MotoGP

Jack Miller took his first MotoGP victory since Assen 2016 in dramatic fashion as after Fabio Quartararo suffered a mid race issue that saw him lose a certain third victory of 2021. Miller started the race from third on the grid and was able to use Ducati’s front and rear start device to full effect as he led going into turn one. The strategy of getting in front of the Yamahas and keeping them at bay for as long as possible looked to take a great start, as Francesco Bagnaia was also up to third ahead of Qaurtararo. However, the championship leader at the time soon showed the pace that everyone feared he would by overtaking Bagnaia, Franco Morbidelli and Miller all at turn 13 – Jorge Lorenzo corner in consecutive laps to lead. Quartararo pushed on the pace immediately after taking the lead and set a new best race lap of 1:37.770s to breakaway. But what looked like a certain third win of the year for the 21 year-old, soon evaporated in bizarre fashion as the Yamaha rider seemingly had no clear problems with the bike and fell into the grasp of Miller. Quartararo looked in some discomfort on the cool down lap – (potential issue physically), and with eight laps left Miller made the race winning move at turn 1. This started a flurry of moves and a subsequent drop through the order for Quartararo, as Bagnaia and Morbidelli both made their way past in a matter of corners on lap 17. Quartararo then slid all the way down the order to eventually finish 13th, but with Bagnaia claiming second, it means the Italian rider takes over as the new championship leader by two points. Morbidelli claimed third for Petronas Yamaha which is the Italian rider’s first rostrum of the season, while Takaaki Nakagami produced a season best fourth place finish. Nakagami was involved in a battle with Aleix Espargaro and Joan Mir for much of the race, and was able to pass Espargaro and Quartararo in quick succession which helped him stave off Joan Mir in fifth. Espargaro finished the race in sixth place after getting a brilliant start from eighth to fifth. The Aprilia rider was as high as fourth early on, but was unable to maintain a podium challenge. Maverick Vinales and Johann Zarco were seventh and eighth and had a good battle throughout the race. The pair exchanged positions several times but Vinales was able to pull a slight gap out toward the end. Rounding out the top ten were the Repsol Honda’s of Marc Marquez in ninth and Pol Espargaro in tenth. It was another impressive showing in the race from both, but especially from Marquez who was as low as 16th early on before making his way through the field. Just like this morning’s warm up session, there were many crashes – this time in the hotter conditions. Alex Marquez was first to crash on the opening lap, while Brad Binder fell twice. Alex Rins and Enea Bastianini also took a tumble with Rins the only one able to remount and carry on – finishing 20th.

Six-time world champion Marc Marquez escaped “major injury” after a high speed crash in Spanish MotoGP practice at Jerez on Saturday and is fit to continue racing. “After his check, marcmarquez93 has been declared FIT for the remainder of the SpanishGP,” his Honda team tweeted. The 28-year-old Spaniard fell heavily in the third practice session at the circuit where last year he broke his right arm in the opening race to end his 2020 campaign. “Marc is perfectly fine,” MotoGP doctor Angel Charte told Spanish television station DAZN. Marquez made his comeback after nine months out and multiple bouts of surgery at the Portuguese MotoGP last month. He admitted to a “lack of strength” after he struggled in Friday practice at Jerez. In Saturday’s opening session he lost control of his bike at 180km at turn seven, sliding across gravel on his left arm and into a barrier. Clearly shaken he managed to walk away, returning to the pits on a scooter. After a medical check-up at the track Honda reported their star rider had “no major injuries suffering only a contusion”. Shortly after in a second tweet the team added: “To double check his condition after the Turn 7 fall, @MarcMarquez93 is heading to hospital for further checks. “These are precautionary and Marquez is not experiencing any pain or discomfort.” Charte said he ordered a scan as “a check-up”. “He has a big bruise on his neck and back, it doesn’t cost us anything to do a scan,” the doctor said. “It’s only a control scan, nothing more.” the doctor added. Marquez finished seventh on an emotional return to the championship in Portugal on 18 April having elected to skip the opening two races of 2021 at Qatar. At Jerez on Friday he could muster only 16th in the opening two practice sessions. After the third session Takaaki Nakagami riding for Honda’s satellite LCR team topped the timesheets ahead of championship leader Fabio Quartararo of Yamaha.

