Riders reflect on crazy Portimao qualifying session

2021 MotoGP Round Three Portimao
Qualifying Quotes/Results / Reports

Fabio Quartararo – P1

“It‘s a pole, but it doesn‘t feel like it usually does. Bagnaia was extremely fast on one lap. I‘m actually happier about being in first place in FP3 and FP4 than I am about this pole position. The main goal was to start from the front row – that we achieved by our own merit, and then the pole was handed to us afterwards. The feeling is really good. It‘s just a shame that I had a big shake in the last corner of the last lap. I could have improved the lap time more, but I‘m happy. I know the pace that I‘m capable of. This one is for my team.”

Alex Rins – P2

“It’s always important to start as far up the grid as possible, but of course the front row is the best and I’m happy to be here in 2nd place. I pushed really hard and I felt great on the bike, and this encourages me for tomorrow because I feel that I can get a good start and be with the front group from the start. The race won’t be easy, because Fabio and the others have a lot of pace, but I’m ready for it.”

Johann Zarco – P3

“I am ready for tomorrow’s race, to start on the first row is always an advantage. This is especially true for a track like this, where remaining in front of the group is fundamental. Unfortunately, I slipped during the first run, but I was able to bring the bike back to the box and this gave me the time to do the second run. We have the chance to do well tomorrow.”

Jack Miller – P4

“I wasn’t able to get a perfect lap time in qualifying today, and maybe I could have done a bit more, but the second-row start isn’t bad and departing from the fourth position will definitely allow us to try and get back into the top group after the start. The conditions of my right arm are perfect, and I didn’t feel any issues even after doing several laps in 1:40s today. We’ll see how it behaves over the 25-lap distance, but I’m confident I can fight for a good result tomorrow.”

Franco Morbidelli – P5

“I am happy with fifth today. I felt like we were a little bit stronger with the race pace, than over a single lap, but the feeling is so much better than in Qatar. We need to see what will happen tomorrow though. I’m certain there will be a big group of riders all doing a similar pace, so it’s going to be interesting. I feel like I have the pace to fight for a podium here, but if there is that big group then it could be very difficult to get into the top-three. Although P5 tomorrow is good, it’s still not an ideal situation to show our true pace. We will see where we are after the first laps though and what we can do from there.”

Marc Marquez – P6

“Today we put in a lot of effort. My plan in FP3 was to try to get to Q2, this was the goal today but it wasn’t possible. I really wasn’t expecting to move into Q2 after Q1, but some bike changes to suit my style really helped. The position we are in isn’t real, it’s something amazing but we are realistic and know that the race will be long. The doctors have told me each day I will have less and less power in my arm, but we will do what we can and the aim is to finish the race and see what’s possible. All the pain I have in my arm is on the muscle side which is a positive.”

Aleix Espargaro – P7

“After so many days lapping on the same circuit in Qatar, we wanted some feedback on the competitiveness of the new RS-GP here. I think the results demonstrate the big step forward Aprilia has made. The bike works well even on a track with extremely different characteristics. Actually, we aren’t entirely happy with our qualifying position, but with these gaps, the difference between the first and third row is truly minimal. In terms of pace, I’m also seeing a lot of riders at a similar level, myself included. I think the differences will come out in the final laps. Those who have saved their tyres will be able to battle for the podium.”

Luca Marini – P8

“I am really very happy with this top 8 place in Q2 and satisfied with the work I am doing with the Team. I am more comfortable on the bike and we have made a great step forward that we will take from here are to the next races. In the FP4 I kept a good pace, we are close to the fastest guys.  It’s a pity the crash but we will continue to work to make the most of the warm up”.

Joan Mir – P9

“Being outside of the Top 10 always makes it tougher because you have to come through from Q1 and for sure that’s not ideal because you have one less tyre available. We had good speed and I felt good, but it’s harder when you’ve already used up one tyre. Anyway, my race pace is strong and I feel confident for tomorrow, but it’s the same story as always; I’ll have to work hard at the start to recover positions. I’ll do the best job I can and I’m excited to race here.”

