After Bagnaia was forced into a mistake it allowed Fabio Di Giannantonio to cross the line to become a MotoGP race winner. This win helped him secure a ride for next season, joining VR46 Ducati and keeping his Grand Prix dream alive.

Thai Thriller

The MotoGP paddock went to Thailand for round 17 of the season with title tension and boiling conditions. Jorge Martin qualified on pole position with his rival, Bagnaia down in sixth.

Martin went on to win the MotoGP Sprint by less than one second, ahead of Brad Binder and Luca Marini. However, nothing would compare to what unfolded on Sunday with an epic three-bike duel.

It was an aggressive race start with an incredibly quick pace at the front of the field. With 10 laps remaining Martin, Binder, and Bagnaia managed to create a gap to the group behind. Championship hopes were on the line with all three riders risking everything for a race win in Thailand.

Unthinkable passes were attempted including Bagnaia’s unbelievable move around the outside at the final corner. At the line, it was Jorge Martin who won the race by just 0.114 from Francesco Bagnaia after Binder received a penalty for exceeding track limits.

Alex Rins’ shock victory

For the 2023 season, Alex Rins joined LCR Honda after the departure of the factory Suzuki team. He and the rest of the Honda riders looked to struggle to tame the fierce RC213V with a tough start to the year.

However, the paddock landed in Texas for round three of the MotoGP World Championship at COTA. Rins qualified in second place for the race and backed the qualifying time up in the Sprint – finishing second.

In the race on Sunday, the win looked suddenly possible but looked challenging with Ducati on the pace. Rins made a perfect start and with a crash from Francesco Bagnaia, gave him a chance to win.

Alex Rins managed to hold off Luca Marini and Fabio Quartararo to claim his first race win since leaving Suzuki. It was a historic moment for LCR and the Honda brand – winning the first race for LCR Honda since 2018. It would be Alex Rins’ best result of the year but would suffer from injury and later announced a deal with Monster Energy Yamaha.

The backflip returns

Another fan-favourite moment of the season came at the compacted weekend at Phillip Island. The weather looked mixed all weekend with high winds and rain expected all day on Sunday. Trying to combat the unique circumstances, the MotoGP race was moved to Saturday with the Sprint on Sunday.

The decision from the organisers turned out to be the correct choice with Sunday’s Moto2 race not completing two thirds distance and the MotoGP race later cancelled.

In the sunshine on Saturday, 25 points were up for grabs for the Grand Prix with Jorge Martin on pole position. Martin was strong in the early stages and pulled a comfortable gap to the back behind – gambling on soft tyres.

Once the race progressed the pack began to catch as Martin’s tyres began to lose grip and time. A group of four chased behind with Martin’s teammate Johann Zarco leading the group. Zarco passed his teammate, instantly bridging a gap and charged on to win his first MotoGP race.

It was the Frenchman’s seventh season in the MotoGP class, joining the class in 2017 after back-to-back Moto2 titles. As tradition, a backflip returned for the #5 rider, with no dry eyes left at the circuit.

The showdown

The MotoGP World Championship went down to the final weekend of the season at the end of November in Valencia. The Circuito Ricardo Tormo was once again hosting a historic final round. Heading into the weekend just 21 points separated Francesco Bagnaia and the chasing Jorge Martin.

In qualifying it was Aprilia’s Maverick Vinales who qualified on pole position with Bagnaia alongside in second. Jorge Martin qualified in sixth after he struggled to make the hard front tyre work in qualifying.

Martin’s race pace was strong which he showed in the Tissot Sprint – winning by just 0.190 from Brad Binder. With Bagnaia down in fifth, it reduced the Championship gap to just 14 points with one main race remaining.

It was a tough ask with Bagnaia now starting in pole position due to Vinales’ grid penalty which he received in warm-up. In the race Martin made a great start, battling with Bagnaia in the early stages. The first mistake of the race for Martin happened at turn one after he was sucked into the slipstream and ran wide.

Jorge Martin tried to make up for lost time and rushed a move on Marc Marquez, making contact with both riders crashing. This crash instantly handed Francesco Bagnaia his second MotoGP World Championship in a row. Bagnaia claimed 15 podiums throughout the year, including seven wins.

It was an unforgettable season in MotoGP and one which will be remembered in the history books. 2024 is looking exciting with new teams, riders, and signings with a record-breaking 22-round calendar.

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