MotoGP championship leader Fabio Quartararo took pole position for the Spanish Grand Prix at Jerez, narrowly seeing off fellow Yamaha rider Franco Morbidelli. It meant Quartararo maintained his perfect MotoGP qualifying record at Jerez, having now taken four poles in four attempts at the Spanish venue. A change in temperature and wind speed seemed to catch out several riders right in the lead-up to qualifying, with the pre-qualifying FP4 session punctuated by a number of late crashes. The two Aprilia riders crashed to kick off the chaos – although Espargaro had also fallen at the start of FP4 – before Suzuki rider Alex Rins, Honda’s Pol Espargaro and Tech3 KTM’s Danilo Petrucci followed suit. Pol Espargaro’s fall was particularly nasty, coming at high speed at the same corner – the Turn 7 right-hander – that also brought upon Marc Marquez’s shunt earlier today. When the pole shoot-out began, Quartararo got the early advantage, leading ex-team-mate Morbidelli by 0.005s after the initial round of laps. He then improved right as the chequered flag flew, stretching his lead over Morbidelli to 0.057s. The Petronas Yamaha man had no response and settled for second, which still represented a great return given he’d unexpectedly found himself having to fight through Q1. Morbidelli had posted two laps in FP3 that were easily good enough for an automatic Q2 spot. But the first one was deleted for track limits immediately, and then his second lap was chalked off after a post-session investigation, and therefore Morbidelli was consigned to the first segment of qualifying. Yet he advanced with ease, doing so alongside the KTM of Brad Binder, who was the Austrian marque’s sole Q2 representative. Ducati rider Jack Miller, who was the beneficiary of Morbidelli’s FP3 cancellations and got a direct Q2 ticket, as a result, made the most of it by completing the front row, having followed team-mate Francesco Bagnaia on his fastest lap. Bagnaia himself then moved up to fourth place at the chequered flag, with Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda) and Johann Zarco (Pramac Ducati) joining him on the front row. Maverick Vinales was only seventh for Yamaha, with Aleix Espargaro ninth and the two Suzukis of Alex Rins and Joan Mir completing the top 10, despite Mir being just 0.399s off the pole time. Binder and Honda wildcard Stefan Bradl rounded out the Q2 classification. Despite his FP4 crash, Pol Espargaro got his first qualifying win over new team-mate Marquez, but the factory Honda pair had to settle for 13th and 14th respectively. It marked Marquez’s first Q1 exit since 2015, but the Spaniard will have been relieved to avoid major injury in his FP3 crash, having been to hospital for a CT scan that uncovered no substantial damage. The Honda duo were supposed to be even further back, as Binder’s KTM team-mate Miguel Oliveira was just 0.022s behind the South African after following Binder on his final Q1 lap. But, having already missed out on Q2, Oliveira then had the lap chalked off for track limits, and was relegated to the sixth row, allowing Avintia Ducati rookie Enea Bastianini to join the Hondas on row five instead. Valentino Rossi followed his Petronas Yamaha team-mate Morbidelli in Q1 but could only place seventh-fastest in the session, meaning he has qualified no higher than 17th for a third consecutive event. Pos Name Team Bike Group 1 Group 2 1 Fabio Quartararo Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Yamaha 1m36.755s 2 Franco Morbidelli Petronas Yamaha SRT Yamaha 1m36.916s 1m36.812s 3 Jack Miller Ducati Lenovo Team Ducati 1m36.86s 4 Francesco Bagnaia Ducati Lenovo Team Ducati 1m36.96s 5 Takaaki Nakagami LCR Honda IDEMITSU Honda 1m37.008s 6 Johann Zarco Pramac Racing Ducati 1m37.054s 7 Maverick Viñales Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Yamaha 1m37.07s 8 Aleix Espargaró Aprilia Racing Team Gresini Aprilia 1m37.085s 9 Alex Rins Team SUZUKI ECSTAR Suzuki 1m37.124s 10 Joan Mir Team SUZUKI ECSTAR Suzuki 1m37.154s 11 Brad Binder Red Bull KTM Factory Racing KTM 1m37.35s 1m37.467s 12 Stefan Bradl Repsol Honda Team Honda 1m37.502s 13 Pol Espargaró Repsol Honda Team Honda 1m37.407s 14 Marc Marquez Repsol Honda Team Honda 1m37.489s 15 Enea Bastianini Avintia Esponsorama Racing Ducati 1m37.675s 16 Miguel Oliveira Red Bull KTM Factory Racing KTM 1m37.746s 17 Valentino Rossi Petronas Yamaha SRT Yamaha 1m37.915s 18 Luca Marini SKY VR46 Avintia Team Ducati 1m37.925s 19 Danilo Petrucci Tech3 KTM Factory Racing KTM 1m38.065s 20 Alex Marquez LCR Honda Castrol Honda 1m38.069s 21 Iker Lecuona Tech3 KTM Factory Racing KTM 1m38.139s 22 Lorenzo Savadori Aprilia Racing Team Gresini Aprilia 1m38.325s 23 Tito Rabat Pramac Racing Ducati 1m38.641s