Miguel Oliveira – P10

“It was a short qualifying. I crashed in the second run where I lost the front, and I was improving both sectors so it might have put me higher in the standings but anyway it’s all done. So, we start from the fourth row and that’s what we need to accept. The race pace was not so bad, we did a good FP4 and this morning was a good pace. We will find out tomorrow what we can achieve. I hope to make a smooth race and move forward from the start, gain as many positions as I can and do my best.”

Francesco Bagnaia – P11

“I’m obviously disappointed that I missed out on pole position. I had managed to set an incredible time, but two of my laps were cancelled in the space of a few minutes. Unfortunately, the flag was displayed in a place where I couldn’t see it: I was coming down a hill, I was already taking a left turn, and the flag was on the right. Obviously, these are the rules, and we have to follow them. Tomorrow we will start from the eleventh position, and it will not be easy to recover, but we will try. My race pace is good, the feeling with the bike is excellent, and I feel really comfortable on this track”.

Maverick Vinales – P12

“It‘s tough to accept my last lap cancellation, because I don‘t think that I was on the green. It‘s not clear if I was or not, but it is what it is, we can‘t do anything about it. It‘s not something I want to spend too much time talking about. I‘d rather focus on the good feeling I had on and off track. My last two lap times would have put me on the front row. We improved a lot compared to yesterday. I feel quite strong on the rhythm, especially on a used tyre. Braking is also feeling much better. I‘m strong there too now, which is a good sign, because tomorrow we need to fight our way up from twelfth on the grid. We‘ll see. Honestly, I feel really good with the bike, and this is the most important. But we need to keep thinking of a way to improve for tomorrow, because we need to deliver something special.”

Álex Márquez – P13

“I’m happy, but we always seem to be one position back from going through to Q2, first in FP3 and then Q1. This morning, I made a mistake and crashed in FP3 when there was the main opportunity to be in Q2. I made a mistake and had a big crash, but I’m ok and in quite good condition physically. In terms of rhythm, we are really good, we still need to find some extra time in sector two, but in general we’re not bad. We’ll try to make a good race, make a good start, to push from the start, be aggressive and overtake and be a challenger from the start to the finish.”

Pol Espargaro – P14

“I was a bit too fast on entry to the corner and then I lost the rear, when I touched the throttle the rear kept slipping and I had a huge highside in the end. I wasn’t expecting it and it was a big impact in the end, I am quite sore around my hip and it certainly did not help us during Qualifying. I am still struggling to link all the sectors together, when you look at the pieces we can be fast but I still can’t put them together over one lap and this is where we are struggling. Now we need to take some rest and try to be as ready as possible for tomorrow, it is going to be a hard race but we will see what can happen.”

Brad Binder – P15

“A little bit tough today. I would have liked to have been stronger than we were. I didn’t do a fantastic job with my riding either. It was difficult to do a really fast lap-time. In FP4 I was more comfortable so I’m excited for the race tomorrow I think we can do a good job, a solid job. I’m looking forward to a good fight and winning a lot of positions.”

Enea Bastianini – P16

“Today we improved with respect to yesterday, obviously it has not been enough to move on to Q2. I’m not 100% on this track, we could have improved but was not possible. For me, it is difficult managing the braking. For tomorrow we’ll analyse the data and try to make a step forward on the warm up. We have made small modifications that I hope will go well.”

Valentino Rossi – P17

“We have worked hard and made improvements from yesterday, especially under braking as we were suffering during those moments in Friday’s Free Practice sessions. In the afternoon I was able to ride better and my pace was consistent, but I am still missing some speed. There are still improvements to be made there and we know that it will be hard to make progress through the pack tomorrow. The start will be difficult as we are a bit too far from the top guys and ideally we need a better pace to be able to fight with them.”

Danilo Petrucci – P18

“We improved a little bit but I didn’t manage to do a perfect qualification. Obviously, I’m not very pleased about my starting position but I’m happy that we improved our feeling on the bike. I want to be further in front. I still have to learn a lot and make kilometers in order to be faster. I think we are quite close to the others. So, the target is to get even closer to the front. It’s going to be a challenging race tomorrow.”

