Recapping MotoGP/2/3/E action from Portimao on Friday

2024 MotoGP World Championship
Round Two – Autódromo Internacional do Algarve
Grande Prémio Tissot de Portugal – Portimao
Friday

Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team) blistered his way to the top by 0.118 as riders started their quest towards Q2 at the Grande Premio Tissot de Portugal. Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jack Miller was the closest on the chase in second as he got back into the top echelons. Then camw Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP), still within only 0.153 of Bastianini at the top, and after topping FP too. Marquez also had a low drama crash – seemingly the limit testing kind – in the afternoon…

When the afternoon session began, however, it was Red Bull KTM Factory Racing at the top, first Miller and then team-mate Brad Binder. Miller also had an extra eventful start to the session, crashing at turn five in the first 10 minutes of Practice, rider ok. The next gambit saw Marc Marquez and Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Ducati) steal the KTM thunder, nudging the RC-16s off the top, but there was plenty left to shuffle in the ultra-tight top ten.

As ever, the tension mounted as the clock ticked down, with those guaranteed 10 places in Q2 up for grabs. The fast laps came thick and fast, but there were a good few spills, too; riders were all ok but pushing to and over the limit on a track surface that was still quite unforgiving. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) and Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP) crashed within seconds of each other, and then it was Franco Morbidelli (Prima Pramac Racing) and Luca Marini (Repsol Honda Team) minutes later.

After Bastianini had taken to the top, he stayed amid the drama, throwing down the gauntlet on Day 1. Miller made his late lunge for glory to slot into second, forcing Marc Marquez to settle for third. Martin ended the session in fourth, just ahead of Binder, who sneaked inside the top five in the closing minutes.

Enea Bastianini – P1

“It had been a while since I last was on top of the timesheets! It was a day of constant improvement: we didn’t start on the right foot, but we kept making progress lap after lap. We continued to work on the set up especially with regards to the issues we encountered in Qatar. We did really well with the soft tyre, while there’s still work to be done with the medium compound. The track was very dirty this morning, so the important data will be the one from the afternoon session; I feel like I always make the difference on corner entry, and I feel really comfortable with this bike.”

Marc Marquez – P3

“It was a positive day, despite the crash. It’s all part of the learning curve and we’re doing well. We know where we’re losing time, and we know why. T4 has never been by strongest part of the track, I have never managed to get the last two right-handers the perfect way. The crash happened because of the heavy traffic on track and the Ducati is harder to manage in someone else’s slipstream. Still, it was my mistake, but it’s good anyway: it was a matter of time before my first crash and everything helps.”

Sixth was a big statement from Marco Bezzecchi (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) after a very tough start to the season, with the Italian edging out Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) by just 0.002.

Marco Bezzecchi – P6

“A positive start, I’m happy for the whole Team! There is still a lot to do, but this afternoon we were able to achieve the qualification. I’m starting to see the result of the changes in my riding style and I have more confidence thanks to the new setting I’m not perfect yet, but now the bike is more manageable, especially when entering the corners. Let’s stay focused, the real fight is tomorrow.”

Reigning Champion Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) was outside a provisional place in Q2 until the very final few minutes, moving up to P7 in real time but becoming P8 once the clock ran out.

Francesco Bagnaia

“We are still working. The GP24 requires something different at this track and it wasn’t easy: the track got cleaner at a slow rate and truthfully at the beginning it was hard to get a good picture on what we needed to work on. In the end we went in the wrong direction so we will double back tomorrow, but the most important thing for today was to finish in the top ten. Honestly, I’m happy we figured out which direction to take. Enea did a good job, he took a different path and it worked. We understood that we need to unload the front a little, so I’m confident everything will go the right way tomorrow.”

Then comes another headline-making duo: Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) and team-mate Alex Rins complete the top ten on the Algarve, both straight through to Q2. Not since 2022 has the Iwata marque had both riders straight through. It was a late one, too, bumping out rookie sensation Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3), Alex Marquez and Espargaro as they now head for Q1 on Saturday morning.

