April 2021

quartararo takes portimao gp as marquez comes seventh in his comeback

Quartararo takes Portimao GP as Marquez comes seventh in his comeback

Kevin Peterson08 mins

Fabio Quartararo dominated the Portuguese Grand Prix to claim a second straight victory, while Marc Marquez scored a solid seventh in his first race in nine months. Quartararo made a poor start from pole position as he slipped to sixth, while fast-starting championship leader Johann Zarco utilised Ducati’s hole-shot starting device to take the lead into Turn 1. The Frenchman though was quickly on the case of the lead riders, moving into fourth early as Marc Marquez clipped the rear of third-placed Joan Mir and dropped back, causing a delay for the closely pursuing Jack Miller to boot and allowing the Yamaha through. Quartararo relieved Mir of third soon after before following the second Suzuki of Alex Rins through into the runners-up position as Zarco started to struggle for grip, the Doha GP victor now turning his attentions to the leading GSX-RR. Having spent several tours studying the rear of Rins, Quartararo finally made the move for the lead into Turn 1 just past a thirds race distance before trying to gap the following Spaniard. Rins was keen to secure his first win in 18 months though and refused to allow Quartararo his escape, the duo trading fastest laps across the next ten tours as they gapped the rest of the field. The three-time race MotoGP winner pushed just a little too hard trying to challenge Quartararo though and tucked the front of his machine at Turn 5 with just six laps remaining, leaving the lead Yamaha with a four second to defend across the closing stages. Quartararo duly cruised home to take the chequered flag 4.8 seconds clear of Francesco Bagnaia for Yamaha’s third successive win to start 2021, the factory Ducati ace recovering well from his 11th place grid start following the loss of his pole lap in qualifying for a yellow flag infringement. Mir ultimately lacked the speed of team-mate Rins to fight for victory, though was still able to run consistently to complete the rostrum at the circuit he failed to score at just six months ago. Championship leader Johann Zarco looked to rebound mid-race and at the least secure a third rostrum appearance in as many races, though was passed by Bagnaia in the closing laps beforebeing put under pressure by Mir. The relentless pressure and fading grip levels took their toll on the Pramac man though as he tucked the front of his Ducati at Turn 11, ending his race in the gravel. Franco Morbidelli enjoyed a more positive outing in Portimao compared to his horror Qatar contests to bag fourth ahead of an impressive Brad Binder for KTM, while Aleix Espargaro matched his best ever result for Aprilia in sixth. Marc meanwhile paced himself well throughout the encounter to bring his Honda home in seventh to complete his first race since the ’19 MotoGP finale at Valencia, the first time he has even participated in a contest for nine months. Brother Alex Marquez followed him to the chequered flag eighth on his LCR-run RC213-V ahead of top rookie Enea Bastianini and the injured Takaaki Nakagami, the Japanese racer bravely holding off Maverick Vinales to complete the top ten despite missing qualifying and starting last after damaging his collarbone in his nasty FP2 crash. Miller crashed out early on to continue the rather rough start to his factory Ducati tenure, while Valentino Rossi crashed out at Turn 11 while running in 11th shortly after passing half-brother and Avntia rookie Luca Marini for the position. Defending race winner Miguel Oliveira lost any chances of repeating his home success after going down at Turn 14 just seven laps in shortly after posting the fastest race lap, the two-time premier class victor remounting but only able to recover to 16th. Quartararo’s win sees him move to the top of the riders points by 15 points over Bagnaia, while Zarco’s non-score drops him to fourth overall just a point behind Vinales. Pos Name Team Bike Laps Laps Led Total Time Fastest Lap Pitstops Pts 1 Fabio Quartararo Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Yamaha 25 17 41m46.412s 1m39.472s 0 25 2 Francesco Bagnaia Ducati Lenovo Team Ducati 25 0 +4.809s 1m39.468s 0 20 3 Joan Mir Team SUZUKI ECSTAR Suzuki 25 0 +4.948s 1m39.855s 0 16 4 Franco Morbidelli Petronas Yamaha SRT Yamaha 25 0 +5.127s 1m39.939s 0 13 5 Brad Binder Red Bull KTM Factory Racing KTM 25 0 +6.668s 1m39.85s 0 11 6 Aleix Espargaró Aprilia Racing Team Gresini Aprilia 25 0 +8.885s 1m39.854s 0 10 7 Marc Marquez Repsol Honda Team Honda 25 0 +13.208s 1m40.001s 0 9 8 Alex Marquez LCR Honda Castrol Honda 25 0 +17.992s 1m40.428s 0 8 9 Enea Bastianini Avintia Esponsorama Racing Ducati 25 0 +22.369s 1m40.126s 0 7 10 Takaaki Nakagami LCR Honda IDEMITSU Honda 25 0 +23.676s 1m40.524s 0 6 11 Maverick Viñales Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Yamaha 25 0 +23.761s 1m40.006s 0 5 12 Luca Marini SKY VR46 Avintia Team Ducati 25 0 +29.66s 1m40.693s 0 4 13 Danilo Petrucci Tech3 KTM Factory Racing KTM 25 0 +29.836s 1m40.734s 0 3 14 Lorenzo Savadori Aprilia Racing Team Gresini Aprilia 25 0 +38.941s 1m40.997s 0 2 15 Iker Lecuona Tech3 KTM Factory Racing KTM 25 0 +50.642s 1m40.955s 0 1 16 Miguel Oliveira Red Bull KTM Factory Racing KTM 24 0 +1 lap 1m40.148s 0 0 Johann Zarco Pramac Racing Ducati 19 3 DNF 1m39.7s 0 0 Alex Rins Team SUZUKI ECSTAR Suzuki 18 5 DNF 1m39.45s 0 0 Valentino Rossi Petronas Yamaha SRT Yamaha 14 0 DNF 1m40.365s 0 0 Jack Miller Ducati Lenovo Team Ducati 5 0 DNF 1m40.411s 0 0 Pol Espargaró Repsol Honda Team Honda 4 0

