Thai MotoGP: Martin wins to slash Bagnaia’s title lead

Just a week after he missed out on the podium in Australia, Jorge Martin took a hard-fought victory in the 2023 Thai GP. Red Bull KTM’s Brad Binder finished second on road, but he exceeded lap limits which meant he had to drop down to third. Factory Ducati rider and reigning world champion Francesco Bagnaia was promoted to second. 

1. Just 13 points separate Martin and Bagnaia
2. Martin won both Sprint and main races this weekend

Battle for the podium

Martin led for much of the Thai GP, but on a few occasions Binder was able to overtake him, although he couldn’t make it stick. Bagnaia had a poor start and at one point during the race, he was in eighth place. However, he was able to make his way through the field in due course and was running fourth behind Alex Marquez, when the Gresini Ducati rider crashed out.

Quartararo, Marquez finish in the top 7

Factory Yamaha rider Fabio Quartararo, who qualified 10th, claimed he had a “good feeling” on the bike this weekend and was able to replicate this success out on the track. He finished the main race in sixth place. Repsol Honda rider Marc Marquez (who is moving to Gresini Ducati next year) took the chequered flag in seventh place, after battling with Quartararo for much of the race. In 2019, Marquez took his eighth world title while battling with Fabio at this very circuit. 

2023 MotoGP world championship standings

Despite wins in both the Sprint and feature-length races Jorge Martin is still thirteen points adrift of championship leader, Francesco Bagnaia. Bagnaia’s VR46 academy stablemate Marco Bezzecchi is third in the overall standings. 

MotoGP heads to Malaysia in two weeks’ time, so keep watching this space for the latest developments. 

2023 Thai MotoGP results