After many months of waiting, the Moto GP World Championship returns. This weekend begins in Portugal the fight for the scepter that Italian Francesco 'Pecco' Bagnaia won last year, who will seek his third world title and the second in the premier class.
2023 will be the 22nd season since Moto GP replaced 500CC as the premier class of world motorcycling, in the year that marks the 75th anniversary of the first motorcycle world championship.
The 2023 season calendar begins with a major change. The traditional inaugural Grand Prix in Qatar is moved to the final part due to works at the Lusail circuit, so the championship will start at the Circuito Internacional do Algarve in Portugal this weekend, from March 24 to 26.
In addition, another of the great novelties of this campaign will be the introduction of a sprint race on Saturdays, which will have half the number of laps and count half the points of the traditional one, the one on Sunday.
The 2023 World Championship will feature up to 10 Spanish riders in the Moto GP category: Aleix Espargaró (Aprilia Racing), Jorge Martín (Ducati Desmosedicidel Pramac Racing), Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing), Álex Rins (LCR Honda Castrol), Joan Mir ( Repsol Honda Team), Marc Márquez (Repsol Honda Team), Pol Espargaró (GasGas Factory Racing Tech3), Raúl Fernández (CryptoData RNF Racing Team), Álex Márquez (Gresini Racing) and Augusto Fernández (GasGas Factory Racing Tech3).
In addition, it is expected that Marc Márquez and Jorge Martín can fight for the World Cup, against the Italians Pecco Bagnaia, Fabio Quartararo and Enea Bastianini, who close the quintet of favorites according to experts.
The classification of the Moto GP Portuguese Grand Prix, which is held this weekend at the Circuito Internacional do Algarve in Portimao, will take place this Saturday, March 25, starting at 11:10 a.m. It can be seen on television on DAZN and can also be followed live on the La Vanguardia website.
In addition, on the same Saturday afternoon, starting at 4:00 p.m., the first sprint race in the history of the Moto GP will be held.
The qualifying training sessions for the rest of the World Cup categories will be held as soon as the premier class sessions finish. Those of Moto 3 are scheduled for 1:50 p.m., while those of Moto 2 will start at 2:45 p.m.
