MotoGP Argentina, Termas - Sprint Race Results

Update: Fabio Quartararo was given a one second post-race penalty for passing under a yellow flag, but remains in ninth place.

* Rookie

Brad Binder holds off a charging Marco Bezzecchi to take victory, from 15th on the grid, in a frantic Saturday Sprint race at the 2023 MotoGP of Argentina.

After a dramatic damp qualifying, which saw Alex Marquez claim a debut pole from Bezzecchi and reigning champion Francesco Bagnaia after the Ducati trio made a late switch to slicks, the Termas de Rio Hondo circuit dried out for the 3pm Sprint.

Marquez snatched the holeshot for the 12-lap contest ahead of Franco Morbidelli - but it was Binder who was on Morbidelli's rear wheel by the end of the opening lap, having hugged the inside perfectly at turn 1!

Behind them, VR46 team-mates Luca Marini and Marco Bezzecchi made contact, causing Bezzecchi to lose a wing.

By the time Bezzecchi recaught and passed Marini it was for second place with 3 laps to go, with Binder and victory dangling just 0.8s ahead.

The Italian was locked onto the RC16 with half-a-lap remaining, but Binder held firm to claim his first win since Austria 2021 by 0.072s. 

• Argentina: Sprint Race - New MotoGP World Championship standings

Bezzecchi made it two podiums in a row while Marini took the first MotoGP rostrum of his career ahead of Morbidelli - celebrating his highest finish since Jerez 2021 - and Marquez, with double Portimao winner Bagnaia a subdued sixth.

More was also expected of factory Aprilia team-mates Maverick Vinales (who lost a wing) and Aleix Espargaro, first and second on Friday. Vinales took seventh with 2022 winner Espargaro crashing from the lower end of the top ten, where he had started.

Like Espargaro, Fabio Quartararo also failed to make an impression after a poor qualifying. The Monster Yamaha rider lost even more ground from tenth on the grid before eventually inheriting ninth after Espargaro’s exit.

Binder's KTM team-mate Jack Miller was tenth.

Lone Repsol Honda rider Joan Mir, who qualified last, crashed on the opening lap and was taken to the medical centre. The 2020 world champion is feared to have suffered an ankle injury.

All riders picked the hard front and medium rear tyre combination with the exception of Marquez, Martin, Zarco and Augusto Fernandez, who chose the medium front.

• MotoGP Argentina - Full Qualifying Results
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Four riders are missing Argentina due to injuries at last weekend’s Portimao season-opener: Pol Espargaro, Enea Bastianini, Miguel Oliveira and Marc Marquez.

Bastianini, Oliveira and Marquez hope to return for round three in COTA but Espargaro’s injuries are set to see him sidelined for at least several more events. There are no replacement riders this weekend but Espargaro will be replaced by KTM test rider Jonas Folger next time out.

With Marquez missing, Alex Rins has been given one of the newer Honda chassis as used by the #93 for this weekend - but now also hopes to try one of the other versions used by Joan Mir.

Aleix Espargaro gave Aprilia its first and so far only MotoGP victory in last year’s Termas de Rio Hondo race ahead of Jorge Martin, who was also caught up in the Marquez-Oliveira clash and is riding with a broken toe this weekend.

Unlike last weekend's Portimao season-opener, which was preceded by a winter test, there has been no MotoGP action at Argentina since last year's grand prix.