quartararo takes portimao gp as marquez comes seventh in his comeback

Expect rain at Imola, dark clouds hanging over the circuit

Kevin Peterson02 mins

The weather seems to be an important factor in the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix that is about to start. Dutch reporter Olav Mol explains to Ziggo Sport that there are showers over the circuit, but so far the rain has failed to materialise. The situation is being closely monitored by the F1 teams. “I think it’s again the way we are in it with the game. It could go either way. There’s a shower over the track and some drops. There’s enough hanging around the circuit. I don’t expect rain tyres to be used, but if one of those clouds releases some water, then it will really rain,” Mol explained as he looked to see if there were any dark clouds hanging over the circuit. The blue sky of the morning has been exchanged for clouds and on the radar we can also see some clouds. With a lot of rain Mol estimates that the rain tyres will be brought out of the cupboard.”Then there’s a chance that we’ll end up on intermediates. If it stays like this they won’t be bothered. It’s exciting to see whether it will happen and it will add an extra dimension to the race”, says Mol.

quartararo takes portimao gp as marquez comes seventh in his comeback

Miami to hold first Formula 1 race at Hard Rock stadium come 2022

Kevin Peterson06 mins

Miami will hold its first Grand Prix in 2022 after Formula 1 secured a 10-year deal for a race in the Florida city. The move is the culmination of years of work by F1’s owners Liberty Media, who wanted a race in a US “destination city” as they seek to grow the sport. The event will be held on a 3.36-mile track around the Hard Rock Stadium, home of the Miami Dolphins NFL team. Miami becomes the second race in the US, joining the popular United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas. A date for the Miami event has not yet been announced, but F1 president and chief executive officer Stefano Domenicali said it would be “in the second quarter of next year”. Domenicali said Miami would be “kept separate” from the Austin event “to keep the right space for both”. This suggests Miami could be twinned with the Canadian Grand Prix in June. He added: “The US is a key growth market for us, and we are greatly encouraged by our growing reach in the US which will be further supported by this exciting second race.” Miami Dolphins chairman Tom Garfinkel, the managing partner of the Miami Grand Prix, said: “The Hard Rock stadium entertainment campus in Miami Gardens exists to host the biggest global events to benefit the entire greater Miami region, and Formula 1 racing is as big as it gets. “We have worked with specialist designers to create a racetrack that we, Formula 1 and the FIA believe will provide great racing and we hope to create best-in-class unique fan experiences that are reflective of the diverse and dynamic nature of Miami. “I want to thank Formula 1 and the Miami Gardens and Miami Dade County elected officials for working to bring this hugely impactful event here for years to come.” His remarks are a reference to the long-winded process that has led to the event finally being secured. F1’s original plan for a Miami race included a track that crossed a bridge over the city’s bay, but it did not get the go ahead amid objections from local politicians and residents. The latest plan was finally approved by Miami’s city council last week and involves a series of measures to lessen the impact on the local population and environment. Domenicali said: “It is not a compromise, when you look for different solutions, you need to consider all the elements that make everyone happy. “I am sure the track you are going to see will be fantastic.” Garfinkel added: “In some ways it is going to be a lot better. When we originally looked at the city design, you have a lot of constraints around the race track. “The first priory was to create a great race track, and with the Hard Rock site we have a blank sheet of paper to put together a race track that is demanding in a lot of ways and to put on great experiences that are uniquely reflective of the diversity of Miami. Having an existing infrastructure in place, we feel we are in a better place to do that.” Domenicali added that there were no plans to add a third race in the US in the immediate future. “We felt the right approach after one grand prix is to have two,” he said. “There could be other opportunities in the future, but hat is what we are going to do in the short term.” Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton said: “America is such a big place that it always felt like we needed at least two races there to integrate with the audience. “The race can bring 4,000 jobs to communities in Miami. Montreal has always been my favourite to go to but Miami I think that’s going to be the favourite spot to go to.”

quartararo takes portimao gp as marquez comes seventh in his comeback

Jorge Martin to miss Portimao race after scary crash

Kevin Peterson03 mins

Doha Grand Prix rookie podium finisher Jorge Martin will not race at this weekend’s Portuguese Grand Prix, after suffering broken bones in a massive out-lap highside during this morning’s practice session at the Portimao circuit. The Pramac Ducati rider crashed as he exited the pits for the final time attack of the session hoping to secure a Q2 spot, falling at turn three and causing the red flags to bring the session to a pause. Marin required extensive medical treatment after being cartwheeled through the air with his bike when both of them transitioned from the asphalt run-off to the gravel trap. He didn’t escape uninjured, with a broken thumb and suspected further fractures to his foot. He has been transported by air ambulance to hospital in Faro for further checks, but is conscious and suffered no head trauma – an initial concern – team boss Francesco Guidotti confirmed to The Race. Martin had a difficult opening day to the action at the Portuguese Grand Prix after suffering from chatter on corner exit, explaining that the bike was at times dangerous to ride around the rollercoaster Portimao circuit. “When I exited from the corners, I felt a lot of shaking from the rear,” he explained to The Race. “It was similar to the first crash I had with the bike in Qatar, this pumping and shaking exiting from fast corners, and I couldn’t give full throttle – I had to be very careful and it was costing me a lot of time. “We weren’t expecting to be in that position, but as soon as I began the practice I felt a lot of movement from the bike. It was really dangerous and I was feeling scared about some of them.”

