Valentino Rossi vs Jorge Lorenzo and Marc Marquez vs Dani Pedrosa are two of the greatest teammate rivalries we’ve seen in MotoGP™. The first person you want to beat in this phenomenal sport is your teammate and in 2023, there are some incredibly intriguing line-ups.
Francesco Bagnaia vs Enea Bastianini
The first is reigning World Champion Francesco Bagnaia welcoming Enea Bastianini into the Ducati Lenovo Team ranks. To Italian duo treated us to several epic battles in 2022 as Bastianini announced himself to the world as a real title contender. Bagnaia had to ride out of his skin to beat his countryman in Misano and Sepang, while it was ‘The Beast’ who managed to beat Pecco in Aragon.
Bagnaia, sporting the #1 plate in 2023, knows Ducati have brought Bastianini into the factory box to win races and challenge for titles. It goes without saying Bagnaia is in the very same boat, so this partnership really is one to keep an eye on throughout the year. They’ve already faced off more than once, but doing it on the same coloured Desmosedicis will add a generous dose of spice to future fights.
Marc Marquez vs Joan Mir
Marc Marquez and Joan Mir have 10 World Championship titles between them. This makes the 2023 Repsol Honda Team line-up one of the strongest pairings we’ve seen in the premier class. A fully fit, extremely motivated Marquez has gone through four surgeries and two years from hell with only one thing on his mind: winning another MotoGP™ title. Honda have been success-starved – by their standards – since the #93’s 2019 title-winning campaign, making 2023 a massive year for MotoGP™’s most successful manufacturer.
Bringing the 2020 MotoGP™ World Champion in to partner Marquez signifies HRC’s need to get back to winning ways on a regular basis as soon as possible. Mir has a tough task ahead but his adaptation from Suzuki to Honda has been positive so far, and he’s been in the ballpark of Marquez’s times throughout pre-season. If Mir can challenge Marquez every weekend, especially if it’s for podiums and victories, then we’ll have two Spanish premier class World Champions going head-to-head. To many, Marquez is the greatest rider of all time. Double title winner Mir is widely regarded as one of the star talents in Grand Prix racing. It’s a compelling line-up Repsol Honda have.
Brad Binder vs Jack Miller
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing welcomes Jack Miller to their ranks in 2023, as the Australian partners KTM mainstay Brad Binder. Both riders are MotoGP™ race winners, the duo finished inside the top six of the 2022 World Championship and the two of them form a formidable partnership.
Just like Honda, KTM need to find that extra step to give Binder and Miller the tools to mount regular podium and win challenges. Binder will start 2023 as KTM’s main man – and he’s undoubtedly ready to win a MotoGP™ title. Miller still needs to fully adapt himself to KTM’s RC16 from Ducati’s world-beating Desmosedici GP22, but the Aussie will get there. Both riders boast a bagful of talent, and the team who finished second behind Ducati Lenovo Team in the 2022 standings know they have a fearsome pairing on their hands. If the RC16 can be guided into a regular race-winning package, expect Binder and Miller to be proper threats every weekend.
Now that's what we call #WheelieWednesday content. ????
— Red Bull KTM Factory Racing (@KTM_Racing) March 15, 2023
Who wants some wallpapers? #KTM #ReadyToRace pic.twitter.com/eGcsJetE4Y
Aleix Espargaro vs Maverick Viñales
‘The Captain’ and ‘Top Gun’. They’ve been a dream pairing for Aprilia Racing so far since Viñales joined halfway through 2021. Both have multiple podiums to their name on the RS-GP, with Espargaro claiming that famous debut win in Argentina – and then being a title contender until the penultimate round of the season.
Now though, after a full year in the Noale camp, it’s Viñales’ time to shine. The #12 comes into 2023 off the back of a very promising pre-season, as Aprilia relish the thought of having two riders capable of winning GPs week in, week out. Their 2023 RS-GP has been impressive in the Sepang and Portimao Tests, so the two Spaniards could be well on course to pitch themselves against each other on a regular basis. That’s a mouth-watering prospect.
Take your pick…
It’s not just four of the factory teams where some big teammate rivalries lie. Can Franco Morbidelli rediscover his mojo to challenge Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™ teammate Fabio Quartararo on a regular basis? Yamaha are another manufacturer who face a massive season as they aim to wrestle back their crown.
Then there’s experience vs youth in the CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP™ Team as 2021 Moto2™ star boy Raul Fernandez lines up alongside Miguel Oliveira on a pair of Aprilias. The same applies to GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3 where reigning Moto2™ World Champion Augusto Fernandez pitches himself against compatriot Pol Espargaro.
To put it simply, there’s an abundance of teammate rivalries that are set to take place in 2023. Are you ready for more MotoGP™ than ever? We certainly are.