P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Qualifying results and grid line-up for the Saturday Sprint and main Sunday race at the Valencia MotoGP at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo, the 20th and final round of the 2023 world championship.
Francesco Bagnaia, the current leader, performed excellently in Qualifying 1, setting a new lap record and securing a spot in Qualifying 2 alongside Alex Marquez. Bagnaia’s title rival, Jorge Martin, will also be in the top ten for the pole position shootout. However, Joan Mir has withdrawn from the rest of the weekend after a fall required hospital checks.
Bagnaia enters the Valencia title decider with a 21-point lead, following a second-place finish in Qatar and a tenth-place finish due to tire problems for Martin. Bagnaia now has two opportunities to secure the championship, starting with the Saturday Sprint, where a 25-point lead would crown him as the winner. Unfortunately, Martin has been dominant in the Sprints, winning six out of the last seven races.
It seems unlikely that the world championship will be decided until the final lap of the season on Sunday, or even later depending on potential post-race penalties for low tire pressure. Bagnaia and Martin are among the 15 riders who have received Official Warnings for low tire pressure, and any further violations will result in time penalties.
In other news, the Valencia circuit has been resurfaced ahead of the 2023 event, and several riders, including Marc Marquez and Franco Morbidelli, will be bidding farewell to their current teams this weekend. Reigning Moto2 champion Pedro Acosta is set to make his MotoGP debut with GASGAS Tech3 at next week’s Valencia test.