quartararo takes portimao gp as marquez comes seventh in his comeback

Jorge Martin hospitalised after horrifying crash during Portimao FP3

Kevin Peterson04 mins

Jorge Martin is being taken to hospital for further checks following a violent crash during FP3 for the MotoGP Portuguese Grand Prix and has been ruled out of action. Martin came off his Ducati at the Turn 7 right-hander while he was on an out-lap in the closing stages of this morning’s practice. Though it’s still unclear how the crash happened, Martin was heavily knocked around when he hit the gravel trap and required medical assistance. The session was red-flagged while medics attended to Martin, who was declared conscious but had to be stretchered off track into an ambulance to be taken to the medical centre. Martin has been declared unfit for the rest of the weekend after suffering contusions to his head, hand and ankle. A brief update from MotoGP read: “Rider #89 Jorge Martin has been declared unfit with a head contusions, right hand and ankle contusion. He will be transferred to hospital for further medical checks.” Ahead of MotoGP’s announcement, Pramac rider coach Fonsi Nieto told Spanish television: “After the scare, they told us that things are fine. His hand and his leg hurt a lot, but he is conscious. We are not thinking about tomorrow, only that he recovers physically.” MotoGP’s Doctor Angle Charte admits he is concerned about a possible fracture in Martin’s hand and says the Spaniard may have lost consciousness briefly in the accident. “Severe, high-energy trauma with several twists and turns,” Charte said to DAZN. “Initially he was conscious on the floor, but when the doctors arrived it appeared that he had momentarily lost consciousness. “The neurological examination was normal, always conscious and oriented, and [he’s] in a lot of pain. “The initial diagnosis is a cranioencephalic traumatism and several polytraumatisms with the possibility of several fractures, probably in the hand and foot (right). “We have decided to evacuate him to the hospital in Faro, where he will undergo a complete CAT scan. “The prognosis is not serious, but guarded. “There is a fracture (hand) that I don’t like very much but I want to have a scan, which will tell us if he has to undergo surgery. He also has a lot of pain in his knee.”

quartararo takes portimao gp as marquez comes seventh in his comeback

Quartararo tops Portimao FP3, Marquez and Mir to contest for Q1

Kevin Peterson06 mins

Fabio Quartararo led the way in FP3 for the Portuguese Grand Prix at Portimao, while Marc Marquez will have to contest Q1 after only managing the 15th quickest time. Quartararo came out swinging late on in the session as the MotoGP field headed out for a final set of flyers to try and secure themselves an automatic berth to the pole shootout on Saturday afternoon, the Frenchman having ended Friday second overall just over three-tenths down on Francesco Bagnaia. Aleix Espargaro fired to the head of the times with the fastest time of the weekend-a 1:39.690s-just past the half-way point of the test, though his tenure at the head of the timing pylon wouldn’t last long as others began to improve. Jack Miller shaved three-tenths from Espargaro’s benchmark to takeover at the top before Quartararo posted a stunning final sector more than three-tenths quicker than anyone else to record a 1:39.044. This would ultimately prove to be the best any rider would manage across the rest of FP3, with the final flurry