The Asian phase of the MotoGP World Championship calendar begins this weekend with the Indian GP. It marks the first edition of this race and the debut of the Buddh International Circuit.
In the MotoGP class, Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) remains firmly in the lead. However, he has a 36-point gap over Jorge Martín (Prima Pramac/Ducati), so he must defend his position as each GP is worth 37 points. Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team/Ducati) is third, 65 points behind.
After very different performances in the last two rounds, it will be curious to see what Aprilia can achieve: not only with factory riders Aleix Espargaró and Maverick Viñales but also with Miguel Oliveira. The Portuguese rider from CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP Team won the races at the last two circuits that debuted on the calendar.
Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo/Kalex) is increasingly isolating himself at the top of Moto2. He is 34 points ahead of Tony Arbolino (Elf Marc VDS/Kalex), so regardless of what happens, he won’t be overtaken in India. Arbolino and Jake Dixon (GasGas Aspar/Kalex) are also isolated in second and third place, respectively.
As for Moto3, Daniel Holgado (Red Bull KTM Tech3) is going through a phase of poor results, having failed to score points in the last two rounds. Despite still leading the championship, he now has only a four-point advantage over Ayumu Sasaki (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP). Three more riders could potentially pass him in the standings, including David Alonso (GasGas Aspar), who won the last two rounds.
Below, we provide you with the schedule (CET times) for the Indian GP in all categories.
Friday, September 22
05:30-06:20: Practice 1 Moto3
06:35-07:30: Practice 1 Moto2
07:45-08:55: Free practice 1 MotoGP
09:45-10:35: Practice 2 Moto3
10:50-11:45: Practice 2 Moto2
12:00-13:10: Practice MotoGP
Saturday, September 23
05:40-06:10: Practice 3 Moto3
06:25-06:55: Practice 3 Moto2
07:10-07:40: Free practice 2 MotoGP
07:50-08:05: Qualifying Q1 MotoGP
08:15-08:30: Qualifying Q2 MotoGP
09:50-10:05: Qualifying Q1 Moto3
10:15-10:30: Qualifying Q2 Moto3
10:45-11:00: Qualifying Q1 Moto2
11:10-11:25: Qualifying Q2 Moto2
12:00: Sprint race MotoGP (12 laps)
Sunday, September 24
07h40-07:50: Warm-up MotoGP
09:00: Race Moto3 (17 laps)
10:15: Race Moto2 (19 laps)
12:00: Race MotoGP (24 laps)