The very first MotoGP qualifying session in India saw Mooney VR46 Ducati rider Marco Bezzecchi claim pole position. He led fellow Ducati riders Jorge Martin and reigning world champion Francesco Bagnaia, making it a front row lockout for the Italian manufacturer.
- Both Repsol Honda riders on row 2
- Alex Marquez declared unfit after qualifying crash
- Race distances reduced for all classes
The Mooney VR46 team has taken to the Buddh International Circuit like a fish to water, with Bezzecchi topping the opening practice session yesterday, and teammate Luca Marini then setting Friday's fastest lap in the afternoon practice session. The strong showing continued in qualifying, with Marini backing up Bezzecchi's pole with his own fourth position, making it an all-Ducati top four. This further grows to five Ducatis in the top seven once you factor in Johann Zarco (Martin's teammate) in seventh place. The long 1km+ back straight at the BIC has gone hand in hand with the Ducati being the most powerful motorcycle on the grid, and the Italian machine has proven itself to work well at various tracks, in varying conditions, in the hands of multiple different riders.
What does come as a surprise is the strong performance from the Repsol Honda team, which saw its riders Joan Mir and Marc Marquez qualify fifth and sixth respectively - the team's strongest Saturday performance in quite some time. Monster Energy Yamaha star and 2021 world champion Fabio Quartararo also had a reasonably good qualifying session in the context of his 2023 season, taking eighth place.
The riders will take these grid slots for today's 11-lap Sprint race and tomorrow's 21-lap main race, both of which have been shortened. The hot and humid climatic conditions have played a part here, along with recommendations from the tyre suppliers, and the two races have been shortened by one lap and three laps respectively. The Moto2 and Moto3 classes have also seen their race distances reduced by one lap each.
In less pleasant news, Gresini Racing's Alex Marquez has been diagnosed with 2 broken ribs after a crash in qualifying today, and will not take further part in this weekend's proceedings. We wish him a speedy recovery.
Unnatee Gidithuri
Dinshaw Magol