of attacking times progressing. The session was brought to a temporary halt with just over four minutes remaining though due to a crash for Pramac rookie Jorge Martin, the Doha GP rostrum finisher going down heavily at Turn 7. The Spaniard was unable to walk away from the incident, but remained conscious and lay in the gravel surrounded by marshals following the incident, the red flags brought out so he could be extracted as carefully as possible and be taken to the medical centre for checks. Several riders were able to improve once the session finally got back underway around ten minutes later, Franco Morbidelli recovering from an average Friday to set the second fastest time on his Petronas SRT Yamaha, while FP2 pacesetter Bagnaia moved to third late on. Johann Zarco completed the session fourth overall ahead of Suzuki’s Alex Rins, while Miller slipped to sixth by the time the clock ticked down to zero. Luca Marini was an excellent seventh as he secures his first ever direct-to-Q2 opportunity as the top rookie, while Aleix ended up eighth on his Aprilia. Defending Portuguese GP winner Miguel Oliviera was KTM’s sole representative in the top ten in ninth, while Maverick Vinales just squeaked into the final Q2 spot at the death. Alex Marquez ended up as the fastest Honda rider in FP2, the ’19 Moto2 world champion missing out by just 0.054, while Joan Mir once again struggled for one lap performance on his way to 12th. Marc meanwhile failed to replicate his strong Friday form and fell to 15th, meaning he will have to dice for the final two pole shootout spots in Q1 on Saturday afternoon. Takaaki Nakagami found himself unable to preserve the tenth position he held overnight as he struggled to get comfortable on his RC213-V following his heavy FP2 crash, the LCR man having to head off for a pain killer injection mid-way through FP3 in order to get back on track. Pos. Rider Team Km/h Time Gap / Int 1 Fabio QUARTARARO Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP 332.3 1’39.044 2 Franco MORBIDELLI Petronas Yamaha SRT 335.4 1’39.095 0.051 / 0.051 3 Francesco BAGNAIA Ducati Lenovo Team 343.9 1’39.117 0.073 / 0.022 4 Johann ZARCO Pramac Racing 348.3 1’39.228 0.184 / 0.111 5 Alex RINS Team SUZUKI ECSTAR 338.5 1’39.328 0.284 / 0.100 6 Jack MILLER Ducati Lenovo Team 346.1 1’39.345 0.301 / 0.017 7 Luca MARINI SKY VR46 Avintia 339.6 1’39.600 0.556 / 0.255 8 Aleix ESPARGARO Aprilia Racing Team Gresini 342.8 1’39.690 0.646 / 0.090 9 Miguel OLIVEIRA Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 335.4 1’39.697 0.653 / 0.007 10 Maverick VIÑALES Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP 331.2 1’39.742 0.698 / 0.045 11 Alex MARQUEZ LCR Honda CASTROL 341.7 1’39.796 0.752 / 0.054 12 Joan MIR Team SUZUKI ECSTAR 335.4 1’39.818 0.774 / 0.022 13 Pol ESPARGARO Repsol Honda Team 341.7 1’39.828 0.784 / 0.010 14 Valentino ROSSI Petronas Yamaha SRT 336.4 1’39.912 0.868 / 0.084 15 Marc MARQUEZ Repsol Honda Team 338.5 1’39.945 0.901 / 0.033 16 Brad BINDER Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 341.7 1’40.196 1.152 / 0.251 17 Danilo PETRUCCI Tech 3 KTM Factory Racing 337.5 1’40.302 1.258 / 0.106 18 Enea BASTIANINI Avintia Esponsorama 340.6 1’40.343 1.299 / 0.041 19 Jorge MARTIN Pramac Racing 345.0 1’41.046 2.002 / 0.703 20 Lorenzo SAVADORI Aprilia Racing Team Gresini 339.6 1’41.190 2.146 / 0.144 21 Takaaki NAKAGAMI LCR Honda IDEMITSU 333.3 1’41.566 2.522 / 0.376 22 Iker LECUONA Tech 3 KTM Factory Racing 336.4 1’41.568 2.524 / 0.002