Factory Ducati rider Francesco Bagnaia ended MotoGP Friday practice at Jerez as the pace-setter, leading Fabio Quartararo in the second session. Petronas Yamaha rider Franco Morbidelli headed former team-mate Quartararo in the early going, the pair having become the first riders to dip below the 1m38s margin this weekend. Aleix Espargaro and Takaaki Nakagami then whittled down Morbidelli’s lead, but he stayed top until the late-session emergence of fresh soft-compound rear tyres. Quartararo used one of those soft tyres to overhaul Morbidelli by 0.009s with just over a minute left on the clock, only for Espargaro to immediately go half a tenth faster. But the Aprilia man’s tenure out front was likewise short-lived, with Bagnaia moving up from 14th with a 1m37.209s. Having snuck in a lap right before the chequered flag that took him back past Espargaro, Quartararo wound up another attempt at a flying lap and was up on Bagnaia after two sectors, but ultimately settled for second. Espargaro and Morbidelli completed the top four, while Quartararo’s works team-mate Maverick Vinales made it three Yamahas in the top five. The other Yamaha in the field, that of Petronas rider Valentino Rossi, was 21st. LCR rider Nakagami led Honda’s charge in sixth, with Miguel Oliveira seventh for KTM and Alex Rins eighth for Suzuki, meaning all six MotoGP manufacturers were represented in the top eight. Rins’ team-mate, reigning champion Joan Mir, was only 13th and therefore faces what would be his fourth Q1 appearance of the season. Also currently looking at a Q1 outing is the returning Marc Marquez, who was only 16th in the session. Pramac’s Jorge Martin stand-in Tito Rabat had a big crash at the hairpin-like Jorge Lorenzo corner, tumbling through the gravel along with his heavily damaged Ducati. He returned to the track in the final stages but was 23rd and last.

