What went on in wet first MotoGP practice at Portimao

Honda MotoGP rider Marc Marquez set the pace in a fully-wet first practice session of the Portuguese Grand Prix weekend at Portimao.

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Key moments:

> Marquez denies Mir

> Five marques in top six

> Yamahas no higher than 18th

> Crashes for Miller, Nakagami and Marini

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At the forefront of the session for the whole duration, Marquez was demoted from first place at the chequered flag by Joan Mir, only to respond with his own final attempt – 1m50.666s that lifted him four tenths clear of Mir’s Suzuki.

Rookie Marco Bezzecchi (VR46 Ducati) was a standout performer, having led for a stretch before ending up in an eventual third place, while Pramac’s Johann Zarco made it two satellite Ducatis in the top four.

Works Ducati rider Francesco Bagnaia would’ve slotted in between Bezzecchi and Zarco but had his fastest lap erased due to a yellow flag infringement, with the yellow flags caused by an incident for Bezzecchi’s team-mate Luca Marini.

Local hero Miguel Oliveira in fifth and Maverick Vinales in sixth led the way for KTM and Aprilia respectively, making it five marques in the top six.

The only manufacturer absent not just from the top six but from the top 17 was Yamaha, with its leading rider – reigning champion Fabio Quartararo – 1.395s off the pace.

Beyond Marini’s crash, there were falls for Ducati’s Jack Miller and LCR Honda’s Takaaki Nakagami, the latter left pretty winded by his significant Turn 9 tumble.

It looks like @takanakagami30 has highsided up the hill towards Turn 10! 😮

Thankfully Taka appears to be OK! 👍#PortugueseGP 🇵🇹 pic.twitter.com/4X4H7AG491

— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) April 22, 2022

Practice 1 Results