The 2023 MotoGP season came to an incredible conclusion at the Valencia Grand Prix, crowning Francesco Bagnaia as the world champion.
The gap between Bagnaia and Jorge Martin was 21 points heading into the weekend, but had dwindled to just 14 by the start of the grand prix. Unfortunately, a crash for Martin dashed his hopes, effectively ending his chance of moving up to the factory team. Bagnaia, on the other hand, sealed his victory by winning his seventh grand prix of the season, making history as the first Ducati rider to win back-to-back titles.
Marc Marquez was also involved in Martin’s crash, but that didn’t stop him from achieving a podium finish on Saturday. However, a clash with Marco Bezzecchi during the race further fueled an intra-Ducati rivalry, setting the stage for the 2024 season when the eight-time world champion joins Gresini.
The much-talked-about tire pressure regulations did not impact the title race, but did cost Fabio Di Giannantonio a podium finish. Despite this setback, he has secured his MotoGP future by replacing Luca Marini at VR46, who will be moving to Honda.
On a different note, the RNF team was excluded from the 2024 grid due to financial issues, creating an opportunity for a new team to enter the competition from the world of four wheels.
The 2023 MotoGP Valencia GP was a thrilling end to the year, and here are 10 things we learned from it:
1. Bagnaia showcased his true champion qualities in the face-off
Picture by: Gold and Goose/ Motorsport Images
Francesco Bagnaia has claimed back-to-back MotoGP world champion titles
Francesco Bagnaia may argue that the pressure he felt last year in his first title win was worse than this year, despite having a 23-point buffer over Fabio Quartararo with just one race to go.
The ending at Valencia in 2023 was far more nail-biting. Leading by 21 points going into the round, another strong performance alongside Jorge Martin’s win narrowed the gap to 14 for the grand prix.
Bagnaia only needed fifth place to win the championship, but that was far from guaranteed in a grid filled with talented riders, one of whom (more on him later) came from 11th position to almost win.
Starting from pole due to a Maverick Vinales charge, Bagnaia took the lead but was soon overtaken by Martin. Clearly the faster rider, Martin’s critical mistake on lap 3 handed Bagnaia a clear path to victory.
Martin’s crash with Marc Marquez on lap 6 secured the championship for Bagnaia. Some could argue that the factory Ducati rider goaded Martin into the aggression that ultimately cost him the title.
