The last practice session of the Portuguese GP was thwarted by wet track conditions, with half the grid remaining cautious in the Saturday MotoGP Free Practice 2 session. However, Fermín Aldeguer took his time coming out as the circuit improved, and came out on top with a best lap time of 1:41.65. His BK8 Gresini Racing teammate, Álex Márquez, finished three-thousandths of a second behind him. Read on to find out how the rest of the MotoGP riders fared in the morning session.
Wet Patches Out on Track
With very few Moto3 and Moto2 riders taking to the track to set times in their own Free Practice 2 sessions, the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve had limited dry lines for MotoGP riders to find. While it was certainly drying under the sunshine, it wasn’t enough for some riders to risk slick tyres with the upcoming qualifying session directly afterwards. The best way to clear that water is to put the bikes back on track. However, not many wanted to come out and play guinea pigs for the rest of the field.
Francesco Bagnaia and Nicolò Bulega were quick to return to the Ducati Lenovo Team garage, discussing some of the sketchier parts of the circuit, including Sector 4. With ten minutes gone, only nine riders had set lap times, with it being too dry for wet tyres and too wet for dry tyres. Making the wrong decision could mean a bigger headache for your team to rebuild your bike. Eventually, riders took the chance to come out for the second half of the session on slicks.
Jump-Off Contenders at Turn 8
One of the main highlights at Portimão has to be the elevated section coming out of Turn 8, with several tremendous leaps on Friday. Jack Miller had already put out a call to any challengers wanting to try their luck in the morning session.
Joan Mir was first to thrill the crowd with his submission to the unofficial jump-off contest. That wouldn’t do for Miller, the first to take a punt on the slicks, as he was left to an empty track. Unfortunately, with many riders running late in the session due to damp track conditions, not many more took up the challenge. But Aldeguer took a launch as the track conditions improved.
Preparation for the Subsequent Qualifying
Typically, in Free Practice 2, teams aim to get their bikes set up as close to perfect as possible to be ready for the immediate Q1 session. However, due to the tricky conditions, many were late in setting lap times. A lot of this has to do with both confidence and caution. But if a rider goes into qualifying without the correct configuration, it could hurt their chances. But it also comes down to confidence. With a mixed selection of contenders for Q1 — all four Yamaha riders, and a handful of Honda, Aprilia, Ducati and KTM riders — to compete for the coveted two advancing positions, the end of the session was a clean and careful one.
Top Ten of the Session
- Fermín Aldeguer
- Álex Márquez
- Joan Mir
- Marco Bezzecchi
- Francesco Bagnaia
- Pedro Acosta
- Johann Zarco
- Raúl Fernández
- Pol Espargaró
- Jack Miller