Iker Lecuona – P19

“I improved a lot.With each run I went a bit quicker and tried to learn this track more with the big bike, as it definitely isn’t easy. In the beginning I was struggling a lot morebut now I got closer contact to the other riders, so I’m happy. For sure, I need to continue my race preparation during Warm Up tomorrow morning in order to keep that fast pace. I’m very optimistic and I think we can do a decent race.”

Lorenzo Savadori – P20

“The cancelled time in Q1 is a pity. It would have been my best performance and it would have given us a few positions. In any case, we are reducing the gap, both with our rivals and with Aleix, but we obviously still have a lot of work to do. The race tomorrow will be extremely demanding. Carefully analysing the data will be fundamental to be as ready as possible for it.”

Takaaki Nakagami – DNQ

“Today was a difficult day for me. When I woke up this morning I did not feel well, but at least I had to try and jump on the bike in FP3. After a few laps I realised it was better to rest, so we missed FP4 and qualifying. Tomorrow is going to be a tough race from last position but, as you know, we never give up and we’ll try to do our best and hopefully get a few points.”

MotoGP Qualifying Report

Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) is the new lap-record holder at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve as the Frenchman put in a stunner to take his 11th MotoGP pole position. It was a dramatic qualifying at the Grande Premio 888 de Portugal with Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) emerging as the closest challenger in second, within a tenth of Quartararo, and Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) locking out the front row as the Championship leader continues his run of fast form – this time despite a crash.

The first headlines came in Q1, however. Reigning MotoGP Champion Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) and returning, eight-time World Champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) both found themselves in the session, and the fireworks didn’t quite go off but a fuse was definitely lit.

Marquez followed the Suzuki throughout their first runs and the two were split by just a tenth and a half in Marquez’ favour, before the number 93 also shadowed the Suzuki rider back into pitlane, side by side. They were 1-2, Marquez-Mir.

On the next runs, a number of riders threatened but it remained the two Champions on top, with Mir improving but remaining just in arrears, this time by only 0.049. Alex Marquez (LCR Honda Castrol), Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda Team) and Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) couldn’t quite break the Marc Marquez-Mir stranglehold, and the two sailed through as Alex Marquez, Pol Espargaro and Binder were left with 13th, 14th and 15th on the grid.

And so Q2 began. Home hero Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) was the leader on the road but Aleix Espargaro’s (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) first lap was a quick one – a 1:39.452 put the Spaniard P1 initially, but not for long. The benchmark was set by Quartararo, the best of the weekend so far, as he put in a 1:39.028 on his first flying lap. Meanwhile, after setting two red sectors, Zarco then crashed unhurt at Turn 11… but crucially the Frenchman was able to ride his GP21 back to pitlane.

Meanwhile, Bagnaia went P2 to cut Quartararo’s advantage down to just 0.117s, with the latter having a snap on the entry to Turn 8. That ruined his second flying lap, and then Bagnaia’s lap got cancelled, as did Maverick Viñales’ (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) because of yellow flags waving for Zarco’s crash. Mir then slotted in behind second place Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) to provisionally sit on the front row, but there was plenty of action left to play. After waiting it out, Marc Marquez – who was yet to set a time – then emerged from pitlane alongside eighth place Rins. And once again, alongside meant alongside for the Honda and Suzuki…

Quartararo, however, emerged ready to lay down another marker. El Diablo was 0.137s under his own time through Sector 3 and coming across the line, it was a new all-time lap record for the Frenchman. Oliveira then snuck into P5, Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) went P2, and Luca Marini (Sky VR46 Avintia) – after an impressive performance to go straight through to Q2 – shot up to a magical P4. The cameras panned to Rins, Marc Marquez and Quartararo next and shadowing the Suzuki, Marc Marquez climbed onto the front row. Just behind the Spaniard, Quartararo was lurking although he couldn’t improve that time round. That’s when Q2 started to make a few headlines of its own.

Oliveira suddenly slid out at the bottom of the hill at Turn 9, although the Portuguese rider was ok, as Zarco bounced back from his own crash to slot into second. Morbidelli knocked Marquez onto the third row as the Italian took fifth, and Bagnaia was on a serious rampage. Three tenths up heading into the final sector, the Italian slammed in a new lap record – and then the lap got cancelled. Yellow flags were to blame, although it remained understandably contentious for the Italian after the fact. That left him in P11, and there was more heartbreak as Viñales instead ran afoul of track limits by the smallest of margins, leaving him down in P12.

