Portugal MotoGp Free Practise 1 Results

Marc Marquez splashes to the fastest lap time during a wet opening practice session for the Portimao MotoGP.

Starting only his second Portimao weekend after missing two of the previous three Portuguese rounds due to injuries, Marquez looked comfortable from the start, leading the timesheets from home hero Miguel Oliveira during the middle stages.

Rookie Marco Bezzecchi then impressed once again, taking over P1 with 20mins to go and keeping control until Marquez returned to the top with four minutes remaining.

Suzuki’s Joan Mir briefly took the top spot away, but Marquez responded on his final lap to lead the session by 0.365s.

The Repsol Honda star, who missed the wet Mandalika race due to his huge morning highside, had earlier suffered a small scare when he ran off track and onto the wet grass after looking over his shoulder to avoid holding up riders behind.

 

Factory Ducati’s Francesco Bagnaia briefly snatched second place in the closing stages but the lap was erased by a yellow flag for Luca Marini, leaving Bezzecchi (VR46 Ducati) in third ahead of Johann Zarco (Pramac Ducati), Oliveira (KTM) and Maverick Vinales (Aprilia).

Reigning champion Fabio Quartararo, runner-up to Oliveira in the wet Mandalika race, languished down in 18th place but was still the top Yamaha.

Takaaki Nakagami was the first MotoGP rider to be caught out by the slippery conditions, highsiding on the exit of turn 9 after 15mins, the Japanese then slowly rising to his feet and walking away. Fourth at the time of his accident, the LCR Honda rider finished 15th.

Ducati’s Jack Miller, among the frontrunners for much of the session, then low-sided at turn 8 in the closing ten minutes on his way to ninth place, before Marini’s suffered his late spill.

The wet weather is expected to continue for the rest of the day.

After four overseas events, the European leg of the 2022 MotoGP season begins at Portimao this weekend with Gresini’s Enea Bastianini leading the world championship standings by five points over Suzuki’s Alex Rins, after victories in two of the opening rounds.

Aleix Espargaro is 11 points from the top for Aprilia, with Rins’ team-mate Joan Mir, Yamaha’s reigning MotoGP champion Fabio Quartararo and KTM’s Brad Binder completing the early top six.

2020 champion Mir, Ducati’s reigning title runner-up Francesco Bagnaia and Repsol Honda’s six-time premier-class champion Marc Marquez (who has missed two races due to diplopia) are among those still seeking a first podium of the season.

The previous Portimao MotoGP rounds, all held since November 2020, have been won by home star Miguel Oliveira (KTM), Quartararo and Bagnaia respectively.