Nadia Padovani, the wife of double world champion Fausto Gresini, will take over as the owner and team principal of the Gresini Racing MotoGP team with immediate effect, following Fausto’s tragic death earlier this year. The 60-year-old succumbed to COVID-19 after spending nearly six weeks in hospital at the beginning of the year, leaving behind wife Nadia and children Lorenzo, Luca, Alice and Agnese. While there was initially speculation in the MotoGP paddock that the team would potentially (and understandably) not remain in the series following Gresini’s passing, its position has been reaffirmed this morning with a new commitment from the family and a new management structure in which two of his children take over key roles. Padovani will take over Gresini’s role, acting as both team owner and team principal, while son Lorenzo will join the administrative side of the operation and Luca will take a lead on the sporting direction side, starting at this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix in Jerez. The family have also renewed their commitment to remaining in the MotoGP class as an independent team in 2022. Gresini currently runs Aprilia’s works MotoGP team but it was announced last year that this deal would end after this season. But Aprilia is still keen to keep Gresini Racing as its satellite squad, although it’s believed there’s also interest in working with Gresini from Ducati and potentially Suzuki. “I would like to think that Fausto’s two families – ours and the racing one – have joined their efforts to bring forward everything he was planning, and especially the MotoGP,” said Padovani. “To have an independent team in the premier class is surely something very demanding, with a team to be built from scratch, but I know everyone in the company is giving their 110% to make his dream come true. “Personally, I see it as a real mission, a challenge we will face – also and above all – thanks to the strength of Fausto, who is following us from above. “We’re currently speaking with several manufacturers and in a matter of a few weeks we will reveal the details of our MotoGP project.” However, it’s believed that it’s not just a manufacturer that the new team management will have to find, with sponsorship acquisition the more important part of the puzzle. The budget required to run a satellite team in MotoGP is in the region of €10million per season – significant sum of money to find given that Gresini is currently in a position where Aprilia pays it for its services and it doesn’t have to find sponsorship.

Valentino Rossi’s VR46 team secures Saudi backing for a full MotoGP entry in the 2022 MotoGP World Championship. After debut into the premier-class by running Luca Marini within the Esponsorama team this season, Valentino Rossi’s VR46 squad has secured backing for a full MotoGP entry of its own from 2022. “In 2022 the VR46 Team will debut in the MotoGP class together with Tanal Entertainment Sport & Media with Saudi Aramco as the main sponsor for the period 2022-2026,” read a press release from Tanal Entertainment Sport & Media. Graphics of an Aramco-branded VR46 machine were included with the release – maybe it’s just for illustration purposes, but the bike used was a Yamaha M1. Yamaha currently supplies satellite MotoGP machines to Petronas and, while no agreement has been officially announced with the successful Malaysian team for 2022, renewal negotiations are said to be at an advanced stage. But it’s not only M1s that are currently available, Suzuki and Aprilia are also seeking a satellite team next season, while if Esponsorama makes way for VR46 then Ducati would also need a new team to maintain its current six-bike supply (as it hopes to do). The Aramco-VR46 deal includes continuing in Moto2, as the Saudi branding effectively replaces Sky Italia on the VR46 bikes (Sky is also thought to be a part owner of the VR46 team). Rossi himself is yet to decide if he will race on in 2022, the nine-time world champion currently having just a single-year contract with Petronas.

Triple MotoGP world champion Jorge Lorenzo believes Yamaha is not treating Petronas SRT’s Franco Morbidelli “in the best way” by not giving him machine parity with its factory riders. Morbidelli remains on the ‘A-spec’ M1 for the 2021 season, which is effectively a slightly upgraded 2019 Yamaha, on which he rode to second in the championship last season and scored three of the Japanese marque’s seven victories. Yamaha has won all three races in 2021 so far courtesy of its factory duo Maverick Vinales and Fabio Quartararo on the improved factory M1, with the latter leading the standings by 15 points. Morbidelli struggled to 18th with a technical issue in the Qatar Grand Prix, and is currently 11th in the riders’ standings after 12th and fourth-place finishes in the Doha and Portuguese rounds. The Italian expressed frustration at his situation within Yamaha after his Qatar GP problems, though later backtracked on these. But former factory Yamaha rider Lorenzo feels Morbidelli isn’t being treated as he should, but must concentrate on “showing Yamaha that it is wrong”. “Well, my opinion is perhaps quite strong but I think that Yamaha in this case is not treating Franco in the best way because [he] was second overall last year,” Lorenzo said on his 99 Seconds YouTube show. “Ducati gives the four riders [at its factory squad and Pramac] practically the same bike and Yamaha is not doing it, precisely with Franco. “Now, I believe that Franco should demand the same treatment from Yamaha and he does well by threatening in quotes, starting to talk to other factories or those other factories that want him. “But once he puts on his helmet and gets on the bike, he has to concentrate on getting the most out of him and showing Yamaha that he is wrong by not giving him the same treatment.” Lorenzo also commented on Vinales’ main weaknesses as a rider currently, following his tough run to 11th place at Portimao and his downbeat comments afterwards. “He is young and he will come out of this and win races again,” Lorenzo said. “What is clear is that he has two handicaps that are limiting him a lot. “The first is the starts; he has to improve on that, he has to get very serious about trying to improve them because they are limiting him in a great way. “And then those emotional ups and downs that I think he has, I think he needs to be much more consistent because in the end there are always going to be problems. “The Yamaha in some circuits is not going to go well, in others it will be you who does not find yourself fast in the circuit or with the motorcycle and you cannot go fast. “You will have crashes, injuries, moments where you will be physically worse or emotionally and there you have to be consistent, always think positive, try to get the maximum possible points without excuses and saying that everything is a disaster.”

