From Marco Bezzecchi’s triumph to the championship scenario: 5 takeaways from inaugural Indian Grand Prix
Mooney VR46 Racing Team's Marco Bezzecchi claimed the top spot at the Indian Grand Prix. Here, we take a look at the top-five takeaways from the MotoGP India.
Mooney VR46 Racing Team's Marco Bezzecchi emerged victorious in the inaugural Indian Grand Prix held at the Buddh International Circuit (BIC) in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh. The Italian Grand Prix motorcycle racer conquered the 21-lap inaugural Indian Grand Prix in 36 minutes and 59.157 seconds yesterday. While Spainard Jorge Martin earned a second-placed finish, Frenchman Fabio Quartararo claimed the third spot.
In this article, we take a look at the top-five takeaways from the MotoGP India.
Bezzecchi’s dominance
Starting on pole position, Marco Bezzecchi did not have an impressive start to his Indian Grand Prix outing. It was Jorge Martin of Prima Pramac who clinched the first position at Turn 1, leaving Bezzecchi in third. The 24-year-old, however, reclaimed the top spot at Turn 4. Once he regained the first position, there was no looking back for Bezzecchi. Riding his Ducati, Bezzecchi conquered the 4.96km circuit to collect 25 points. The gap between Bezzecchi and Prime Pramac Racing’s Jorge Martin was 8.649 seconds. Following his terrific victory, Bezzecchi expressed his love for the Indian Grand Prix.
“I really liked this place from the day I landed. I like to celebrate with the fans. I would like to give my heart to the fans. In this part of the world, they are very loud, and I really like to hear the crowd. They enjoyed it. Next year, they will have even more fun. For me it was fantastic,” the VR46 rider said.
Fight for second position
With Bezzecchi taking almost an unassailable lead, the competition was primarily between Jorge Martin and Francesco Bagnaia for the second spot. The duel lasted for around 13 laps before Bagnaia faced a crash at Turn 5 of Lap 14.
The championship scenario
The victory left Marco Bezzecchi in third position, with 44 points behind championship leader Francesco Bagnaia. Jorge Martin, on the other hand, finds himself in second position in the standings with 13 points behind table-topper Bagnaia.
Bagnaia’s forgettable show
It was not quite a smooth outing for reigning champion Francesco Bagnaia at the Indian Grand Prix. After losing the front-end of his machine, Bagnaia crashed out. This resulted in Bagnaia's second DNF (did not finish) in four races. Moreover, it was his third crash of the season. It allowed the 2021 world champion Fabio Quartararo to come up to third spot and the Frenchman eventually succeeded in holding onto his position.
What’s going on in the 2023 Indian Moto2 Grand Prix?
Spanish Grand Prix motorcycle racer Pedro Acosta managed to extend his title lead with a resounding win in the Indian Moto2 Grand Prix. Acosta got to the chequered flag 3.5 seconds clear of second-placed Tony Arbolino, riding for Marc VDS. American Joe Roberts earned a third-placed finish.