The first half of the MotoGP practice session saw riders getting up to speed and testing ahead of the races. The second half saw a mad scramble of fast laps to advance to Q2. But one thing remained constant: Álex Márquez was unbeatable with his pace and tire wear.
Early Crashes
All riders were immediately on track as soon as the green flag was waved. With rain in the air, riders and teams were hoping to get running without delay. Following his FP1 crash, Raúl Fernández was deemed fit to ride. He was eager to head out and was quickly putting in competitive times.
In the early stages of the session, crashes became common at Turn 13. Franco Morbidelli was first to fall and Luca Marini followed suit laps later. After a cautious season, this was Marini’s first real crash this year – but he didn’t let it stop him as he quickly returned to the track.
Many riders were also struggling to stay on the track – going wide and causing brief yellow flags. But the last infringement came from Jack Miller half way through.
Keeping the Tires Alive
One thing that riders faced difficulty against was maintaining their tires for consistent laps. The abrasive nature of the Portimão track forced riders to choose: fast in sectors 1 and 3, or 2 and 4 – not all.
Rookie Ai Ogura was on form throughout the session – often taking the fastest time in sector 1. However, he was unable to keep the tires for the whole lap and often had to concede time by the end. Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider Pedro Acosta also struggled to keep pace despite sitting comfortably in P2.
It was Álex Márquez who managed to find the best balance. Keeping pace early on but saving enough for the final sector was how he stayed at the top throughout the session.
The Fight For Q2
Whilst many riders settled for testing tires and the limits of the track, come the end of the session it was a fight to advance. Times were tumbling and places were being swapped with each lap completed.
Following their crashes, Morbidelli and Marini were challenging for a spot in the top 10, but both narrowly missed out. Late performance from Francesco Bagnaia and Marco Bezzecchi saw them both leave the drop zone for P2 and P4 respectively. With a mere 0.310 seconds separating P4-10, it was a close battle.
Once again, Joan Mir advances – finishing the session an impressive P5. With Johann Zarco just behind him and Marini almost making it, the Honda bikes look to be returning to form.
Márquez Only Rider in 1:37
In only his third lap, Álex Márquez set an impressive time and following riders struggled to match him. Whilst Pedro Acosta briefly took P1 from him, come the end of the session Márquez was undeniably the fastest rider. With a time of 1:37.97, he was the only one able to break the 1:38 time.
Whilst his time was still far from his brothers’ lap record, Márquez is on the hunt to steal another victory this year. Mixing pure pace with the ability to nurse his tires, he was able to stay calm throughout the session.
The top 10 can be seen below:
Can Álex Márquez continue his form come qualifying and the races? Ducati Lenovo Team rider Francesco Bagnaia wasn’t far behind and is hungry to reclaim third in the championship. And with Pedro Acosta’s positive history at Portimão, the battle for the win won’t be easy.