MotoGP Thailand 2023 preview and schedule: All details and times for the Thai GP

UK: 18+ USA: 21+ | Begambleaware.org  | T&Cs apply | Play Responsibly

The MotoGP title race keeps throwing swings and surprises, as Francesco Bagnaia and Jorge Martin were involved in a thrilling battle on the last lap of the Australian Grand Prix, which ended up with Johann Zarco taking his first victory in the premier class of motorcycle racing.

MotoGP Thailand 2023 schedule

This will be the final race in MotoGP’s Asian triple-header, which means another early race for fans of the championship. The weekend will return to its usual structure, though, after the Grand Prix took place on Saturday and the Sprint was cancelled because of adverse weather conditions last weekend in Phillip Island.

Three practice sessions will take place, the second of which will be crucial in the complexion of the weekend, as it will determine the ten riders that will gain automatic promotion to Q2. On Saturday, two more riders will join them via Q1 in the battle for pole position.

Then will come the two highly anticipated races, the 13-lap Sprint and the 26-lap Grand Prix, in which the top nine and the top 15 riders will score points.

MotoGP Thailand 2023 weather

The riders and teams will be preparing for a lot of wet weather running this weekend, as rain is forecast for all three days at the circuit. The temperatures will still be high, consistently reaching over 30 degrees Celsius.

MotoGP Thailand 2023 preview

Of course, the big talking point is none other than the championship fight between Francesco Bagnaia and Jorge Martin. The Spaniard, who was the championship leader after the Sprint in Indonesia two rounds ago, has made two crucial mistakes since.

He crashed from the lead and gifted the victory to the Italian in Mandalika, which left him at an 18-point deficit. Then, in Australia, he took a ridiculous risk in choosing the soft rear tyre and dropped from first to fifth in the last lap, while Bagnaia finished second. With no Sprint taking place, the gap is up to 27 points.

Despite those errors, Martin has shown impressive pace over the last few weekends, while Bagnaia has struggled at points. As a result, it will be very interesting to see if the pendulum swings again at Buriram.

The wet weather could provide us with a few unusual contenders for victory, as it will be a great opportunity for riders like Marc Marquez, Brad Binder and Miguel Oliveira to take their first wins of the season.

Once again, it will not be a full field of riders, as Alex Rins will have further surgery on the leg he fractured in Mugello back in June. LCR Honda have elected not to replace him with Stefan Bradl for this round, so 21 riders will be on track at Buriram.

MotoGP Thailand 2023 – A history

The Thailand Grand Prix is a relatively new race in the MotoGP calendar, with only three races having taken place there since 2018. All three have been at the Chang International Circuit, which was opened in 2014 in the province of Buriram.

The first two races were won by Marc Marquez and both were decided in last-corner showdowns, with Andrea Dovizioso being the victim in 2018 and Fabio Quartararo the next season. You can watch both finishes in the video below:

The epic battles in Buriram! 🔥@marcmarquez93 left it all on the line to come out on top two years running! ⚔️#ThaiGP 🇹🇭 pic.twitter.com/oLpL3x40uF

— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) October 25, 2023

After two years off the calendar because of the pandemic, the race returned last season, with a wet race that Miguel Oliveira won. The Portuguese rider, who was riding for KTM at the time, fought off Jack Miller and Francesco Bagnaia for his fifth and most recent victory in MotoGP.

---

Subscribe to Punditfeed on Google News for all the latest updates from the world of sports!