MotoGP Rider Ratings: Quartararo leads a perfect trio, Miller rock bottom

Fabio Quartararo - 10 

(Qualified 5th, finished 1st) 

Following a tough Friday in the wet, while Saturday proved to be not much better for the reigning world champion, Fabio Quartararo delivered one of the most dominant performances we’ve seen in years. Starting fifth, Quartararo was up to second come the end of lap one as he looked to turn another potential nightmare race into a great one. Quartararo then got the better of Joan Mir before riding off into the distance. No matter who was second, Quartararo kept increasing his lead in what was a truly special effort from the Yamaha rider. His win, which is not only his first of 2022, but one that also sees him take joint leadership at the top of the championship. 

• Miller: T-boned him, real stinker, ‘zero truth’ to 2023 rumour 
• ‘I impressed myself’ - how did Quartararo swap distant defeat for runaway win? 
• MotoGP Portimao: Joan Mir ‘just surviving’, Miller error 'nothing deliberate'

Johann Zarco - 8 

(Qualified 1st, finished 2nd) 

Another double delight for France - Johann Zarco claimed his second podium of the season after regrouping following a poor start. The Pramac rider was pushed all the way down to fifth, before gradually making his way back up to second. Like in Mandalika, Zarco took a considerable amount of time to turn third into second, and although he faced late pressure from Aleix Espargaro, Zarco held on for a very solid P2, his best result of the season thus far. 

Aleix Espargaro - 9 

(Qualified 3rd, finished 3rd) 

Like Zarco, Espargaro had to recover from a somewhat disappointing start. The Aprilia rider was initially pushed down the order by the likes of Quartararo, Joan Mir, Jack Miller and Alex Marquez, however, very strong race pace was key to the Spanish rider’s fightback, while also getting lucky with the clash between Mir and Miller. Following the disappointment of COTA, a podium in Portimao, which is his first at the Portuguese circuit, was an impressive way to respond. 

Alex Rins - 10 

(Qualified 23rd, finished 4th) 

It goes without saying that the 2022 version of Alex Rins is one to be feared. The Suzuki rider has consistently bettered his world champion team-mate Mir, while bringing the Japanese manufacturer their only podiums of this season at present. A disastrous qualifying left Rins in a damage limitation situation, but after gaining a staggering 13 places on lap one, his race turned into much more than that. Rins continued to make incredible gains on the riders in front as he came through to fourth by the checkered flag. After the exploits of Marc Marquez and his comeback in Austin, can we say Rins’ fightback was even better? I think we can!

Miguel Oliveira - 8 

(Qualified 11th, finished 5th) 

Miguel Oliveira takes home a solid 8 out of ten after getting the better of his team-mate Brad Binder all weekend, something that’s been a rarity this season, while also finishing fifth at his home round. Oliveira showed very strong pace in the wet during practice, conditions that likely would have suited him better for the race, but still, Oliveira took his second top five of the year in what was a much needed result for the inconsistent Portuguese rider.

Marc Marquez - 8 

(Qualified 9th, finished 6th)

The MotoGP of Portimao was not quite the race Marc Marquez would have hoped for. Like Oliveira, Marquez showed incredible pace in the wet, however, his race pace in the dry also suggested he could be a podium challenger. But after failing to get a good start, and taking too much time to get through the mid-field, Marquez had to settle for sixth, a position that he nearly lost to his brother and Francesco Bagnaia due to suffering with tyre degradation during the closing stages.

Alex Marquez - 8 

(Qualified 7h, finished 7th) 

By far his best weekend of 2022, Alex Marquez showed glimpses of returning to the type of form he showed in 2020. A standout rookie in said 2020 campaign, Marquez has failed to reach those heights since, and with his future in the premier class in doubt, performances like we saw in Portimao will go a long way to securing him a seat on the grid for 2023. Although he lost out on sixth to his brother, Alex did manage to out-qualify the eight-time world champion. 

Francesco Bagnaia - 10 

(Started last, finished 8th)

After suffering a big hishside in Q1, which came after crashing heavily on day-one, Francesco Bagnaia’s participation in the Portuguese Grand Prix appeared to be in major doubt, let alone a race where achieving a top ten would be realistic should he compete. But after getting the all-clear despite being less than 100% fit, Bagnaia did just that as he brilliantly carved his way through the pack to claim eighth. Although it will hurt seeing Quartararo win, especially as the Yamaha rider is likely to be his biggest title challenger should Bagnaia begin to find his form of last year, going from last to eighth whilst injured is likely to feel like a win. 

