The final race of the 2023 season couldn’t have been scripted better than a Hollywood thriller. Defending world champion Francesco Bagnaia retained his title but not without a race full of twists and turns. The Ducati rider’s nemesis Jorge Martin’s title challenge came to an abrupt end on lap four when he hit Honda’s Marc Marquez. Even though the atmosphere became anti-climactic for Parmac Racing, Johan Zarco and KTM’ Brad Binder finished second and third.
Jorge Martin: Blitzkrieg attack
Originally, Bagnaia was supposed to be starting from the second position but found myself at the pole because Aprilia’s Maverick Vinales was handed a three-place penalty at the morning warmup for not adhering to the black and orange flag. The Ducati rider comfortably pulled away from the pack, but it was Martin who stormed from sixth place to second before reaching the first turn of lap 1.
Watch Video: Jorge Martin crashes out at Valencia GP
It looked game on till the chequered flag, but the Pramac rider lost momentum when he lost control and went straight off the track nearly taking Bagnaia. After dropping to eighth, Martin was building some good pace and was making his up the grid but, sadly, the Spaniard clipped Marquez, launching the Honda rider to orbit. Hence, Martin’s 2023 season came to an end handing the world championship title to Bagnaia.
KTM charge losses fizz
Soon after receiving the message that Martin had crashed out, Bagnaia was overtaken by Binder and soon his teammate Jack Miller pushed the Ducati rider down to third place. Suddenly, KTM could dream of signing off the 2023 season with a 1-2 finish but there was another twist that turned into a nightmare for the Austrian team. On lap 14, Binder went so wide off the track that he was on the penalty lap handing the lead to Miller and the South African rejoined in 6th place. While Binder tried to muscle his way up the grid, he managed to finish fourth. Unfortunately for Miller, just when the Australian was looking to cruise to the finish line, he slid off turn ten and was out of the race.
Late charge
With Bagnaia back in pole position, he was challenged by Parmac’s Zarco, but the world champion kept him at bay. With the Frenchman not being able to make any headway, out of the blue Gresini’s Fabio Di Giannantonio blazed past him on Turn 11 and was millimetres behind Bagnaia.
The Gresini rider tried to push Pecco till the end, but the Ducati company rider showed why he’s the world champion and refused to give an inch as he won the 2023 Valencia GP and the world title. Another late twist for Di Giannantonio as he handed a three-second penalty due to tyre pressure infringement and he dropped to fourth place. Hence, Zarco and Binder were elevated to second and third positions respectively.