quartararo takes portimao gp as marquez comes seventh in his comeback

Vettel explains why he refuses COVID-19 vaccine

Kevin Peterson03 mins

Formula 1 is suffering from the coronavirus pandemic. Last season, drivers with positive tests dropped out, spectators are no longer there and this year’s season opener in Australia also fell out of the calendar and had to be postponed to Bahrain. In the Arabian Gulf state, Sebastian Vettel would already have had the opportunity to be vaccinated against the virus. But the 33-year-old family man decided against it and gives a remarkable reason. The thoughtful German has already attracted attention with statements on social issues or environmental questions. The four-time Formula 1 world champion spoke out clearly to RTL when it came to vaccinations against the Corona pandemic. “Formula 1 had the offer to be vaccinated in Bahrain. I deliberately refrained from doing so because it’s not my turn yet,” Vettel told the broadcaster. It is questionable whether the vaccine he would use might not benefit someone “who should be on it sooner”, says the experienced driver. “But it’s a matter of principle. There are many people who want to be vaccinated. Many are waiting. Younger people are not as much at risk as older people. I will get vaccinated, but only when it’s my turn,” Vettel continues, making his position clear. Drivers like Sergio Perez or Vettel’s Ferrari successor Carlos Sainz accepted the vaccination offer. Some teams gave their employees the option of receiving the first dose. Only AlphaTauri made the vaccination compulsory for its employees, and tyre manufacturer Pirelli also vaccinated all its employees at the first race weekend of the season. The reason for Vettel’s clear statement was that at that time vaccinations had already been given at major events in Bahrain, while locals had not yet received a dose. Thus, for every vaccinated foreign visitor, theoretically one local would have to wait longer. Only 1.6 million people live in the kingdom.

quartararo takes portimao gp as marquez comes seventh in his comeback

How Perez and Ocon crash happened during Imola FP1

Kevin Peterson01 mins

The Imola Grand Prix is in full swing. The twenty drivers have finished the practice sessions. All in preparation for the start on Sunday. On Friday a remarkable incident happened between Esteban Ocon and Sergio Perez. First of all there were communication problems during the free practice. Because of this the teams could not talk to the drivers on track. This also seems to be the cause of the crash between Ocon and Perez. Perez was busy with his fast lap. Ocon on the other hand was busy with his lap from the pit and thus drove a lot slower than Perez. Because of the lack of clarity both men hit each other. On the video below the crash is clearly visible. You can also see the speed at which Perez is gaining on Ocon.

