Quartararo Earns Third at Indonesian MotoGP 2023

Hot track conditions didn’t stop Team ENEOS rider Fabio Quartararo as he rallied to a third place podium finish at the Grand Prix of Indonesia for Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP. Teammate Franco Morbidelli suffered an unfortunate technical issue at the start of the race but rejoined after a pit stop to secure 14th place and two championship points.

Franco Morbidelli with a mostly solo ride at the 2023 Indonesian MotoGP

Quartararo finds shade at the Indonesian GP

The Frenchman started P4, slotting into third on the opening lap but was unable to match the pace of the two leading riders, so he decided to defend his position from those behind. Quartararo held briefly before being engulfed by charging riders, settling into sixth but moved up to fifth on lap 6 when Brad Binder completed a long-lap penalty.

El Diablo was back in his element by the midway stage, overtaking Aleix Espargaró on lap 13 for fourth. On the same lap, race leader Jorge Martin crashed, putting Quartararo on the podium. He tried to reel the front runners in but couldn’t get past Maverick Viñales, and finished the race extremely well in third, only 0.127sec from second and 0.433sec from first.

Quartararo battles through the heat to hold off the pack and finish third at the 2023 Indonesian MotoGP

Fabio Quartararo, Team ENEOS/Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP, 2023 Indonesian MotoGP

After electronics issues, Morbidelli rides to a 14th place finish at the Indonesian GP

“I’m so happy this was such a good race!” Quartararo exclaimed. “I showed my speed, and when you’re fighting for podium positions you always want more. We rode on the limit, and it was so nice to finish within 0.5sec from first.”

Morbidelli had a good launch from P15 off the grid but during the first sector of the opening lap he was at the back of the pack due to an electronics issue and entered the pits after lap 2. He rejoined the race four laps behind everyone else, but his persistence was rewarded. The Italian rode fast to climb the ranks and finished 14th, earning two championship points despite his early misfortunes.

Behind the helmet Quartararo is all smiles after finishing third at the Indonesian GP

Morbidelli rejoins the race after an electronics problem during the opening lap

“I had a good start but an electronics issue forced me to pull back,” Morbidelli explained. “After rejoining I rode 23 laps alone, but the speed was great.”

With the results in Indonesia, Quartararo remained tenth in the overall standings with 132 points, while Morbidelli also remained 12th with 79 points. Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP holds sixth in the team championship with 211 points, and Yamaha is fourth in the manufacturer standings with 152 points.