The four teammate pairings that could provide drama in MotoGP 2023
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Repsol HondaTwo world champions, two Spaniards, two riders eager to get the better of one-another, Marc Marquez and Joan Mir will go heto-head as they attempt to bring Honda back into contention.Marc Marquez: ‘The risk I take will always be the same because it’s my mentality’Yamaha: Fabio Quartararo ‘one of those extraordinary MotoGP talents’With just three wins from the last three seasons, all of which came courtesy of Marquez, the most successful team in MotoGP has gone through a severe damp patch.Mir, who arrives at Honda eager to replicate the form of 2020 which saw him win the title, will arguably have the toughest challenge on the entire grid, as Marquez has never been beaten by a team-mate over a full season. In fact, Marquez has comfortably finished as the top Honda rider despite missing races in both 2021 and 2022.Also adding to the potential spice of this pairing, is the fact Marquez and Mir have had plenty of run-ins during their time together in MotoGP.Whilst competing for Suzuki, Mir voiced his frustration at Marquez’s tactics from Free Practice and Qualifying sessions, as Marquez was seen using his fellow Spaniard to gain a tow. Mir and Marquez have only had positive things to say about each other since the former joined Repsol Honda, however, when on-track and potentially fighting for wins something tells us their rivalry will be renewed. Red Bull KTMWhat could end up being one of the tightest inter-team battles on the grid, Brad Binder and Jack Miller are expected to compete for the right to finish as the top KTM rider, which in-turn could see them fight for the title.Related Marquez: ‘The risk I take will always be the same because it’s my mentality’ Yamaha: Quartararo ‘one of those extraordinary talents’ – ExclusiveYes, Ducati has the fastest bike on the grid, but as Binder so often showed in race situations, the RC16 can be fighting for wins if qualifying results go their way.Bringing a raft of experience across from Ducati is Miller, who was previously in the KTM set-up in Moto3, while it’s also a reunion with former Pramac Team Manager, Francesco Guidotti. Miller and Binder have both won races in the last two seasons, and as they showed during their battle in Assen, no rider wanted to give an inch to the other. There has already been frustration between the pair when Miller accused Binder of ‘smashing into me’ during said battle at the Dutch Grand Prix. The Australian rider’s comments were made after an attempted overtake at the final chicane.And with the right to be the fastest KTM rider on the line in 2023, fireworks could be aplenty between both riders. Mooney VR46 Ducati While Marco Bezzecchi and Luca Marini are very good friends, not to mention they are part of the VR46 Academy, a strong season from both riders could put them in contention to graduate into the Pramac Ducati team.Bezzecchi already showed as a rookie that he can get the better of Marini, who himself began to emerge as a contender for podiums during the second half of the year.Impressing team owner Valentino Rossi is sure to be one of their main goals, and although the nine-time world champion won’t want to see a negative rivalry emerge, the opportunity to move up the ranks at Ducati should lead to both riders giving as good as they get.Lenovo Ducati Francesco Bagnaia and Enea Bastianini produced some of the best racing in 2022, and although it was very clean for the most part, visible tension was there when team orders began to surface. Sitting directly next to Bagnaia during press conferences, Bastianini repeatedly said he would go for race wins as opposed to moving out of the way should Bagnaia need it.In fact, during the Malaysian MotoGP Bastianini was shown a message on his pit board that asked him to relinquish the lead, however, the Italian chose not to do so. To Bastianini’s defence, winning or finishing second was not going to be enough on that day for Bagnaia to win the title, so the Gresini Ducati rider was well in his right to fight for the win, which eventually went the way of Bagnaia.”4Now in the factory team and with a clear opportunity to win the 2023 world championship, Bastianini is unlikely to play second fiddle to Bagnaia.Battling for race wins is expected to be a regular occurrence for both riders, and thus, a similar championship fight to that of Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo in 2015 could be on the cards.
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