2021 Spanish GP at Catalunya

Spanish GP at Catalunya to take place behind closed doors

Kevin Peterson03 mins

The Spanish GP at Barcelona will once again take place without fans in the grandstands as Catalunya extends its COVID-19 restrictions. The event’s promoter had opened its box office to ticket sales for the fourth round of the 2021 F1 world championship that will take place on May 9, hoping to host a limited number of race fans. But Catalan health authorities, who recently extended a series of COVID-19 restrictions until April 26, including closing its borders, have informed the Circuit de Catalunya that it will not be able to open its gates to the public next month given the current uncertainty surrounding the area’s sanitary situation. “PROCICAT (the Catalan Civil Protection Office) has notified Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, that the Grand Prix cannot be staged under the conditions defined in the Spectator Access Protocol,” the circuit said in a statement published on Saturday. “Under these conditions, it is impossible to establish with absolute certainty whether or not the epidemic and welfare situation on 7, 8 and 9 May will allow for a further relaxation of the measures that do also restrict mobility at county level, which consequently would hinder fans from outside the Valles Oriental region from coming to the racetrack. “Moreover, following the communication of the Departments of the Interior and Health of the Catalan Government, neither the epidemiological situation, nor, especially, the situation in hospitals allow expecting right now a review of the current measures or a relevant liberalisation, considering that the dates of the Grand Prix are quite close. “Given this situation, the circuit management has proceeded to notify Formula One Management Limited that the Formula 1 Aramco Gran Premio De Espana 2021 will have to be staged without spectator attendance.” Spanish GP organisers have said that they will refund all tickets holders for the May 9 event. So far, there has been no indication that any upcoming venue will open its gates to spectators. Silverstone is pushing for a vaccine passport to be issued to fans to allow for a near full crowd for next summer’s British GP.

quartararo takes portimao gp as marquez comes seventh in his comeback

Verstappen tops Imola FP3 as Norris comes second

Kevin Peterson04 mins

Max Verstappen topped the final practice session for the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, denying Mercedes a clean sweep of fastest practice times. Verstappen’s 1’14.958 on soft tyres – the fastest lap of the weekend so far – was enough to see him go fastest by almost half a second from Lando Norris in the McLaren.Lewis Hamilton set the third fastest time for Mercedes, just over half a second adrift from Verstappen’s ultimate pace, with Sergio Perez fourth-fastest in the sister Red Bull. Having set the pace in both Friday sessions, Valtteri Bottas could only manage the eighth fastest time on the soft tyres, eight tenths off from Verstappen’s benchmark. Pierre Gasly again demonstrated good pace in the AlphaTauri, going sixth quickest in the session while being the only driver in the top ten to set their best time on the medium compound tyres. Ferrari had both cars in the top seven, with Charles Leclerc recording the fifth fastest time and teammate Carlos Sainz Jnr just under two tenths slower in seventh, Aside from Verstappen’s advantage out front, it was another close session with just one second covering Hamilton in third and Nicholas Latifi in 17th. The session was briefly halted just before the half-hour mark when Latifi ran wide on the exit of the Villeneuve chicane and hit the barriers, damaging his front wing. The Williams driver was able to drive back to the pits for repairs before rejoining the session. Despite the relaxing of track limits at Acque Minerali overnight, there were a plethora of lap times deleted for track limit infringements, particularly at Piratella. Verstappen, Bottas, Norris and Fernando Alonso were among the many drivers who had times taken off the board for running too wide. Kimi Raikkonen had a brief excursion through the gravel at the Rivazzas but was able to safely rejoin the circuit and return to the pits. His Alfa Romeo team mate Antonio Giovinazzi had a bizarre spin at the Tamburello Chicane on an outlap, before complaining of excessively cold tyres. 2021 Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix third practice result Pos. No. Driver Car Best lap Gap Laps 1 33 Max Verstappen Red-Bull Honda 1’14.958 18 2 4 Lando Norris Mclaren 1’15.414 0.456 17 3 44 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1’15.515 0.557 18 4 11 Sergio Perez Red Bull 1’15.551 0.593 18 5 16 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1’15.738 0.780 21 6 10 Pierre Gasly AlphaTauri 1’15.890 0.932 22 7 55 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 1’15.908 0.950 21 8 77 Valtteri Bottas Mercedes 1’15.908 0.950 19 9 14 Fernando Alonso Alpine 1’16.186 1.228 20 10 31 Esteban Ocon Alpine 1’16.228 1.270 20 11 22 Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri 1’16.230 1.272 20 12 18 Lance Stroll Aston Martin 1’16.245 1.287 19 13 3 Daniel Ricciardo Mclaren 1’16.253 1.295 17 14 5 Sebastian Vettel Aston Martin 1’16.389 1.431 19 15 63 George Russell Williams 1’16.427 1.469 20 16 47 Mick Schumacher Haas 1’16.448 1.490 22 17 6 Nicholas Latifi Williams 1’16.537 1.579 15 18 99 Antonio Giovinazzi Alfa Romeo 1’16.612 1.654 22 19 7 Kimi Raikkonnen Alfa Romeo 1’16.803 1.845 23 20 9 Nikita Mazepin Haas 1’17.398 2.440 23

