Here it is, the tightest championship of 2023. After 18 rounds, nothing has yet been decided in Moto3, and that is why every second counts, including in this P1 in Qatar. Barely a week ago, we were treated to an excellent representation of the young guns which ended in the first victory of rookie Collin Veijer (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP). If he is not in the race for the title, the other tenors of the championship experienced different outcomes. Jaume Masia (Honda Leopard Racing), current leader of the general standings, can already be titled at Losail, but he will have to have a sufficient gap with Ayumu Sasaki (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP). For reference, if the Spaniard wins, then Sasaki cannot afford to finish fifth.
David Alonso (GasGas Aspar Team), rookie of the year, and Daniel Holgado (Red Bull KTM Tech3) were both victims of a collective fall, and left Malaysia with zero points. Still third in the championship tie, they are ahead Deniz Oncu (Red Bull KTM Garlic), also hit by his teammate Jose Antonio Rueda in Sepang. In short, action awaits us!
Even if you already know the outcome of this session, come relive it with us! But before we begin, here is a table which presents the known facts:
|
Qatar Moto3™ |
2022 |
2023 |
| P1 |
2'05.414 Dennis Foggia |
2'09.404 Deniz Öncü |
| P2 |
2'04.920 Izan Guevara |
|
| P3 |
2'05.370 Dennis Foggia |
|
| Q1 |
2'05.481 Ayumu Sasaki |
|
| Q2 |
2'04.811 Izan Guevara |
|
| Warm Up |
2'05.624 Dennis Foggia |
XXXXX |
| Course |
Migno, Garcia, Toba (See here) |
|
| All time lap record |
2'04.075 Darryn Binder 2021 |
In the middle of the afternoon in Qatar, the weather is beautiful. Enough to gauge the track before the start of hostilities tomorrow, with qualifying. And it’s going strong! The first to fall is none other thanAyumu Sasaki, who, despite his presence at the top of the world rankings, has still not won a single race in 2023! Not the best start for the Japanese. Fortunately, he leaves without incident.
An early problem for @AyumuSasaki1! 😮
The championship contender has dropped it early in Practice 1! 💥#QatarGP 🇶🇦 pic.twitter.com/SsIqrVgxGI
- MotoGP @ 🏁 (@MotoGP) November 17, 2023
Quickly, Diogo Moreira (KTM MT Helmets MSi) places himself at the head of this P1, he who has been more discreet since his first victory in Indonesia. Then, Deniz Oncu takes the reins in… 2'11? which is a full seven seconds more than the track record. The new coating may not be any faster.
The championship leader jumps to the top but only for a few seconds! 🔄@Denizoncu53 is your fastest early on but lap times are a long way off the records at the moment as expected ⏱️#QatarGP 🇶🇦 pic.twitter.com/Nh6vXz9ZkW
- MotoGP @ 🏁 (@MotoGP) November 17, 2023
The session is extremely calm, to say the least. With seven minutes to go, Jaume Masia improves the best mark and reaffirms himself as favorite for the crown. During the next test, the Leopard Racing driver goes even faster, while Deniz Oncu failure to catch the rear wheel Scott Ogden. Masia only gets better, but Deniz Oncu it goes on the clock in the last moments!
https://twitter.com/MotoGP/status/1725477317932151187
The Turk finished first in this session ahead of Jaume Masia. Diogo Moreira is third. See you later in the afternoon to meet the young wolves! Honestly, it was difficult to predict that the new coating was going to be so slow! Hopefully the action will be more interesting later.
An exploratory P1 done in the sun ✅@Denizoncu53 ends it at the top but you can expect much quicker times as the sun sets in the evening! 🌆#QatarGP 🇶🇦 pic.twitter.com/qdw0KeVYIn
- MotoGP @ 🏁 (@MotoGP) November 17, 2023
Qatar Moto1 Grand Prix P3 result:
Classification credit: MotoGP.com
Cover photo: Red Bull KTM Ajo
