Portimao MotoGP Test – Focus on Ducati

MotoGP 2023 – Portimao Test
Focus on Ducati

The eight-strong Ducati armada was reduced to seven on Sunday after Fabio Di Giannantonio’s crash on Saturday ruled him out of the final day of testing.  Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo spoiled a Ducati 1-2-3-4-5-6-7 Sunday lock out on the time-sheets by putting his YZR-M1 into third position.

Defending champion Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) absolutely smashed his old lap record with a stunning 1m37.968. But he wasn’t the only one under the old 1m38.725, with an incredible 12 riders ending the 2023 pre-season quicker than that previous benchmark.

Francesco Bagnaia – P1

“I’m thrilled with how the five days of pre-season testing went, including the three days in Malaysia last month. We improved in every session and completed our work programme. I like the new bike and prefer it to last year’s, but now we must keep our feet on the ground and keep working with our heads down to be fast on every track. The other manufacturers have also taken important steps forward, so we must stay focused. We can say ‘mission accomplished’: we are ready to face the new season.”

On Bagnaia’s tail was Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) as he unleashed a time attack on Sunday, not into the 1:37s but seemingly taking a big step forward. With his testing program behind him Zarco was able to spend Sunday working on his own set-up and pace.

With Quartararo third the next member of the Ducati juggernaut on the time-sheets was Luca Marini followed by his Mooney VR46 Racing team-mate Marco Bezzecchi.

Luca Marini – P4

“Overall I’m satisfied with the pre-season: there’s a good atmosphere within the Team and we’ve worked hard. I had fun, I feel good and I enjoyed every lap on the bike. Today was probably the hardest day, I had some bad luck and too many technical problems. In the final I gave my all, went out for the last 20 minutes and set my best lap time. I feel good, I can fight for the Top6 in qualifying and in the sprint with the soft. For the race, I think I’ll opt for the medium rear, the performances aren’t very different, but in terms of long distance it’s more performing.”

Marco Bezzecchi – P5

“A good test, I’m happy even if the afternoon wasn’t easy at all. Putting everything together was more complicated than we expected. We made a step back and then it started to feel good. I’m not at 100% yet, but we did a great job and the sprint race simulation isn’t bad either. I can improve by 2/3 tenths on the single lap and keep the pace of the fastest.”

Pablo Nieto – Mooney VR46 Racing Team Manager

“We have to be satisfied, not so much with this test, but with the whole pre-season. In Malaysia we worked well and here we continued in the same direction. We are ready to face the race in the best possible way. Ducati and the whole Team have done a lot and we are a very solid team with two very fast riders. We just have to discover the new format of the weekend, the last real unknown factor.”

Despite being hindered by technical issues and a crash on the first day, the last test was also positive for Enea Bastianini. The rider from Rimini finished in sixth position, with a time of 1:38.373, four-tenths from his Lenovo Ducati team-mate, Bastianini completed a total of 118 laps over the two days.

Enea Bastianini – P6

“These two days have been positive even though we were really unlucky yesterday. Today we started with a different mentality, which allowed us to take big steps forward straight away, and in general, we worked really well. We didn’t do any particular tests, but we focused mainly on the set-up of the bike and my riding style ahead of the first race, which will be held here in less than two weeks. I think we are still missing something to be able to fight for the win, but we are not far away. Today I also did my first sprint race simulation, and I think tyre life won’t be a problem, but we still haven’t chosen which one to use for Sunday’s race. In any case, I am happy and ready to get back on track for the first Grand Prix of the year”.

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Alex Marquez is continuing to adapt to the Desmosedici and these two days in Portimao see him well prepared for the season ahead. Worth noting is a fall (turn 10-11) for the Spaniard without consequences, but otherwise it was definitely a positive test, the Spaniard remarking that he needs to improve his braking.

Alex Marquez – P7

“They have been two very positive days, and I have to say today even better than yesterday. We are finding the limits of my Ducati and today the crash also helped me to understand each other better. In the end, it’s better to take a test and know how far I can take the Desmosedici. It’s obvious that we’re happy with this pre-season, right now we’re in the top 5 at this track and it’s a very good start.”

Jorge Martin was eighth as he continued to trial the ‘ground effect’ fairings on the Pramac Ducati.

Fabio Di Giannantonio will need a few days of rest before resuming training in view of the start of the season in less than two weeks.

Fabio Di Giannantonio – P21

“Yesterday was a demanding fall and the doctors advised us to stay calm for at least 48 hours. It’s a pity that things went like this, we were working well and what’s more it was a very normal crash, but the gravel ruined everything. They’re practically rocks and the fall was really painful: it’s like this every year here… We spoke with the team to the organization to increase the level of safety also with regard to gravel… I repeat it’s a pity, but the sensations with the bike they are excellent, and we come from two excellent tests. We are ready“.

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