MotoGP is bringing a sweet event our way this weekend. As the season heads towards its final stretch and the championship fight is heating up, India will host its first Motorcycle Grand Prix.
Despite some worries that Friday action would not take place due to personnel not making it to the track on time, every session is scheduled to go ahead as planned. The first session will be an elongated Free Practice 1, which will happen before the riders go out on track for an all-important one-hour session. That will decide the top ten that will head straight to Q2, the battle for pole position.
On Saturday, there is another Free Practice session for the riders and the teams to set their bikes up. Straight after that, we will have qualifying in two segments. In the first, two riders will get promoted to the second.
The results of qualifying will set the grid for two races. The first will be the Sprint, which will take place on Saturday afternoon (local time), over 12 laps. The second is the main event, the Grand Prix which we will be focused on, which will last 24 laps on Sunday.
MotoGP 2023: Grand Prix of India Preview and Free Picks
When:
Sunday, September 24th, 2023
Where Can I Watch?
Riders Odds:
Bagnaia, Francesco +125
Martin, Jorge +250
Bezzecchi, Marco +500
Binder, Brad +1100
Espargaro, Aleix +1600
Oliveira, Miguel +1800
Vinales, Maverick +2000
Marquez, Marc +2500
Zarco, Johann +2500
Miller, Jack +2500
Marini, Luca +2500
Marquez, Alex +2800
Quartararo, Fabio +3300
Morbidelli, Franco +10000
MotoGP Grand Prix of India
The last few races have had a big effect on the championship, as the gap between Francesco Bagnaia and Jorge Martin has shrunk from 66 to 39 points. The Italian suffered a frightening accident in Barcelona when he fell and Brad Binder accidentally rode over his legs. He was lucky not to suffer a significant injury and he raced just a week later at Misano in pain, but he was able to salvage a pair of third-place finishes.
On the other hand, the Pramac Ducati rider enters the thirteenth round of the championship in great form. He was dominant over the two races in Misano, winning both from pole position, but has now moved clear of third-placed Marco Bezzecchi, who also raced with a hand injury in Misano. He, as well as Bagnaia, are expected to have recovered from their troubles, with a few days of rest.
Behind the three Ducati riders, we find the KTM of Brad Binder and the Aprilia of Aleix Espargaro. Both had a bad weekend last time out and will be hoping to bounce back in a vastly different track layout.
There will be an absence from the grid once again, as Alex Rins will be sidelined for an eighth consecutive race, as he is recovering from the broken leg he sustained in Mugello. This time, he will be replaced by Stefan Bradl.
Grand Prix of India Podium Picks
- Jorge MartÃn
- Marco Bezzecchi
- Francesco Bagnaia
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