The boss is him. Already winner of the sprint event the day before, Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) won this time this Sunday during the Portuguese GP. The Italian world champion, who resisted for more than twenty laps the onslaught of the Spaniard Maverick Vinales (Aprilia), is full of points (37). The two Habs in the paddock, Johann Zarco (Ducati Pramac) and Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha) finished 4th and 8th respectively.
Without Enea Bastianini (Ducati), who was “harpooned” the day before during the sprint by Luca Marini (Ducati-VR46), and who will also be for the next GP in Argentina next weekend, a favorite naturally emerges. Francesco “Pecco” Bagnaia is the title holder and intends to confirm as soon as the championship opens. His brilliant victory in the sprint this Saturday gave him full confidence and it is not Marc Marquez, who created the surprise by setting the fastest time in qualifying, who will say the opposite…
Behind, the pack of Aprilia and KTM is on the lookout, ready to take advantage of a possible mistake by the Italian world champion. Further on, Johann Zarco (9th on the grid) knows that he will have to make a successful start in order not to be left behind. Just behind the Pramac pilot, there is finally the case Fabio Quartararo, who has been living one of his worst experiences since the day before.
The Niçois has indeed had a very complicated weekend in Portugal. Eleventh in qualifying (10th on the grid), the 2021 world champion stayed for long minutes in his pit, sitting in his chair and without saying a word. His closed face before the start of the sprint said a lot about his annoyance, and his result (10th and out of the points) despite a good comeback did not help his a priori on this new race. During free practice in the morning, he also had a mechanical problem with his Yamaha. “We’re going to get there,” he says nevertheless, passing in front of the Canal Plus microphone.
The start did not prove him right with six places lost. In front, we play shoulders. Miguel Oliveira (RNF Aprilia) gets everyone to agree in front of his home crowd before passing through Bagnaia. On the 3rd lap, Marc Marquez, (4th) forgot to brake, touched Jorge Martin, Zarco’s teammate, and crashed head-on into the unfortunate Oliveira, who was struggling to get up. Pecco flies away, only Maverick Vinales (Aprilia) manages to follow him.
The positions stabilized until the last two laps, with a group – which included the two Frenchmen – who fought for places for points. In this little game, Johann Zarco beats everyone in the last five corners and ranks at the foot of the podium. Fabio Quartararo is content with 8th place, a result far from his ambitions, already 29 points behind Bagnaia. Next appointment: Termas de Río Hondo in Argentina in a few days.