The rollercoaster delivers a tantalising top ten as some key names head for Q1 – and some familiar ones fight back.
Day 1 on the rollercoaster is in the books and it’s quite a trio leading the way to Q2 at the Grande Premio Tissot de Portugal. Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team) blistered his way to the top by 0.118, with Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jack Miller the closest on the chase in second as he got back into the top echelons. Then comes Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™), still within only 0.153 of Bastianini at the top, and after topping FP too. The #93 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 teammate 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 all ok but pushing to and over the limit. 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, that’s where 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 ends the session in fourth, and the #89 was just ahead of Binder, who sneaked inside the top five in the closing minutes.
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. The number 12 was also quick in Free Practice too, second behind MM93.
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 that becoming P8 once the clock ran out. Then comes another headline-making duo: Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) and teammate Alex Rins complete the top ten on the Algarve, both straight through to Q2. Not since 2022 have 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.
Bastianini on top. Miller in the mix. And Marc Marquez looking for the limits. That’s just the top three headlines as we head into Super Saturday, so tune in for more MotoGP™ as the world’s most exciting sport heads back out on the rollercoaster!
FP2: 10:10 (UTC)
Q1: 10:50
Q2: 11.15
Tissot Sprint: 15:00