quartararo takes portimao gp as marquez comes seventh in his comeback

Bagnaia tops Portimao FP2

Kevin Peterson04 mins

Bagnaia fastest for Ducati during Free Practice 2 for the Portimao MotoGP round in Portugal. Due to the wet patches in FP1, all riders set their best lap times of the day in the afternoon, despite light rain just before the start of the session. Better weather is expected for Saturday and Sunday. At one stage all six manufacturers were in the top six heading into the closing minutes. Eight-time world champion Marc Marquez – sidelined for the past nine months due to complications with his broken right arm, which eventually required three operations – was soon up to speed, leading the timesheets on his way to third quickest this morning. The Repsol Honda rider then took a late sixth place (as top Honda) in the faster FP2 session and was again all smiles afterwards despite – or because of – some sideways moments. Marquez hadn’t ridden a MotoGP bike at Portimao before today, but did test an RC213V-S production bike at the track last month. Nakagami had a fast accident in the opening minutes when he appeared to lock the front wheel over the crest into Turn 1, the Japanese was clipped by the bike as he slid and walked away holding his right wrist. After checks in the medical centre, the Japanese returned for the closing ten minutes and grabbed a late tenth place! Zarco’s bike had a minor fire during his practice start. PORTIMAO MOTOGP, PORTUGAL – FREE PRACTICE (2) RESULTS POS   RIDER NAT TEAM TIME/DIFF LAP MAX 1 ^5 Francesco Bagnaia ITA Ducati Team (GP21) 1’39.866s 16/18 342k 2 ^5 Fabio Quartararo FRA Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) +0.340s 19/19 329k 3 ^10 Joan Mir SPA Suzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR) +0.419s 15/18 330k 4 ˅2 Alex Rins SPA Suzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR) +0.462s 18/19 336k 5 ^3 Jack Miller AUS Ducati Team (GP21) +0.470s 14/17 340k 6 ˅3 Marc Marquez SPA Repsol Honda (RC213V) +0.473s 18/18 333k 7 ˅6 Maverick Vinales SPA Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) +0.560s 19/20 329k 8 ˅3 Johann Zarco FRA Pramac Ducati (GP21) +0.624s 19/19 340k 9 ^8 Miguel Oliveira POR Red Bull KTM (RC16) +0.726s 16/18 333k 10 ^2 Takaaki Nakagami JPN LCR Honda (RC213V) +0.745s 8/8 332k 11 ˅2 Alex Marquez SPA LCR Honda (RC213V) +0.866s 18/18 336k 12 ˅8 Pol Espargaro SPA Repsol Honda (RC213V) +0.877s 15/18 335k 13 ^5 Luca Marini ITA Sky VR46 Avintia Ducati (GP19)* +0.895s 18/18 331k 14 ^7 Aleix Espargaro SPA Aprilia Gresini (RS-GP) +1.041s 13/16 333k 15 ˅4 Valentino Rossi ITA Petronas Yamaha (YZR-M1) +1.259s 17/19 330k 16 ˅1 Lorenzo Salvadori ITA Aprilia Gresini (RS-GP)* +1.274s 16/19 339k 17 ^5 Brad Binder RSA Red Bull KTM (RC16) +1.317s 15/18 338k 18 ˅8 Danilo Petrucci ITA KTM Tech3 (RC16) +1.321s 16/19 328k 19 ˅5 Franco Morbidelli ITA Petronas Yamaha (YZR-M1) +1.350s 21/21 331k 20 = Enea Bastianini ITA Avintia Ducati (GP19)* +1.970s 13/16 335k 21 ˅2 Iker Lecuona SPA KTM Tech3 (RC16) +2.595s 16/18 330k 22 ˅6 Jorge Martin SPA Pramac Ducati (GP21)* +3.055s 18/18 339k

