The last time Jorge Martín (Pramac Racing) led the World Championship, it didn’t last long, in a rollercoaster duel until the end of the season. But this time, the “hunter” will continue to be the “prey”, not only from the conclusion of the Portuguese Grand Prix until the next round, but also at least until after the Tissot Sprint at the Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas. 18 points don’t mean he can relax in this rodeo – it’s never like that in the most exciting sport in the world – but it means he now has some cards in hand as the paddock heads to the United States for the third round.
The chasers
The closest to Martín on the way to COTA is Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), whose season so far has been consistently spent at the front, except for that DNF in the Sprint in Portugal. He will be the first to try to reduce the gap and try to return to the podium, at least.
Then there’s Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team). One of the only three riders in the field who have won at COTA and close to Martin’s tail at the end of the GP race in Portugal, the “Beast” will want to come out on top and show that Qatar was indeed a mistake. Meanwhile, Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) arrives fresh from his first podium in the premier class and still riding a wave of well-deserved excitement. Can he keep up the pace at COTA and finish again as the top RC16? Or more? Binder won his third race, which is a milestone in the line of fire in a fight that is quickly mixing overtakes and pride in the KTM/GASGAS field. Binder will also want to make his own statement in that regard.
Pecco vs Márquez: PT1
There had been much talk about the battle behind the top three in Portugal, even before this moment. Current Champion Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) didn’t find the pace he had in Qatar, and that was interesting in itself. Then came Marc Márquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP), in the postal code of #1 in 2024, despite Pecco’s dominance at the venue in the previous season. But there’s even more.
From Bagnaia’s perspective, beating Marc Márquez the way he tried last Sunday was exactly what he needed to do to claim his first victory. Lap after lap, the two pulled away at the front in Aragon in 2021: Márquez’s backyard, a talismanic track. Bagnaia rolled as #93 closed in, backed off a few meters, then closed in again. Over the final three laps, Marc Márquez made seven attempts to pass the now two-time MotoGP Champion in front of him, and Bagnaia repelled each one with perfect discernment of where the move was coming and how he needed to react to fend it off. That has always been one of his calling cards. So why change what worked a dream before?
From Márquez’s point of view, it’s a matter of shorter term: why change what worked like a dream on Saturday? Sure, it may be a different rider, with a slightly different playbook, but it’s equally understandable to expect the same result or a similar result when executing the same move. And it was clean enough. The fact that he made his move when he did, and didn’t wait for the last lap, also made #93 more confident in the success, thinking it was even less expected than it seemed to have been on Saturday. But this time, there was a response, and the two lines crossed when the two Champions collided.
Revenge: A dish best served at COTA?
The judgment of the FIM MotoGP Stewards was a racing incident. The ability to present both cases and, by ignoring one, make the other sound like the truth and nothing but the truth, makes it hard to argue against that decision from a neutral perspective. But Bagnaia and Márquez will remain partisans, and now the race begins to come out on top the next time the two share a track. In a battle, in pure rhythm, whatever it may be.
So now we have an eight-time World Champion with seven wins at COTA, plus a comeback from last place to sixth, trying to show that it’s not him who’s in Bagnaia’s postal code, it’s the #1 invading his. Especially here, a track that used to have Márquez’s name next to victory as a formality. On a different bike, against different rivals, an eighth is about to prove a point, and in his 250th GP? Meanwhile, Bagnaia, after an impressive speed in the Sprint to win before a crash while leading on Sunday at COTA last year, knows how good it would be to prove exactly the opposite. At a talismanic track, just like Aragon.
A story of two halves
So what about the other drama in Portugal? Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) clinched victory in the Tissot Sprint in style on Saturday, moving to the front and not giving Martin any right of reply. Viñales was also close enough coming out of the last corner on the penultimate lap on Sunday to at least still be looking for an opportunity to make it a double. But it was not to be, as a late technical issue robbed him of the chance and the 20 points, 20 points that would have put him in third in the standings. Can COTA bring some redemption, less for the man and more for the machine? Teammate Aleix Espargaró, meanwhile, will also be looking for more after a tough weekend in Portugal, searching for more pace, and Austin would be a place to find it, after a tougher record at the venue for #41.
At Trackhouse Racing, Miguel Oliveira and Raúl Fernández will be looking for more on track, but the focus is guaranteed off it, as the new American team gets ready to race at home for the first time. Their bikes will be at the center of Austin, the NASCAR sister team will do a demonstration lap, the flags will be flying, and fans eager to see up close that amazing livery. It’s also Raúl Fernández’s 100th GP, so there will be plenty of reasons to celebrate.
On the move
Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) had a very successful Sunday that he can use as a springboard to try to get into the fight for the podium, and Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) also achieved a solid result in Algarve as Yamaha seeks further progress. They confirmed they will continue to do so with ‘El Diablo’ as well, as the Frenchman was announced to stay for two more seasons. On the other side of the box, teammate Álex Rins will want to maintain the momentum over the race distance in the coming weekends, but this one in particular will be very interesting after #42 won in Austin in great style last season. It was also only his third weekend with Honda. Now it’s his third weekend with Yamaha, and his speed at COTA in all classes has already been proven on many occasions, as well as on two different machines in the premier class.
There were also some positive signs for Marco Bezzecchi (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) in Portugal, with number 72 finishing sixth on Sunday, after a very tough debut. It’s not a win, but it’s a step towards it, on more familiar ground. Franco Morbidelli (Prima Pramac Racing), on the other hand, may have crashed early on Sunday last time, but considering he missed the entire pre-season due to the training accident he suffered at the same location, his speed was quite remarkable in Algarve. Will he be able to take another step in Austin?
Joan Mir (Repsol Honda Team) should also be highlighted for some positive points in Portugal, with the 2020 Champion finishing in P12, but with a significant margin compared to the other Hondas, led by Takaaki Nakagami (Idemitsu Honda LCR). The task is a group project to advance the Japanese factory, but the battle for internal supremacy had a very clear winner in the last race. Mir also only had Quartararo ahead of him among the machines with more concessions under the new system. Augusto Fernández (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) also took a notable step forward in the last round, narrowly missing out on the top 10 in a close finish behind Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team).
Looking for more
‘Diggia’ is one of those looking to find his speed and form in Qatar in the second half of 2023, and Johann Zarco (Castrol Honda LCR) is another after beating Mir in Qatar, despite being very new to the bike, and so far has the edge over his rookie Honda teammate, Luca Marini (Repsol Honda Team). Marini hopes that the place where he achieved his first podium in the premier class, thanks to form and memories, will be a turning point in his adaptation to a new machine.
Last but not least, Álex Márquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP) had a somewhat absent weekend in Portugal, with a 13th place in the Sprint and a crash early on Sunday. Considering his successes last season and a solid debut in Qatar, he would be the first to say that the goal is much bigger. Can he maintain the goal of quickly recovering in Austin? We are about to find out.
A new leader of the Championship with a difference that presents an enigma between pushing and managing. A South African on the verge of becoming his country’s most podiumed driver, with a point to prove in his machine, as well as to the others. A rookie whose point of view is already somewhat proven, a “Beast” finding even more beauty… and a simmering rivalry between two drivers with a total of 11 world titles, one of whom has seven COTA trophies already nestled in his trophy cabinet. It’s time for the Americas GP!
