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This is it. 22 riders, 11 teams, 21 MotoGP Sprints and 21 Grand Prix races. More racing than ever before, and the first helping is right around the corner.
Just as it was in 2022, the 2023 title fight will shape to be yet another fascinating encounter. Can reigning World Champion Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) retain his crown against the barrage of competitors all looking to take his place? Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha), Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) and Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team) were his closest rivals last year - and they’ll start 2023 in great shape.
Then there’s the return of a fully fit Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team). The 2020, 2021 and 2022 seasons were as tough as they get for the eight-time World Champion, but four surgeries later, the #93 is back. And there’s only one thing on Marquez’s mind - fighting for a ninth World Championship title.
What’s more, eight riders are embarking on a new challenge in 2023, including recent race winners Bastianini, Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), Miguel Oliveira (RNF MotoGP Team) and Alex Rins (LCR Honda Castrol). 2020 World Champion Joan Mir makes the enticing move to Repsol Honda Team to partner Marc Marquez, while the latter’s double World Championship-winning brother Alex Marquez joins Ducati with Gresini Racing MotoGP. Pol Espargaro (GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3) and Raul Fernandez (RNF MotoGP Team) are the two other familiar names changing outfits, while we welcome 2022 Moto2 World Champion Augusto Fernandez (GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3) to the fray.
The Portuguese track will host the opening round of the World Championship for the first time and will also be the circuit on which the MotoGP riders will face their first sprint race.
Starting this year, the program of each event will be enriched by an additional race on Saturday, which will award about half the points and have a shorter distance compared to Sunday's primary race. In addition to the sprint race, riders will also have to face two new tracks this year: Kazakhstan in July and India, which will host the World Championship in September.