Fabio Quartararo – P9

“It was great to get into Q2. We managed to get in a good lap at the end of the session. We made some mistakes today, and there are a few things to adjust, so hopefully we can use tomorrow morning and we will find that we’re a little bit better. I think it’s great for Yamaha to see both riders push at their 100% level. I think that Álex and I are pushing each other to be better and that we can do a great job together as we continue to work in this direction. The bike feels quite good but, unfortunately, it rained quite a lot yesterday, and there was a lot of dust, so the track wasn’t ‘grippy’. But I think it’s positive to be in Q2 riding in these conditions, and hopefully tomorrow we can make a big step forward.”

Alex Rins – P10

“The bike is the same as it was in Qatar. We didn’t have time to try new things, but from FP1 on, I felt confident on the bike. This track is quite different from Lusail, and I was able to adapt much quicker. In Practice, I was quite competitive, and I was able to enter Q2. It’s a great achievement for me. For a long time, I couldn’t be in Q2, also due to the leg issue. It’s been many GPs since I was last in Q2, and we have room to improve. We have similar points of improvement as we had in Qatar, so we are gathering information and improving the things we have and try to benefit from this as much as possible.”

Pedro Acosta – P11

“Good first day in Portimao! We could not ride many laps in the morning because of the track conditions, but still, we used it to understand the lines, and get used to the bike on a new track for me in MotoGP. In Practice, we made a really big step compared to the morning, and we had a good rhythm. If we can make a few little steps tomorrow, we will be able to be even closer to the front guys, this is our goal for Saturday.”

The misery continues for Honda, however.  Takaaki Nakagami fastest for Honda in P16 and Luca Marini bringing up the rear of the field well off the pace.

MotoGP Practice

MotoGP Free Practice One

MotoGP Speed Across Both Practice Sessions

MotoGP Championship Standings

Moto2

In a fast and furious session, Alonso Lopez (Beta Tools SpeedUp) ended Practice 1 on top as he picked up where he left off in Qatar, setting a stunning 1:42.362 to edge out out Aron Canet (Fantic Racing) by just 0.013. Joe Roberts (OnlyFans American Racing Team) was only a further 0.170 behind as it got tight at the top in the Grande Premio Tissot de Portugal.

Manuel Gonzalez (QJMOTOR Gresini Moto2) was fourth after topping the day’s opening Free Practice session, ahead of OnlyFans American Racing Team’s Marcos Ramirez.

New Ducati signing Fermin Aldeguer (Beta Tools SpeedUp) took P6 ahead of Jake Dixon (CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team). 2023 runner up Tony Arbolino (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team), Albert Arenas (QJMOTOR Gresini Moto2) and Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Celestino Vietti rounding outside the top 10.

Senna Agius ended day one 18th on the time-sheets.

Moto2 Practice One Times

Moto2 Practice One Top Speeds

Moto2 Championship Standings

Moto3

After a lack of running in Free Practice due to track conditions, Moto3 was back on track for a frantic 35-minute session in the afternoon, and with one protagonist for much of it. Winner of the Qatar GP and current Championship leader, David Alonso (CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team) was in the serious groove, at times over a second clear, to take top honours.

By the end of play though, BOE Motorsports’ Joel Kelso set a remarkable 1:47.239 without a tow, cutting Alonso’s gap down to just 0.037. Matteo Bertelle (Rivacold Snipers Team) rounded out the top three, but it’s six-tenths back to the Italian before the time-sheets tighten up.

Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) finished the day in fourth ahead of CIP Green Power’s Riccardo Rossi, Filippo Farioli (SIC58 Squadra Corse) and Angel Piqueras (Leopard Racing) in seventh.

MLav Racing’s Scott Ogden was eighth in Practice 1, edging out Qatar podium finisher Daniel Holgado (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) and Stefano Nepa (LEVELUP – MTA) – rounding out the top 10.

Aussie rookie Jacob Roulstone finished the opening day 19th on the time-sheets.

Jacob Roulstone – P19

“I am very happy with our session, although I am disappointed that we weren’t able to go out this morning due to the bad track conditions. In the afternoon, I felt really good riding alone, just focusing on myself without looking too much at the clock. We are heading to Saturday with positives and I can’t wait to continue the work with the team.”

Moto3 Friday Practice Times

Moto3 Practice One Top Speeds

Moto3 Championship Standings

MotoE Combined Qualifying Times

MotoE Speed Across All Sessions

Portimao MotoGP Schedule

2024 FIM MotoGP World Championship calendar (Updated)

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