And so Quartararo, who said it did feel a little different to his ten previous MotoGP poles after the drama and pace of Bagnaia, takes the top honours on Saturday and holds the new lap record. Rins snuck in a stunner to take second though, the Suzuki rider just 0.089s behind the Yamaha but nevertheless taking his equal best MotoGP qualifying result. Championship leader Zarco bounced back from his crash into a great position on the outside of the front row, likely remembering fondly the Ducati holeshot heroics in Qatar.

Speaking of which, Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) will spearhead Row 2, and he’s joined by Morbidelli and Marc Marquez as the former slots back into his rightful place nearer the front and… so does the latter. What can the eight-time World Champion do over race distance? Points? Top ten? Top five? Podium…?

Aleix Espargaro qualifies seventh for the second consecutive race in a row, another great job done by the Spaniard on the Aprilia. Marini recovered from a rapid FP4 crash to claim his best MotoGP qualifying result in P8 and get a good reward for his much quicker weekend so far, and the rookie lines up ahead of Mir on the third row. Worth remembering, however, that the reigning World Champion has take more than half of his MotoGP podiums from outside the first two rows…

In tenth it’s not a repeat Portugal pole position for Oliveira after his crash, but he was perfectly ok and will be raring to go on Sunday afternoon from P10. Bagnaia slots into P11, ahead of Viñales in P12. Both will have a point to prove as the lights go out, and after the stunning starts from Oliveira and Bagnaia we’ve seen so far in 2021, they’ll be aiming to hit quick. Viñales, meanwhile, will likley be more of a pace man based on the form book… but could very much still threaten as Yamaha seem to have made some strides at the Algarve on take two. Viñales’ best lap had been quicker than pole…

Finally, there was some bad news for Pramac Racing’s Jorge Martin on Saturday morning. Following a huge crash in FP3, the Spaniard was declared unfit and has a fractured foot and finger.

MotoGP Qualifying Results

Moto2

Sam Lowes (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) has made it three from three in 2021 as the Championship leader took pole once more for the Grande Premio 888 de Portugal. It was close though, with Remy Gardner (Red Bull KTM Ajo) just 0.023 off as the 2020 winner at the track remains the man closest on the chase. Xavi Vierge (Petronas Sprinta Racing) went from Q1 to P3 as he completes the front row.

In Q1, Somkiat Chantra (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) came out on top, the Thai rider moving through along with Albert Arenas (Solunion Aspar Team), Cameron Beaubier (American Racing) and Xavi Vierge. Jorge Navarro (Lightech Speed Up) crashed, as did Lorenzo Baldassarri (MV Agusta Forward Racing), riders ok but the former especially losing out as he didn’t set a time. Nevertheless, the clock rolled on and Q2 began.

Lowes was the early leader in Q2 as the first laps of the second part of qualifying were fired in, but Gardner soon took after after setting a 1:43.032. However, the fight between Gardner and Lowes had already begun. The British rider was back on top by 0.114s after two flying laps, but the number 22 had a hairy moment heading into the tight Turn 5 left-hander on his third flyer. Responding, Gardner improved his lap time to lie just 0.006s behind Lowes.

Q1 graduate Vierge was in P3 already, having shown some impressive pace in the early stages of Q2, and the Spaniard was ahead of two rookies in the form of Ai Ogura (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) and Albert Arenas. The reigning Moto3™ World Champion was shuffled down to P7 rather rapidly though as Marco Bezzecchi (Sky Racing Team VR46) and Augusto Fernandez (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) moved to P5 and P6 respectively.

Another great lap from Lowes came in next and his advantage over Gardner grew to 0.023s – not a lot – but the Brit was then down at Turn 11, ending his session a little early. No one could better him regardless, although Gardner runs him closest in P2 once again and the top two in the title fight so far line up side by side. Vierge joins them on the front row.

