Now or never
In Portimao, thelast winter test session of the MotoGP class. The riders will be engaged in two days on the track, from 10.30 to 18.30 Italian time on Saturday 11 and Sunday 12 March, looking for definitive answers on the season that will start on the weekend of 26 March, again on the Portuguese track. Ducati and Aprilia – the teams that appeared in better shape at Sepang – are looking for confirmation, while Honda, KTM and Yamaha are still looking for their own identity, under penalty of the concrete risk of a season as supporting actors. The world champion Francesco ‘Pecco’ Bagnaia will obviously be on track, more determined than ever to start off on the right foot right from the starting blocks of the new championship.
• Session in progress
12.03 – Another step forward for Aleix Espargarò (Aprilia), sixth at 0″479. Jack Miller (KTM), eighteenth, does not seem to shine.
12.00 – Alex Rins (Honda LCR) is the fastest of the bikes from the Golden Wing manufacturer, ninth. Aleix Espargarò (Aprilia) rises to tenth place.
11.56 – Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha) is now fifth, 0.368s behind leader Marini (Ducati VR46). Maverick Vinales (Aprilia) takes to the track.
11.52 – Second position now for Jorge Martin (Ducati Prima Pramac) in 1’40.484.
Let’s recap the top10 after the many improvements: 1. Marini (Ducati VR46), 2. Martin (Ducati Before Pramac), 3. Oliveira (Aprilia RNF), 4. Bagnaia (Ducati), 5. Zarco (Ducati Before Pramac), 6 Quartararo (Yamaha), 7. Bezzecchi (Ducati VR46), 8. Marc Marquez (Honda), 9. Aleix Espargarò (Aprilia), 10. Alex Marquez (Ducati Gresini).
11.50 – Luca Marini (Ducati VR46) takes the lead in 1’40.396, behind him Miguel Oliveira (Aprilia RNF) at 0″128, Bagnaia (Ducati) third. The first non-Italian bike is that of Quartararo (Yamaha), seventh.
Technical problems in Turn 4 for Enea Bastianini (Ducati).
11.48 – Marini (Ducati VR46) approaches Bagnaia in 1’40.631. Top4 all Ducati with the two Prima Pramacs of Martin and Zarco.
11.45 – Everyone back to the pits. Top 5 laps completed:
1. Morbidelli 18, 2. Oliveira 16, 3. Bagnaia, Marini 15, 5. Quartararo, Raul Fernandez, Bezzecchi 14.
11.40 – 70 minutes after the opening of the pitlane, only Maverick Vinales (Aprilia) has yet to take to the track.
11.33 – Aleix Espargarò (Aprilia) is also in the standings, in sixth place in 1’41.355.
Enea Bastianini (Ducati) completed only eight laps and is 14th at 1″4 from Bagnaia.
11.30 – Top10 ranking after the first hour of testing:
1. Bagnaia 1’40.551
2. Marini +0.150
3. Oliveira +0.594
4. Quarterback +0.684
5. Marc Marquez +0.787
6. Martin +0.830
7. Alex Marquez +0.849
8. Zarco +1,040
9. Morbidelli +1,208
10. Rins +1.216.
11.25 – The push continues in Portimao: other record sectors for Bagnaia (Ducati), who finishes in 1’40.551. Behind him is now Luca Marini (Ducati VR46) in 1’40.701.
11.22 – The time monitor starts to shine bright red, multiple partial records. Reshuffled standings: Bagnaia (Ducati) still in the lead in 1’40.850, behind him Oliveira (Aprilia RNF) at 0″295, third Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha) at 0″385. Marc Marquez (Honda) was already fourth, on the fifth lap on the track at 0″488.
11.20 – Step forward for Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha), now fifth in 1’42.302, eight tenths behind Bagnaia. Franco Morbidelli (Yamaha) closely follows his teammate, in 1’42.372, sixth.
11.14 – Resumes activity on the Algarve Autodrome. There are only three riders who have not yet taken to the track, namely Vinales (Aprilia), Augusto Fernandez (KTM GasGas), Aleix Espargarò (Aprilia), Pol Espargarò (KTM GasGas).
11.07 – Calm on the track, all the riders have now returned to the pits. Quartararo (Yamaha) crossed the finish line five times, the best in 1’43.341, seventh place.
11.00 – At the stroke of the first half hour on the track, Luca Marini (Ducati VR46) was once again in the lead in 1’41.558. However, he immediately replied to Bagnaia (Ducati) in 1’41.462, getting back in front of everyone.
Top5: 1. Bagnaia (Ducati), 2. Marini (Ducati VR46), 3. Oliveira (Aprilia RNF), 4. Bezzecchi (Ducati VR46), 5. Morbidelli (Yamaha).
First lap also for Quartararo (Yamaha).
10.55 – ‘Pecco’ Bagnaia (Ducati) was also on the track, who after a few laps in which he gained confidence with the track, immediately positioned himself at the top of the standings in 1’41.894. Just 75 thousandths ahead of Oliveira (Aprilia RNF).
10.51 – Two chassis brought by Honda in Marc Marquez’s garage. One is the one tested a month ago in Sepang, the second is a totally new one. The Spanish ace hopes to see a clear step forward after finishing tenth in Malaysia. Same material also for Joan Mir.
10.48 – Again Oliveira (Aprilia RNF) in 1’41.969, almost three tenths faster than Bezzecchi (Ducati VR46).
10.43 – Miguel Oliveira (Aprilia RNF) stops the clock at 1’42.219 and climbs to the top of the standings. The Portuguese rider was the author of pole and victory on his home track in 2020 with the KTM.
10.40 – Bezzecchi (Ducati VR46) is in the lead in 1’42.259, second is Luca Marini (Ducati VR46) in 1’42.564, third is Miguel Oliveira (Aprilia RNF) in 1’43.610.
10.36 – Luca Marini (Ducati VR46) leader in 1’47.222, Marco Bezzecchi (Ducati VR46) does better than him in 1’45.919.
Marini again, 1’45.269 on the third pass over the finish line.
10.35 – To set some benchmarks, the best times set at home in the 2022 Portimao qualifying are hardly indicative, given that the session started in the wet, with a dry Q2:
Ducati 1’42.003 (pole, Johann Zarco)
Aprilia 1’42.235 (Aleix Espargaro)
Yamaha 1’42.716 (Quartararo)
Honda 1’42.903 (Alex Marquez)
KTM 1’44.066 (Oliveira).
A look then at the times of 2021:
Ducati 1’38.725 (pole record, Bagnaia)
Honda 1’39.058 (Pol Espargarò)
Yamaha 1’39.131 (Quartararo)
KTM 1’39.387 (Lecuona)
Aprilia 1’39.389 (Aleix Espargaro).
10.30 – Green light for Day-1 of the Portimao tests – Once the pitlane is open, the first to take to the route of the Algarve circuit is Luca Marini (Ducati VR46).
10.15 – Hello dear readers of FormulaPassion.it and welcome back to the live text of the first day of rehearsals of the MotoGP on the track of portimao. This is the last winter test before the start of the world championship, scheduled in two weeks time at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve.
The pitlane will open in exactly 15 minutes and will close at 18.30, after eight hours.
A look at the weather forecast in Portimao for Saturday 11 March: the maximum temperature is 22°, the minimum is 12°. The wind will blow from West-North-West at 11 km/h, with gusts of 28 km/h. No chance of precipitation.