Full Saturday round up from Argentina – Sprint Race and Qualifying

MotoGP 2023

Round Two – Argentina

Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing). That’s it, that’s the sentence. The South African produced a stunning performance to win the Gran Premio Michelin de la República Argentina Tissot Sprint from P15 on the grid, slicing through early on and then hanging on ahead of a charging Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) on the final lap… by just 0.072s. Luca Marini made it a Mooney VR46 Racing Team double podium with a hard-fought P3.

MotoGP Sprint Race Report

It was a fast and ferocious start as Franco Morbidelli (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) got a phenomenal launch to briefly lead into the first corner, but it was polesitter Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP) who grabbed P1 early doors as the Italian ran wide. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) got shuffled down the pack on Lap 1, the Championship leader in P7 from the front row as Binder picked his way through the pack like a knife through butter – the South African was P4 on Lap 1 from 15th on the grid!

It was breathless. Morbidelli was the new leader halfway around Lap 1 and led until Binder got the better of him on Lap 3. The top nine raced line astern: Binder, Morbidelli, Marini, Alex Marquez, Bagnaia, Bezzecchi, Aleix Espargaro, Aprilia Racing teammate Maverick Viñales and Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) were split by 1.6s with seven laps to go.

Where do you look? Passes galore! Binder, Morbidelli and Marini became a stable top three for a few laps as a fierce battle raged 0.5s behind. Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) was getting into the mix too, clinging onto the back of Martin to make it a 10-rider lead group as we entered the final five laps.

With four to go, Binder’s lead was up to 0.5s as Marini swarmed all over the back of second-placed Morbidelli. The former made a move stick at Turn 9 before we saw a little drama and Aleix Espargaro slid out unhurt, the 2022 winner looking for more on Sunday. Bezzecchi then followed teammate Marini through on Morbidelli. Moments later, the number 72 also dispatched Marini and then locked his radar on Binder, who was now 0.7s up the road.

Last lap time. The gap was down to 0.4s between Binder and Bezzecchi, with Marini 0.3s shy of his teammate’s rear wheel in P3. Binder held firm through sectors 1, 2 and 3, but Bezzecchi was eyeing up a final complex move – and he was closing. Binder defended well though and there was no way through at Termas’ famous penultimate corner for Bezzecchi, who was forced to follow the KTM home as Binder won the second-ever Tissot Sprint. From 15th on the grid! It was an unreal effort from the KTM stalwart as the Mooney VR46 duo finish a brilliant P2 and P3.

Morbidelli held onto P4 and one of his best results for some time, fending off Alex Marquez, Bagnaia and Viñales. Martin pipped Quartararo for P8 as the latter picked up the final Sprint point in P9. The points scorers were split by just 3.8s in a truly epic 12-lap dash.

After a Lap 1 crash, Joan Mir (Repsol Honda Team) is to be reviewed tomorrow morning before Warm Up.

The Sprint delivered. Binder delivered. Now the Grand Prix race awaits…

MotoGP Rider Saturday Quotes

Brad Binder – P1

“Yeah today was a bit of a surprise for sure, not only for me but also for my team. I knew my starts have been really good from Portimao already. I got a great launch of the line, and yeah. I pushed really hard in the first three corners to try and make up as much time as possible, and when I saw I was in 3rd or 4th place I kind of had to shake my head a bit and make sure it was real. Super happy with the way things went, my team completely turned my bike around for today. I felt so much more comfortable, I had way more grip so I cannot thank my guys enough for the effort they’ve put in. Tomorrow we’re going to keep fighting and try to do the same again. Anyway, I’m super happy to have won again, it’s been a while. It was a bit unexpected for me I suppose!

“I saw +0.5 on my board, so I was pretty chill going into the last lap. But at the end of the back straight I heard a bike right next to me, so I was like shit I’m going to have to block. I just tried to do the shortest way around the whole last lap so then if they had to get past it would have to be a big move. But yeah when I crossed the line I was stoked. Like I said, I definitely couldn’t imagine it happening today, not from 15h for sure. Unreal, thanks so much to my team.”

Marco Bezzecchi – P2

“It was a fantastic sprint for me! The start wasn’t the best, but anyway I was managing to stay in the top positions. I was behind Luca (Marini), and in turn 5 everyone braked so deep and I also braked deep but a little bit less compared to the others so as soon I got into the corner my head was already down, this is why I touched a little bit with Luca. Fortunately, everything went well because if not Uccio and Vale would probably kill me. Then I could recover many places because also in the battle with Maverick, we lost a bit of time, but anyway I was fast so I managed to come back. Yeah, it was very fun!

