Written by Owen Bradley, Edited by Vyas Ponnuri
The MotoGP Championship season finale is upon us! Francesco Bagnaia comes up against Jorge Martin in this final showdown. Of course, the title could be decided in the Sprint race this weekend, which fans would not be hoping for. We all want this fight to come down to the final lap of the final race of 2023, much like it did last year as well.
In 2022, Bagnaia came into the final race with a 23-point lead, and now he comes into 2023 with a 21-point lead. However with the introduction of the Sprint races this year, it means that there are more points on offer.
In the Grand Prix, you take 25 points for a win — so in normal circumstances, this title fight would practically already be over, but with the added sprint race, it means we are genuinely in for a potential final race fight between the two titans. Former teammates in Moto3, turned rivals all these years later, this is a weekend you certainly do not want to miss.
Circuit Ricardo Tormo
Opened in 1999, the Ricardo Tormo circuit has been on the MotoGP calendar ever since, and has seen many historic moments. Who could forget 2006, where Valentino Rossi crashed during the race, despite leading the World Title, and Nicky Hayden would claim a spectacular podium finish, to win the MotoGP World Championship!
Valentino Rossi would controversially lose the 2015 MotoGP Title by five points to Spaniard Jorge Lorenzo, after being ordered by the Spanish-run FIM to start from the back of the grid, following contact at the previous round with Spanish rider, Marc Marquez.
It was controversial due to the fact that Rossi was up against Lorenzo, and had a seven-point advantage heading into the finale. A lot of people questioned if there was some assistance from a Spanish-run sport to a Spanish rider, not to mention how Marc Marquez seemingly intentionally backed out of multiple moves on Jorge Lorenzo, allowing him to take the flag.
In 2021, we would see Valentino Rossi retire from MotoGP, with all of the VR46 riders wearing replica helmets of his own most famous helmets over the years, and a painting on the side of a tower near the pit lane. Theatrical and poetic that Rossi would end his career on two-wheels, at a circuit that had been both kind and cruel to the Italian.
Track Guide
14 Turns, nine to the Left, and five to the Right. Corners named after Motorsport legends such as: Mick Doohan, Nico Terol, Adrian Campos and a few more. Ricardo Tormo doesn’t always deliver the best racing, but it does deliver iconic moments.
Your best chance to see overtaking at this circuit is at the rundown to Turn One, and then also Turn Two. Aside from there, the track is incredibly narrow and full of slow corners which wind and twist, making it incredibly hard to overtake.
The long left-handers of Turns 13 and 14 are two important spots on the track, a good run coming into 13 could give a rider a great chance to get alongside and set up an overtake down the main straight after the final corner.
The Big Stories:
Francesco Bagnaia vs Jorge Martin -
This is it, the gloves are completely off, and the final race weekend of 2023 is set up to be a thrilling one. Martin has dominated the Sprints this year so far, whereas Bagnaia has been more dominant in the actual Grands Prix. If Martin is to overturn this 21-point deficit, he needs to ensure that he gets help from the other Ducati’s.
The drawback — Luca Marini, Marco Bezzecchi and Francesco Bagnaia all ride in the VR46 Riders Academy. Therefore it seems as though Bagnaia would have some backup. It’s an uphill battle for Martin, but it has been for the entire season. The very fact that Martin is in this position is a testament to how hard everyone at Pramac Ducati has worked over the years.
Marquez’ Final Honda Ride:
8-Time MotoGP Champion, and Legend Marc Marquez will be ending his decade-long journey with Repsol Honda, having joined the team in 2013, and is now leaving for Gresini Ducati for 2024 to join his brother Alex Marquez. It will be an emotional Sunday for Marquez, as he looks to end his decade at Honda on a high.
But who do you think will win the MotoGP World Championship in 2023? Will it be Bagnaia or Martin? Let us know in the comments down below!
MotoGP Finale is at 14:00pm GMT (British Time) and overlaps with Formula One’s Finale at Abu Dhabi, which starts at 13:00pm GMT.
How to Watch:
ALBANIA - Tring Sport 3
ARGENTINA - ESPN+
AUSTRALIA and PAPUA GUINEA - Fox Sports , Kayo Sports and Foxtel Now10 Network
AUSTRIA - Servus TV/ servusmotogp.com
BALCANS, BOSNIA, CROATIA, SERBIA, MACEDONIA and MONTENEGRO - SportKlub (SK2 HD, SK3 HD)
BALTICS, ESTONIA, LITHUANIA, LATVIA - Viasat (3 SportTV 2 HD)
BELGIUM - RTBF
BRAZIL - ESPN4
BRUNEI - SpoTV Now
BULGARIA - MAXSport
CAMBODIA - SpoTV Now
CANADA - REV TV, TSN+
CHINA - Zhibo TVE Surfing UHDStar Sports /Star Sports 2
CYPRUS - Cytavision Sports
CZECH REP. - Nova Sport1 / Nova Sports2
DENMARK - TV3 Sport and/or TV3 Max
EAST TIMOR - SpoTV Now
EL SALVADOR - Ch 4 Corporación Salvadoreña
FINLAND - Viaplay
FRANCE - Canal+/Canal+ Sports/My CanalC8
GEORGIA - Silknet
GERMANY - Servus TV
GREECE - OTE Sport
GIBRALTAR - Gibtelecom
HONG KONG - PCCW NOW TV - SpoTV
HUNGARY - Arena4
INDIA - Sport18
INDONESIA - Trans7MNC Vision / KVision/ UseeTV /Maxstream - SpoTV
ISRAEL - 5 SPORT /5 PLUS/ 5 LIVE
ITALY - SKY Italy8 TV
JAPAN - G+Hulu https://www.happyon.jp/NTVNittele BS
KAZAKHSTAN - Qsport
KOREA - SpoTV
KOSOVO - Art Motion
LAOS - SpoTV Now
LUXEMBURG - RTL
MACAU - MACAU CABLE - SpoTV
MALAYSIA - Telecom Malaysia- SpoTV
MALTA - TSN1
MONGOLIA - UNIVISION -SpoTV
MYANMAR - SpoTV Now
NETHERLANDS - Ziggo Sports /Zigoo Sports TotaalNOS
NEW ZEALAND - TVNZTV3
NORWAY - Viasport 3
PACIFIC ISLANDS - DIGICEL TV : TV Wan Sports
PHILIPPINES - Skycable/Cignal - SpoTV
POLAND - Polsat
PORTUGAL - SPORT TVSPORT TV+
ROMANIA - DigisportPrima Sport 3
SINGAPORE - SINGTEL / StarHub - SpoTV
SLOVENIA - Kanal Avoyo.siPopTV
SOUTH AFRICA - SuperSport (Mnet)
SPAIN - DAZNTVE
SWEDEN - 90% Viasat Motor & 10% Viasat Sport
SWITZERLAND - SRF ZWEI / RTS2 / RSI La2 SERVUS TV
TAIWAN - SpoTV Now
THAILAND - PPTV - Ch36True Vision - SpoTV
TURKEY - S Sport1 / S Sport2
UNITED KINGDOM - TNT Sports, ITV, ITV4
UKRAINE - The First Automotive Channel
USA - NBC & CNBC
VENEZUELA - TLT (la tele tuya)
VIETNAM - SpoTV Now
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