Thoughts by Kate Adams
It was a bittersweet maiden Grand Prix win for Fabio Di Giannantonio, a man in his second year of MotoGP, now with a victory on top of his collection of recent great results, and yet he is staring down the barrel of not being in MotoGP next year. We keep hitting the same roadblock: too much talent, not enough bikes. His win came after a P2 in the Sprint, and it was overall a strong weekend for the Italian. Teammate Alex Marquez also got good results with a P4 in the Sprint and P6 in the Grand Prix.
Jorge Martin came out swinging in the Sprint with a P1 performance that saw the Pramac Ducati rider claw back important championship points. Unfortunately for Martin, no amount of defense from teammate Johann Zarco could help him on Sunday. A tire issue saw him experience wheel spin when the lights went out and left him a sitting duck in the race; Martin finished in P10, a disaster for his championship fight.
Digging the knife in was the person who finished P2 in the Grand Prix race, Martin's championship rival Pecco Bagnaia. Bagnaia had a so-so Sprint with a P5; this Sunday's performance was strong, sensational, and means we head to Valencia with a 21-point gap between Martin and Bagnaia. Across the garage, Enea Bastianini had a poor weekend. After being taken out in the Sprint, The Beast finished in P8, more of a recovery ride than a strong showing.
VR46 saw Luca Marini picking up a pair of podiums, P3 on both days, certainly putting him in the shop window for Repsol Honda. Marco Bezzecchi struggled this weekend. While his teammate was picking up his P3, Bezzecchi picked up 3 points in the Grand Prix after walking away empty-handed in the Saturday Sprint.
Fabio Quartararo overrode that Yamaha yet again to pick up points both days with a P8 in the Sprint and a P7 in the Grand Prix. Teammate Franco Morbidelli was caught up in a first-lap incident in the Sprint, the same incident that caught out Enea Bastianini. This was the second incident for the Italian; Morbidelli was caught cruising on the racing line by Factory Aprilia rider Aleix Espargaro, finding himself on the wrong side of Espargaro's fist with the Spanish rider striking the Italian in the head.
This action would lead to Aleix Espargaro receiving a 10,000 euro fine and a 6-place grid penalty, putting him next to Morbidelli on the grid. My personal opinion is that the penalty was too light, and a back-of-the-grid or pit lane penalty would have been more suitable. Neither of these may have made a difference to Aleix's weekend, as that lap 1 incident of the Sprint involved him and RNF Aprilia's Miguel Oliveira, taking both Oliveira and A. Espargaro out of the Sprint and leaving them with broken bones. Espargaro had a small leg fracture that forced him to retire from the Grand Prix on Sunday, and Miguel had a broken shoulder blade that prematurely ended what can only be described as a sorrowful season for the Portuguese rider.
The remaining riders for Aprilia saw mixed results. RNF's Raul Fernandez looked strong on Friday but wasn't able to secure points in the weekend's racing. Factory Aprilia's Maverick Vinales carried the manufacturer with a P6 in the Sprint and a P4 in the Grand Prix, a strong showing from Vinales as he heads into 2024 as arguably the lead rider of the team.
Honda saw Iker Lecuona fill in for Alex Rins. After a strong Saturday that saw Lecuona finish as the second Honda behind Marc Marquez, a mechanical issue saw him DNF from the Grand Prix. Teammate Takaaki Nakagami was unable to score points in the weekend, with the factory duo picking up points only in the Grand Prix, with Joan Mir picking up P14 and Marc Marquez in P11.
Pol Espargaro's weekend wasn't as wild as brother Aleix's, but it matched him in terms of points, with the GasGas rider walking away empty-handed. Teammate Augusto Fernandez put in a peaceful race on both days, picking up a single point on both days with a P9 and a P15 in the Sprint and Grand Prix, respectively.
Brad Binder was yet again the shining star of Factory KTM with bold moves on the likes of Marc Marquez, which sent the 8-time world champion almost to the car park. Binder picked up points both days with a P in the Sprint and a P5 in the Grand Prix. Teammate Jack Miller managed to hold off cooking his tires this weekend, something the Australian has struggled with this season. While he was outside of the points in the Sprint, he picked up a P9 in the Grand Prix, putting him in a Ducati sandwich like we saw him in at the start of the season.
In less than a week, we will be wrapping up the season in Valencia. I am sure the riders and teams are ready for the break. Before they rest, we will see some shifts at the Valencia test, which will see Marc Marquez, Alex Rins, and possibly other riders shifting manufacturers in what has turned out to be a silly season surprise.
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