“Brad was very good on the last lap, he’s a hard braker everyone knows this. I caught him very closely in Turn 7 but you know I was missing half a lap and he protected very well so for me it was difficult to make more than this. Anyway, I am happy because I tried to stay as close as I could. But yeah it was important the pace for today. For tomorrow, it will be different because the tyre consumption will be more. Anyway, for the moment I enjoyed it and that’s it.”

Luca Marini – P3

“It was an especially great start, I think. Now in this MotoGP, especially in the Sprint, you must start in front and start well, so I was fully focused on that side because then it’s very difficult to overtake and everybody has a fantastic pace. So I’m satisfied and really happy about this result because after Portimao weekend it was not easy, it was a nightmare and to be here now with this great result is fantastic. But it will be even more difficult for tomorrow because I don’t think I have the pace to fight for the podium tomorrow. It will be difficult, but I will try to make another good start and we will see.”

Franco Morbidelli – P4

“It’s been a smooth weekend, so far. It’s going well for us. We already had a good performance on Friday. We made some small steps that are, for sure, reflected in the charts. Today, we were able to make a good start and battle with main competitors. That was a nice feeling. I’m happy about that. This result goes to the team, they really deserve this and this kind of good energy injection. I’m sure we will now work on clearing the gap to the front guys.”

Alex Marquez – P5

“Maybe I made the mistake of going for the medium front tyre, but aside from the incident at turn 4 we did a great race. We missed a few details as I was quick but I was unable to attack. Still we had fun and we managed to overtake Pecco and we almost did the same with Morbidelli, it was close. First pole, top five, we can’t be but satisfied today.”

Pecco Bagnaia – P6

“Sixth place is a good result, and I am happy. Unlike my opponents, who pushed very hard throughout the race, I didn’t feel 100%, so I decided not to take unnecessary risks. I had some problems at the beginning to avoid the confusion generated after the start. In any case, I had a lot of fun: it was a race full of overtaking and good battles. For tomorrow we already know where we need to improve. It will be important to manage the situation well during the 25 laps, so tomorrow’s GP will definitely be very different from today’s Sprint Race.”

Maverick Vinales – P7

“We have the speed and we have the bike, we just need to keep working. I had a lot of contact with other riders in the race, one of which made me lose a piece of front winglet too. I didn’t notice it straight away, but it was clear that I was no longer able to stop the bike well like I had been doing on Friday, so it is still a good result just to have finished with the leaders. The only solution in the Sprint is to start from the front. A first-row start would have allowed me to exploit my pace. Tomorrow will undoubtedly be a very different race. We have the potential to do better than we did today.”

Jorge Martín – P8

“There’s not much to say, I’m not happy with how it went today. I lost positions at the start, then I recovered but I had no feeling. We have understood our mistakes and where we can improve to be more competitive tomorrow.”

Fabio Quartararo – P9

“The qualifying was not great. To be honest, I didn’t expect to be so fast straight away in Q1 in the wet. But as soon as the track started to dry, it wasn’t as good. In the Sprint, I didn’t make a great start. The pace was not so bad, but we’re missing something in some areas, some corners can be improved. We will try to improve for tomorrow. The track had a bit more grip today, so I felt better, and we also changed something on the bike. It was slightly better, but we can improve in some braking areas. Hopefully, tomorrow in Warm Up we can see if we can improve this.”

Jack Miller – P10

“I struggled a lot at the beginning of the race and it seemed to get better lap by lap and by lap six I was starting to get more comfortable. I was able to improve. I was trying really hard to catch back to Fabio [Quartararo] and [Jorge] Martin in front of me and I was making some headway there. I think it was the first time in my career that I have prayed for more laps than there was! Brad showed the bike has all the capabilities. He qualified one position in front of me on the grid and he made it work, that’s for certain, I could not believe it. He rode a mega race. The bike has great potential and I could make some decent overtakes and put it where I wanted. It’s all practice for tomorrow.”

Takaaki Nakagami – P11

“That was a tough sprint race. I made a good start, and honestly, from the first corner, I tried attacking and gained some positions. We’ve seen we lack grip in the traction area. I had good potential on the brakes but couldn’t overtake as much as I wanted because I’d have a gap from the last corner. We are all working to understand how we can improve for tomorrow’s race, so let’s try to get maximum performance. Anyway, this is much better than Portimao. I feel motivated, so I will keep pushing and try to enjoy the race tomorrow.”

