MotoGP Mid-season awards: Best rider, best team, surprise package…

With the summer break drawing to a close, mahbx.com dishes out its mid-season MotoGP awards for those who have performed at an elite level.
Jorge Martin, MotoGP race, Dutch MotoGP, 25 June
Jorge Martin, MotoGP race, Dutch MotoGP, 25 June

With eight rounds in the books and 12 still remaining, a lot of MotoGP action is yet to come, starting with the Britis⛄h Grand Prix at Silverstone on August 6th.&nꦛbsp;

But be﷽fore then, we have mid-season awards to hand out…

Best rider - Francesco Bagnaia

Th⛦is is an obvious choice based on wins and championship standings, however, this was a tough call given the progress, but also consistentꦦ form shown by Marco Bezzecchi.

Ducati hav🙈e never been so dominant, but even so, Bagnaia and Bezzecchi have stood out along ♈with Jorge Martin. Bagnaia, who has six wins to his name, looks like the favourite to repeat as MotoGP champion, but Bezzecchi and Martin can’t be ruled out. 

Best team - Pramac Ducati

No team has combined for as many podiums as that of Martin and Johann Zaไrco for Pramac. Leading the teams’ standings by 12 points, Pramac’s only challenger at the moment is Mooney VR46 thanks to the impressive results of Bezzecchi and Luca Marini.

That margin was considerably more heading into Assen, however, Martin failed to step on the podium for the first time since Le Mans, asও ❀was the case for Zarco. 

Best new rider and team combination - Jack Miller/KTM

This was also a tough call because of the early-season performances from Alex Marquez. It’s clear that the Span🍌iard has the ability to win a race this season, but the combination of Miller and KTM has beenౠ more consistent, while the Australian has been a big reason for the Austrian manufacturer’s improved form in 2023. 

Biggest surprise - Marco Bezzecchi

Althoꦜugh he missed out on best rider, Bezzecchi’s level in 2023 was deserving of recognition which is why he claims this title. ౠWas it a great surprise that Bezzecchi made a step forward in 2023? Of course not.

But was h🐼e expected to battle for wins and dominate on occasion the way he has, no less on last year’s GP-22, no we don’t think he was. 

Marco Bezzecchi, MotoGP race, Dutch MotoGP, 25 June
Marco Bezzecchi, MotoGP race, Dutch MotoGP, 25 June

Best race - German Grand Prix

By far the most enthralling race and the one that went all the way to the finish line, Martin and Bagnaia put on a show at Sach🦂senring. After battling in the sprint race, Martin and Bagnaia resumed their on-track fight but this time for the entirety of the Grand Prix.

A showdown that showed 𒈔Bagnaia won’t have everything his own way in the second half of the year, Martin’s performance was a reminder that when everything clicks, the Spaniard has what iﷺt takes to beat the Italian.

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