Former MotoGP rider and 2014 Moto2 champion Tito Rabat will stand in for the injured Jorge Martin at Pramac for the Spanish Grand Prix following a violent crash at Portimao. Martin crashed heavily in the latter stages of FP3 last Saturday and suffered multiple fractures, with the Pramac rookie taken to hospital in Faro and ruled out of the Portuguese GP weekend. The Spaniard was transferred to hospital in Barcelona on Monday for surgery, though an operation on a fractured right hand and ankle had to be postponed as a precaution following the knock to the head he took in the accident. Martin underwent a surgery on Wednesday morning and will not be in action next weekend at Jerez. With this Pramac has opted to run Rabat in place of Martin. Rabat stepped up to MotoGP in 2016 with Marc VDS having won the Moto2 crown in 2014, before beginning his association with Ducati at Avintia in 2018. The Spaniard suffered a horror leg injury in a crash during practice for the 2019 British GP, and continued to suffer the after-effects when he returned to racing in 2020. Rabat did have a contract with Avintia for the 2021 season, but was moved aside when a deal was struck between Ducati and Luca Marini to bring the 2020 Moto2 runner-up into the premier class on a VR46-backed Avintia GP19. Left without options in MotoGP, Rabat accepted an offer to join the Ducati-supported Barni Racing squad in World Superbikes. Rabat will make his WSBK debut when the delayed 2021 season begins on 21 May, leaving him a free agent to stand in for Martin for the Spanish GP, as well as the French GP at Le Mans two weeks later if required.

Stefan Bradl is set to return to the track at the Spanish GP, with HRC announcing he will take a wildcard spot at Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto. The German has already ridden in the opening two rounds of the Championship, as well as for the majority of 2020 in the place of the absent Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team), but the Spaniard’s return meant he reverted back to his role as Test Rider. The number 6 performed admirably in the stead of the eight-time World Champion, finishing among the points on both occasions in Qatar, and now Honda will give him the opportunity to do so again at the Spanish GP, which gets underway on the 29th of April.

MotoGP rookie Jorge Martin is starting his recovery after undergoing surgery on three of the injuries suffered in Saturday’s huge accident at the Portimao Grand Prix. The young Spaniard fell from his Pramac Ducati on an out-lap and, while TV cameras missed the start of the incident, Martin was seen sliding into the gravel trap at highspeed, where he and the bike were then thrown into a series of vicious cartwheels. The Doha pole position starter and podium finisher required surgery for fractures to the metacarpal of his right thumb, right malleolus (ankle) and left tibial plateau (knee), later posting on social mediaAleix Espargaro – who along with Maverick Vinales was publicly thanked by Martin for taking him training and lending him bikes when he couldn’t afford them earlier in his career – said of the Portimao accident: “Jorge is very young and these ups and down, after the pole and now the big crash, happen because he’s trying. He still needs to understand the bike and when you are so brave like Jorge is, this can happen. “If you are a little bit more of a relaxed rider maybe you will not have the big crashes, but also you will not finish on the podium. So I prefer to be brave and have these crashes and Jorge will be back soon.” With Martin ready ruled out of next weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix, Pramac has drafted in Tito Rabat to ride alongside Johann Zarco at Jerez, Ducati’s usual stand-in rider Michele Pirro being busy with MotoGP testing duties.