Pol Espargaro - 7 

(Qualified 10th, finished 9th) 

A somewhat quiet weekend for the Repsol Honda rider concluded with P9 in Sunday’s race. After an early tussle with his team-mate, Espargaro lost out to Bagnaia during the final couple of laps. 

Maverick Vinales - 6 

(Qualified 14th, finished 10th)

Unable to match Espargaro or the pace he showed in Austin, Portimao was a slight let down for Vinales who was 18 seconds of the race win. 

Andrea Dovizioso - 6 

(Qualified 16th, finished 11th)

Helped by several riders crashing in front of him, Andrea Dovizioso came through to secure his best result of 2022. However, it remains a result that’s for one not a top ten, and two, saw him finish close to half a minute down on fellow Yamaha rider Quartararo. 

Luca Marini - 6 

(Qualified 8th, finished 12th) 

As has been his main problem so far this season, race pace once again let Luca Marini down in a big way. After squeezing into Q2 and then qualifying in eighth, the Mooney VR46 rider immediately went backwards. 

Franco Morbidelli - 5 

(Qualified 19th, finished 13th) 

The curious case of ‘what’s happened to Franco Morbidelli’ continues as the Italian was again a no-show throughout the Portimao MotoGP. The consolation for the 2020 runner-up is that he scored points, but that’s all that can be taken away from the weekend. 

Remy Gardner - 6 

(Qualified 20th, finished 14th) 

After three races without points, Tech 3 KTM rider Remy Gardner fought hard to claim P14 which was best of the five rookies. 

Marco Bezzecchi - 5 

(Qualified 6th, finished 15th) 

Extremely fast when on the bike, Marco Bezzecchi looked set for a top ten result. But on a weekend that was ultimately conditioned by crashes, and heavy ones at that, Bezzecchi appeared happy to bring home his Desmosedici GP-21 bike, instead of going all-out during the Grand Prix, thus leading to a slide back down the pack. 

Takaaki Nakagami - 4 

(Qualified 17th, finished 16th) 

Another disappointing weekend for the LCR Honda rider as he crashed during the early stages of Sunday’s race. 

Darryn Binder - 4 

(Qualified 22nd, finished 18th) 

For the second MotoGP weekend in a row Darryn Binder was unable to make much of an impact as he was last of the finished runners. 

Joan Mir - 7

(Qualified 2nd, DNF)

Despite not finishing, Mir still gets a grade of seven after his race was determined by an error from Miller. The Suzuki rider made a brilliant start as he led into turn one, and although he failed to match Quartararo’s pace, the Spaniard was very much in contention for a podium. After losing P2 to Zarco, Mir then came under pressure from the Australian. Miller, who began lining-up a move at turn one, finally made his overtake with a few laps to go, but as he did, a bobble under braking led to a front-end washout, thus collecting Mir’s GSX-RR. 

Jack Miller - 3 

(Qualified 4th, DNF) 

A very promising race until the crash, Miller appeared to be the fastest rider of the podium-battling group. With rumours swirling around his future, many of which suggesting he could be out of a factory ride in 2023, Miller’s mistake won’t have helped the situation. 

Lorenzo Savadori - 4 

(Qualified 21, DNF) 

Taking part in his first MotoGP wildcard of the year, Lorenzo Savadori endured a disappointing end as he failed to finish with just three laps remaining. 

Brad Binder - 4 

(Qualified 12th, DNF)

After a disappointing result in COTA, Binder’s crash and subsequent no-score in Portimao has drastically affected his championship position. Second heading into the American race, Binder is now seventh and over a win behind Quartararo and Rins, who are tied on 69. 

Fabio Di Giannantonio - 4 

(Qualified 15th, DNF)

His second DNF in three races, Di Giannantonio remains the only rookie alongside Raul Fernandez not to have scored points following another race fall. 

Enea Bastianini - 4 

(Qualified 18th, DNF) 

In attack mode for the early laps, Bastianini made good progress before suffering a crash at turn eight. The Ducati rider was following Marquez as he attempted to close in on P8, but a front-end slide was enough to cost him the championship lead. 

Jorge Martin - 4 

(Qualified 13th, DNF) 

An uncharacteristically poor weekend from Jorge Martin resulted in yet another crash for a Ducati rider. The Spaniard, who doesn’t have a great record at Portimao, struggled for pace whether it be wet or dry conditions.

Raul Fernandez - N/A

(Did Not start sue to injury)