The 2023 MotoGP season began with the Tissot Sprint, the first-ever such event in the history of the championship. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) became the first winner of the Tissot Sprint, triumphing over Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) in a last-lap battle. Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) came third. Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team) had an early exit after losing his balance, and Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) struggled throughout the race, being pushed back to the 14th spot at one point, and eventually finished in 10th place. Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and Miguel Oliveira (CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP™ Team) made up the rest of the top five. Bagnaia had initially lost his lead to Miller, but regained his position in the closing stages of the race. Meanwhile, Martin led for a while before making a mistake, which Bagnaia quickly exploited to take the lead.