Suzuki has become the latest manufacturer to pledge its continuation to MotoGP competition, the reigning teams and riders champions extending its stay in the premier class until at least 2026. The Hamamatsu-based operation returned to MotoGP for the ’15 season after a three year hiatus following its previous stint in the premier class, one that saw Suzuki collect a total of six riders titles-the last going to Kenny Roberts Jr in the year 2000. It has steadily climbed the manufacturer pecking order since its MotoGP return, thanks in part to its now F1-departed team boss Davide Brivio, achieving a total of five wins and a first riders championship for Joan Mir two decades after Suzuki’s last, the teams title also going to the blue corner last season. Suzuki becomes the fifth manufacturer to sign a five year extension to remain in the series, with Aprilia the only currently-competing marque yet to sign on the dotted line-though a decision to remain is expected in due course. Shinichi Sahara, Suzuki MotoGP Team Director and Project Leader, says his team is still “hungry for success” off the back of its’20 achievements over the next five seasons. “As Suzuki Motor Corporation we are proud to continue to compete in the MotoGP World Championship, as we all share the challenging ambition of measuring ourselves against the top motorcycling competition in the world,” said Sahara. “We started this new journey in 2015 and in only six years we achieved the Riders’ World title, together with the Teams’ title, and we are still hungry for more success. “For these reasons we have extended our agreement with Dorna, with the hope and the commitment to continue the development of the technical and racing sides of the company.” Independent MotoGP outfits LCR and Gresini Racing have also committed to remaining in the pinnacle of grand prix motorcycle racing going forward, the former continuing on as Honda’s premier satellite operation as it has done across the past several seasons. Gresini meanwhile has yet to announce the machinery it will campaign from ’22 onwards after current partner Aprilia elected to go its own way as far as running its factory team. The Italian outfit-which lost founder Fausto Gresini following a battle with Covid-19 in February- could remain as a satellite operation for Aprilia, though possibilities to return as a Honda customer or become Suzuki’s satellite arm are also on the table.

Pramac Ducati MotoGP rider Jorge Martin’s surgery on fractures suffered in a violent crash during the Portuguese Grand Prix has been postponed and a Jerez return is now in doubt. The rookie crashed at Turn 7 in the latter stages of Saturday’s FP3 session at the Algarve track, the Spaniard needing to be stretchered off track and taken to hospital for checks. Martin was found to have suffered fractures to his right hand and ankle and was ruled out of the rest of the Portimao weekend. He flew to Barcelona on Sunday afternoon and was due to have surgery on Monday at the Quiron Clinic with Doctor Xavier Mir and his team. However, due to the severe blow to his head, his operation has been postponed likely to Wednesday upon advice from his doctors. A representative of Martin’s told Motorsport.com’s Spanish language site that the Pramac rider is unlikely to return to action next weekend at the Spanish GP. “The most important thing now is that Jorge recovers,” the representative said. “First they have to operate on him and see how the postoperative period goes, but we are in no hurry, if he has to wait until Le Mans, we will wait. “We are not going to speed up the operation because we are at Jerez, he must recover first. “I think it’s very difficult, right now, for him to be at the Spanish Grand Prix, I almost rule it out. “Although in these things nothing is ever one hundred percent sure.” Martin’s injury comes just a fortnight after he scored a maiden pole position in just his second MotoGP race in Qatar, and went on to finish the Doha GP third having led for the first 17 laps. Pramac’s Portugal weekend ended is disappointing fashion, after erstwhile championship leader Johann Zarco crashed out of second place in the latter stages. The Portugal round proved to be a bruising weekend for a number of riders as well as Martin, most notably LCR’s Takaaki Nakagami. The Japanese rider had a fast 250km/h crash at Turn 1 in FP1, which left him with a damaged collarbone. Despite this, he managed to come through from the back of the grid to finish 10th.

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

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.”

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.”

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