Let’s see who is the handsome guy who beats the Ducati this season, in general, and Francesco Bagnaia, in particular. The new MotoGP world champion has gone off the map in this Portimao test and has finished it with a new track record, also being the only one capable of overcoming the 1:38 barrier. The 1:37.968 of sin pulverizes by 0.757 the record that he himself had on the Algarve track since 2021. Outrageous. And meanwhile, Marc Márquez giving everything to climb, but Honda has not met its riders in this test either and the best rider on the grid finishes the pre-season 14th, 0.810 behind the head.
They are working in the Repsol Honda garage, but the results this winter have not lived up to their record or their usual possibilities. Marc, who stopped one of his RC213Vs, was surpassed on this occasion by his new teammate, a Joan Mir who finished thirteenth and that at least he had the consolation of seeing himself in the classification ahead of his boxing partner, the first one who always has to be beaten. The champion of the fateful 2020 took 16 thousandths from the six-time MotoGP champion and in his case the difference with his head was 794 thousandths.
The distance of the new number #1 with the first of his pursuers, Johann Zarco, was 0.296 and the best thing for him is that he was not only the best one lap but also showed better pace than the competition. After the Frenchman, a surprising Fabio Quartararo came third, who was finally able to take advantage of the time attack from the new Yamaha, which runs about five km/h more than last year. The 2021 champion is the only non-Italian motorcycle in the top eight, because behind him Luca Marini (his impressive pre-season, with first place in Valencia and Malaysia to which he adds this fourth), Marco Bezzecchi, Enea Bastianini, Álex Marquez and Jorge Martin. Eighth was Brad Binder with the KTM and closed the list of the top ten Aleix Espargaró with the Aprilia and with his right arm crushed by compartment syndrome, so much so that the most normal thing is that he will have another operation this week for the third time on that arm .
Outside the top ten, Maverick Viñales (12th), Mir (13th), Márquez (14th), Rins (15th), Raúl Fernández (16th), Pol (18th) and Augusto Fernández (22nd).
Times of the MotoGP test in Portimao
Enlarge