Ogura takes fourth and that’s the Japanese rookie’s best Moto2 qualifying performance, just 0.220s down on Lowes and showing his Doha GP speed was no flash in the pan. Bezzecchi and Augusto Fernandez join Ogura on Row 2, which is Augusto Fernandez’s best Saturday result of the year. Arenas is another rookie to bag his best Moto2 qualifying in P7, the Spaniard beating one of the pre-qualifying favourites in Joe Roberts (Italtrans Racing Team) by just 0.010s. The American is P8 on the grid, just ahead of Aron Canet (Solunion Aspar Team) and a seemingly disappointed 10th fastest Raul Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo). The rookie sensation, who won in Moto3 at the track last year in some style, will be hoping to shoot through to the podium fight on Sunday.

Chantra, Hector Garzo (Flexbox HP 40), Cameron Beaubier (American Racing), Jake Dixon (Petronas Sprinta Racing) and Nicolo Bulega (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) complete the fastest 15 in Q2.

Moto2 Qualifying Times

Moto3

Andrea Migno (Rivacold Snipers Team) put in a pretty imperious qualifying at the Grande Premio 888 de Portugal, the Italian on top after the first runs and coming over the line in the final push to secure his second Grand Prix pole position. He pulled out a tenth and a half on last year’s podium finisher Dennis Foggia as the Leopard Racing rider takes second, with Jeremy Alcoba (Indonesian Racing Gresini Moto3) third quickest but set to start from pitlane – plus a five second delay – on Sunday.

In Q1 it was Romano Fenati (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team) who went quickest to lead the four graduates through, the Italian pipping Ayumu Sasaki (Red Bull KTM Tech 3) on his second run. Joining the two were Filip Salač (Rivacold Snipers Team) and Adrian Fernandez (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team), with Andi Farid Izdihar (Honda Team Asia) losing out by just 0.008.

Once Q2 began and the first runs were done, Migno was already top of the pile. The Italian has had good pace all weekend and as the grid filed back out for one final push, was very much the man to beat. Niccolo Antonelli (Avintia Esponsorama Racing) didn’t quite make the cut as he ran out of time to make it to the line though, and a couple more key rivals for Migno’s provisional pole wouldn’t make it round either as Salač collided with Friday pacesetter Gabriel Rodrigo (Indonesian Racing Gresini Moto3) and both went down. The Argentinean had looked like a good bet to threaten for pole, but instead headed for a check up at the Medical Centre, rider ok.

Meanwhile, the freight train thundered on and over the line, a few improved but only Alcoba was able to take over from Migno at the top. It didn’t last long though and Migno hit back to better his own time and snatch back pole position. Foggia splits the two, but with Alcoba to start from pitlane it will be fourth quickest Sergio Garcia (GASGAS Valresa Aspar Team) who takes the final place on the front row.

Rodrigo was fifth quickest in the end, just 0.009 off Garcia, but the Argentinean will start fourth as Alcoba leaves the grid for pitlane. John McPhee (Petronas Sprinta Racing) was sixth quickest but is another with a pitlane start – his with a delay of 10 seconds – so Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Tech3) capitalises. Darryn Binder (Petronas Sprinta Racing), who’s second in the standings, has had a slightly more muted weekend in Portugal so far and was next up.

Xavier Artigas (Leopard Racing) put in one of his best performances of the year so far and was ninth fastest and set to move up, with Q1 graduate Sasaki tenth quickest after a significantly better Saturday than in Qatar. Speaking of Qatar… the Red Bull KTM Ajo duo of Pedro Acosta and Jaume Masia took a win apiece in the desert, but it’s not been quite the same pace yet in Portugal. Masia got the upper hand as he was 11th, and Acosta 12th although he didn’t take the fastest rookie honours this time around. However, the Spaniard did just win from pitlane, so that seems more molehill than mountain…

Tatsuki Suzuki (SIC58 Squadra Corse) was next up ahead of Fenati, with rookie Izan Guevara (GASGAS Valresa Aspar Team) just behind the veteran Italian. Adrian Fernandez pipped Antonelli, with Salač relegated to last in Q2 after his earlier exploits saw him lose out on a second push.

Moto3 Qualifying Times

Grande Prémio 888 de Portugal schedule

MotoGP Championship Standings

2021 FIM MotoGP World Championship calendar