MotoGP: Three things we learned from the final Sprint

With just one race left this season and the Championship gap reducing tension is brewing in the paddock. Let’s look at what we have learned from the final MotoGP Sprint of the season in Valencia.

14 points

Just 14 points now separate Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) and the chasing Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing). Martin won the Tissot Sprint on Saturday, finishing just 0.190 ahead of Brad Binder ( Red Bull KTM Factory Racing).

Francesco Bagnaia finished down in fifth, with the Italian hoping to defend his title and the number one plate. While Martin scored the full 12 points, he also reduced the gap in the standings by seven points.

Beginning tomorrow’s race from pole position will be Maverick Vinales (Aprilia Racing) with Bagnaia alongside. Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) will be hoping to help his teammate – starting from third. His teammate, Martin, will be forced to go from sixth after a poor qualifying result.

Conditions for the final race of the year look similar to the Sprint, with temperatures of around 20 degrees expected. For Martin to win the title tomorrow, he needs to win, and Bagnaia needs to be sixth or below.

Tension builds

Heading into the weekend, there was already frustration inside Martin’s camp after a tough weekend in Qatar. Martin finished 10^th place in the main race at Lusail, putting his poor result down to tyre problems. Michelin continues to investigate the tyre issue and has not found any noticeable problems with his tyre yet.

Over the first two days of running in Valencia, there has been some clear tension between the two Ducati teams. In Practice on Friday, Martin followed Bagnaia throughout the final session on the opening day.

This frustrated the Ducati team, with Davide Tardozzi standing outside the Pramac box – trying to stop Martin from following. With added pressure on Bagnaia and some mistakes in his lap, it forced the Italian to go through Q1.

Speaking after the Sprint race, Tardozzi said: “It was a tough day, we were expecting more after this morning’s session and qualifying. 15 is the minimum that we can accept to lose, Jorge Martin rode a fantastic race and deserved to win. Pecco is a bit p***** because he didn’t find the confidence to let him fight for the podium.”

Musical chairs continue

Silly season continues in the MotoGP paddock, with another piece of the puzzle beginning to slot into place. Luca Marini announced that he will leave the Mooney VR46 Racing Team at the end of the 2023 season. His future is unconfirmed, with rumours suggesting a switch to Repsol Honda.

Fabio Di Giannantonio looked to respect the factory Ducati in the MotoGP Sprint, with the Italian yet to confirm a ride for next year. Di Giannantonio was sixth, behind Bagnaia, just one week after winning his first Grand Prix.

Fermin Aldeguer continues to impress members of the paddock, showing why he deserves a MotoGP ride. Aldeguer claimed another front-row start on Saturday and is aiming to win his fourth consecutive Moto2 race. The last rider to win four Moto2 races in a row was Toni Elias in 2010.

Image credit: motogp.com