Fabio DiGiannantonio – P12

“I had fun on the bike despite the result and I think it may have been the best MotoGP race of my career so far. I felt on par with the rest by battling and counter attacking. With a bit more luck this morning we may have battled with the best rider. We have to build on this performance and try to put together something important.”

Johann Zarco – P13

“I didn’t have a chance to fight for the top positions. I had a good start, that’s the only positive thing today. But I had no grip and it was impossible for me to try to fight for important positions.”

Raul Fernandez – P14

“The Sprint Race is crazy. I honestly don’t know why, but since this morning I feel super good. I enjoy myself a lot on the bike. In FP3 and in Qualifying I was super-fast and I just had fun. Yesterday I was working a lot, also my crew chief and the Aprilia guys helped me a lot to get a better understanding of the bike. Today I feel we made a big step. In the Sprint Race, I unfortunately lost everything at the start. I have to understand how to improve that. Later I was behind Zarco and it was just impossible to overtake him. In MotoGP the field is so close, it’s incredible. I tried to overtake him three or four times, but it was impossible. He had a lot of grip and on the corner exits, he always made up some meters, which I couldn’t recover in the end. I’m still happy, because I enjoy riding the bike, I understand the bike and there are just some more little things, that I have to learn. Once I figure out the start and improve a bit with the grip, we can make another step.”

Alex Rins – P15

“It’s been a demanding day. The morning rain put some dust on the track and the grip wasn’t the same. In qualifying we had some issues, then in the race, I struggled when trying to stop the bike. Regarding tomorrow’s race, I will try to manage the situation, but we need to improve in the braking areas. Yesterday my pace wasn’t so bad, so let’s keep pushing”.

Augusto Fernandez – P16

“Tough! The first laps were a bit crazy and I lost some time in Mir’s crash as I had to avoid his bike. By the end I was catching the group ahead of me a little bit and I had good pace. Like in the Portimao race, I need to find this pace earlier. It was a good learning experience for tomorrow and I think we can do better in the longer race.”

Aleix Espargaro – DNF

“We encountered a situation similar to what happened in Portugal. This morning in qualifying I did not do a good time when the track began drying out, and in the race, despite being fast, I was unable to make good progress. When I found myself behind Bagnaia, I tried to push a bit harder to close the gap and I crashed. Unfortunately, that’s the way the Sprint race is – there is no time to manage your pace. But I feel ready for tomorrow’s 25 laps.”

MotoGP Sprint Race Results

MotoGP Championship Points

MotoGP Qualifying

After a barnstormer in Portugal, qualifying at the Gran Premio Michelin de la Republica Argentina kept the adrenaline coming! This time with a damp track to contend with, it still went down to the wire and it’s Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP) who takes his first premier class pole position!

From a crash in Q1, a fire affecting his first bike and then a gamble on slicks with wet settings, it all came together for the number 73 in Q2 as his final push just denied Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team). Reigning Champion Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) made late gains to lock out the front row.

Q1

There were plenty of eyes on Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) as one of the biggest names in the session after a tough Friday, and the Frenchman delivered. He didn’t top the session, however, that honour went to Alex Marquez – and he was also a key protagonist for quite different reasons, well before his Q2 heroics.

After a slow-ish crash for the number 73, when the camera cut back to the slow-moving Ducati a little later, the machine was on fire. He pulled over and marshals were quick on the scene to extinguish the blaze, but as the fastest in the session he then had to reset and take to his second bike to head out into Q2. And lower his heart rate a little.

Some notable, unexpected struggles for two of the most proven riders in tougher conditions leave Brad Binder and Red Bull KTM Factory Racing teammate Jack Miller down in P16 and P17, respectively, and 2020 MotoGP Champion Joan Mir (Repsol Honda Team) was eighth of the eight riders in the session. They’ll be looking for some serious gains in both the Tissot Sprint and the Grand Prix race.

Q2

The track remained damp as the field headed out for Q2, with 12 riders ready for the battle for pole. After some first runs that saw the field split across some scrappier margins than usually seen in the close competition of MotoGP™, the final five minutes then saw the timing screens light up again.

Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) was top as the rest took aim at his laptime, and Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) came close but the first to topple the Frenchman was Franco Morbidelli (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP). He shot to provisional with a stunning margin in hand of more than eight tenths, but still it wasn’t done.

