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MotoGP

All you need to know about first Portimao MotoGP practice

by Valentin Khorounzhiy
3 min read

until Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League

MotoGP’s newly-crowned 2021 champion Fabio Quartararo led the way in the opening practice session of the season’s penultimate race weekend at Portimao.

Key moments

– Quartararo beats Bagnaia late on
– Two Suzukis in top five, three Ducatis in top six
– Top KTM only 14th

The top spot in the session was occupied by either Quartararo or his main rival Francesco Bagnaia for all but a few minutes of the session.

Bagnaia seemed to have taken the final spot for good coming into the final minutes, continuing to respond to any improvements from Quartararo, yet the Frenchman lept ahead at the chequered flag with a 1m40.192s.

It left Bagnaia half a tenth adrift, with his factory Ducati team-mate Jack Miller moving up to third place late on.

Suzuki’s Alex Rins, transmitting some captivating footage from a chest-mounted onboard camera during the session, ended up fourth, but was almost three times as far off Miller as Miller was off Quartararo.

Rins’ team-mate Joan Mir followed him in fifth, having very narrowly avoided a monumental highside while coming out of the hairpin-esque Turn 13 midway through the session.

Rookie Luca Marini stood out for VR46 Ducati in sixth place, ahead of Pol Espargaro (Honda). The two Aprilias of Maverick Vinales and Aleix Espargaro were eighth and 10th, split by the factory Yamaha of Franco Morbidelli, who will be getting a new crew chief next year.

Of the four-rider KTM contingent, the Honda World Superbike-bound Iker Lecuona was fastest but only 14th, with home hero Miguel Oliveira four places back.

With Marc Marquez absent through concussion, his replacement, Honda’s test rider Stefan Bradl, ended the opening session in the penultimate spot, albeit just 1.462s off the pace.

Practice 1 Results

Pos Name Team Bike Gap Next Gap Leader Best Time
1 Fabio Quartararo Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Yamaha 1m40.192s
2 Francesco Bagnaia Ducati Lenovo Team Ducati +0.045s +0.045s 1m40.237s
3 Jack Miller Ducati Lenovo Team Ducati +0.086s +0.131s 1m40.323s
4 Alex Rins Team SUZUKI ECSTAR Suzuki +0.228s +0.359s 1m40.551s
5 Joan Mir Team SUZUKI ECSTAR Suzuki +0.138s +0.497s 1m40.689s
6 Luca Marini SKY VR46 Avintia Team Ducati +0.096s +0.593s 1m40.785s
7 Pol Espargaró Repsol Honda Team Honda +0.01s +0.603s 1m40.795s
8 Maverick Viñales Aprilia Racing Team Gresini Aprilia +0.058s +0.661s 1m40.853s
9 Franco Morbidelli Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Yamaha +0.034s +0.695s 1m40.887s
10 Aleix Espargaró Aprilia Racing Team Gresini Aprilia +0.002s +0.697s 1m40.889s
11 Alex Marquez LCR Honda Castrol Honda +0.059s +0.756s 1m40.948s
12 Takaaki Nakagami LCR Honda IDEMITSU Honda +0.047s +0.803s 1m40.995s
13 Johann Zarco Pramac Racing Ducati +0.089s +0.892s 1m41.084s
14 Iker Lecuona Tech3 KTM Factory Racing KTM +0.115s +1.007s 1m41.199s
15 Brad Binder Red Bull KTM Factory Racing KTM +0.016s +1.023s 1m41.215s
16 Danilo Petrucci Tech3 KTM Factory Racing KTM +0.081s +1.104s 1m41.296s
17 Jorge Martin Pramac Racing Ducati +0.052s +1.156s 1m41.348s
18 Miguel Oliveira Red Bull KTM Factory Racing KTM +0.027s +1.183s 1m41.375s
19 Andrea Dovizioso Petronas Yamaha SRT Yamaha +0.017s +1.2s 1m41.392s
20 Enea Bastianini Avintia Esponsorama Racing Ducati +0.164s +1.364s 1m41.556s
21 Stefan Bradl Repsol Honda Team Honda +0.098s +1.462s 1m41.654s
22 Valentino Rossi Petronas Yamaha SRT Yamaha +0.426s +1.888s 1m42.08s
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