quartararo takes portimao gp as marquez comes seventh in his comeback

Imola FP2: Bottas quickest, Verstappen experiences technical issues as Leclerc crashes

Kevin Peterson05 mins

Mercedes topped the second practice at Imola as their close rival Verstappen experienced technical issues that saw him stop the session just ten minutes in leaving Bottas to be 0.010s faster than Hamilton. Red Bull’s progress was halted on Friday afternoon as Verstappen began lapping at competitive pace, but then crawled to a stop as he said “something broke” 10 minutes into the hour. A brief Virtual Safety Car period followed to recover his car and he ended up 14th fastest. That left FP1 leader Bottas out front again, his medium-tyred benchmark of 1m15.511s enough to beat soft-tyred Hamilton by 0.010s for FP2 supremacy. Behind them was Pierre Gasly for AlphaTauri, just 0.078s off Bottas’s pace. Ferrari initially enjoyed their return home as Carlos Sainz finished fourth and Charles Leclerc fifth quickest – until Leclerc crashed to bring out a red flag at the final corner to end the session early with three minutes remaining. Regardless, Leclerc still finished ahead of sixth-place Red Bull driver Sergio Perez, who shrugged off a collision with Esteban Ocon in FP1 for which there was no penalty from the stewards. AlphaTauri rookie Yuki Tsunoda received a new battery and control electronics in his Honda-powered car after FP1 as a precaution, and the rookie finished seventh overall – just 0.008s off Perez. McLaren’s Lando Norris finished eighth quickest, his team mate Daniel Ricciardo down in 18th as a flying lap of his was deleted for a Turn 9 track limits infringement. Behind Norris was Italian racer Antonio Giovinazzi for Alfa Romeo in P9, his team mate Kimi Raikkonen down in 17th. Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll finished 10th in FP2 while Sebastian Vettel managed P15, the two split by under four-tenths. Midfield rivals Alpine have a crucial weekend ahead of them having brought new parts to the Grand Prix in order to try to claw back some performance. Fernando Alonso had a rough ride over the Turn 14 chicane late on, rattling his teeth and potentially damaging the floor of his A521. He finished 13th behind 11th-place team mate Ocon, and between them was Williams’ Nicholas Latifi. George Russell used hard tyres to finish 16th while his 12th-place team mate Latifi stuck to softs. Russell still managed to finish ahead of Raikkonen, Ricciardo and both Haas drivers in his Williams, after he vowed to make amends for his 2020 crash behind the Safety Car at this venue. Haas’s Nikita Mazepin spun twice in FP1, crashing out in the final seconds of that session – but returned in FP2 to finish 20th overall, half a second off his 19th-place team mate Mick Schumacher. Mazepin complained he was “absolutely on ice” as he struggled to get hold of his VF-21 throughout Friday’s sessions. Red Bull’s favourites tag may have been tarnished by Verstappen’s retirement in FP2, but they’ll be back on Saturday for FP3 and qualifying. Don’t miss a minute with F1’s live coverage on Saturday morning, before the fight for pole position in the afternoon.