The next mover was Alex Marquez. He was back in business and took over in second, cutting the gap to Morbidelli down to two and a half tenths. Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) went for it next, also getting ahead of Zarco but slotting into a provisional third place.

With seconds left on the clock, all eyes were left on two riders: Bezzecchi and Alex Marquez. Bezzecchi was on an absolute stormer, and as the Italian crossed the line the gap he had on provisional pole looked more likely a mistake than the truth. But it was both true and a stunning lap as the VR46 academy rider moved the goalposts by a whopping 1.929 seconds.

Getting close to record margins on provisional pole still wasn’t enough for Bezzecchi to take it, however. Alex Marquez thundered round the last few corners with those red sectors still very much showing up, and as he crossed the line that was it: his first premier class pole position, from crash to fire to fastest in the world in the space of only a few minutes.

Bezzecchi takes second ahead of reigning Champion Bagnaia, who was also a late improver, with Morbidelli heading up Row 2. Viñales starts fifth, with Zarco shuffled down to sixth by the end of the session.

Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing Team), Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) and Aleix Espargaro complete Row 2, ahead of Quartararo as he faces another two showdowns from a tougher grid position. Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) and Alex Rins (LCR Honda Castrol) completed the Q2 runners!

Alex Marquez – Pole

“I’m super happy. Q1 was so difficult with the wet tyres and I wasn’t convinced to be on dry, it was too wet, I made a mistake at the last corner but one when I was trying to overtake Mir and in that moment, woah… I was coming really fast, maybe I don’t go to Q2. But fortunately I did it.

“I had a problem with the bike with the fire, so it wasn’t easy when you’re in Q2 and have these conditions and just one bike! I did my best with the wet tyres, later on I went in and I said there’s no time to change the tyres! But we changed the tyres, we put the slicks in with the wet set up and it was working so I’m really happy for that. I’m looking forward to the Sprint and the race!”

MotoGP Qualifying Results

Moto2 Qualifying

An incredible 1:42.472 lap from Alonso Lopez (Beta Tools SpeedUp) saw him snatch a late Moto2 pole position at the Gran Premio Michelin de la República Argentina. Aron Canet (Pons Wegwow Los4) and Somkiat Chantra (IDEMISTU Honda Team Asia) put in strong efforts during Q2 to bag front-row starts in 2nd and 3rd respectively, with the three covered by just 0.048.

Q1 honours went the way of Darryn Binder (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) as he got the better of Celestino Vietti (Fantic Racing), Jeremy Alcoba (QJMOTOR Gresini Moto2), and Sean Dylan Kelly (American Racing) who finished in 2nd, 3rd, and 4th respectively, but all fought their way into Qualifying 2.

The stage was then set for the battle for pole to commence. Jake Dixon (GASGAS Aspar Team) then took early control, putting his Kalex machine at the top of the pile with just under nine minutes on the clock.

As ever, however, lap times came flying in during the closing stages. Chantra quickly pushed Dixon off the top spot, with Aron Canet setting a stunner soon after to reshuffle the order once again. At this point, it was Canet from Chantra and Dixon but fast laps were still coming in. Lopez then nailed the final sector to snatch pole out of nowhere, demoting Canet, Chantra and Dixon. Portimao winner Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) rounds out the top 5.

Moto2 Qualifying Results

Moto3 Qualifying

Ayumu Sasaki (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) has made it two pole positions from two in 2023, with the Japanese rider pulling a whopping six tenths clear on Saturday at Termas de Rio Hondo. Second place goes to Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo), the Turk coming through Q1, with first-time podium finisher first time out this season, Diogo Moreira (MT Helmets – MSI), completing the front row. That’s a lot less work to do on Sunday for the Brazilian rider after he qualified P16 in Portugal.

Another Q1 graduate, Ivan Ortola (Angeluss MTA Team), heads up Row 2, ahead of the experienced Leopard duo of Jaume Masia and Tatsuki Suzuki. David Alonso (GASGAS Aspar Moto3) is the top rookie in P7, just ahead of Scott Ogden (VisionTrack Racing Team), who slots into eighth. Replacement rider and veteran Andrea Migno (CIP Green Power) takes P9, with Portuguese GP winner Daniel Holgado (Red Bull KTM Tech3) completing the top ten.

Moto3 Qualifying Results

Argentina MotoGP Schedule (AEDT/AEST)

2023 MotoGP Calendar