Algarve MotoGP, Portimao - Free Practice (2) Results
Fabio Quartararo stays fastest during Friday Practice 2 for the Algarve MotoGP at Portimao.
Seperated by just 0.045s this morning, new world champion Quartararo and nearest rival Francesco Bagnaia soon picked up where they left off for much of the afternoon session, until soft tyres and time attacks in the closing minutes.
Joan Mir and Jack Miller briefly featured in P1 before Quartararo struck back, finishing the day 0.132s clear of Bagnaia's Ducati despite a Turn 13 scare that sent his outside foot in the air.
Miller, Mir, Pol Espargaro, Zarco and Alex Marquez were best of the rest behind Quartararo and Bagnaia, but it was a tough day for home hero Miguel Oliveira, left down in 19th. Andrea Dovizioso was the only rider not to fit a soft rear at the end of the session.
Marc Marquez, winner of the past two MotoGP rounds, is missing the event after still feeling 'unwell' several days after sustaining a 'slight concussion' while training on an off-road bike. Marquez is replaced by test rider Stefan Bradl.
The hard front tyre option has been changed from the disliked asymmetric version selected for April's Portimao round, to a symmetric hard compound.
Home star Oliveira, winner of last November's inaugural Portimao race while using a symmetric hard front, was one of those to struggled badly with the revised tyre allocation in April, when Quartararo dominated the race from Bagnaia and Mir.
Although Quartararo has already wrapped up the 2021 riders' title, with Bagnaia and Mir on course for second and third, Ducati and Yamaha remain locked in a close battle for victory in the teams' and constructors' championships.
| Algarve MotoGP, Portimao - Free Practice (2) Results | |||||||
| Pos | Rider | Nat | Team | Time/Diff | Lap | Max | |
| 1 | = | Fabio Quartararo | FRA | Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) | 1'39.390s | 20/21 | 331k |
| 2 | = | Francesco Bagnaia | ITA | Ducati Team (GP21) | +0.132s | 18/18 | 339k |
| 3 | = | Jack Miller | AUS | Ducati Team (GP21) | +0.221s | 19/20 | 341k |
| 4 | ^1 | Joan Mir | SPA | Suzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR) | +0.290s | 18/20 | 335k |
| 5 | ^2 | Pol Espargaro | SPA | Repsol Honda (RC213V) | +0.402s | 20/20 | 336k |
| 6 | ^7 | Johann Zarco | FRA | Pramac Ducati (GP21) | +0.499s | 17/17 | 343k |
| 7 | ^4 | Alex Marquez | SPA | LCR Honda (RC213V) | +0.652s | 18/18 | 336k |
| 8 | ^2 | Aleix Espargaro | SPA | Aprilia Gresini (RS-GP) | +0.679s | 18/18 | 341k |
| 9 | ^3 | Takaaki Nakagami | JPN | LCR Honda (RC213V) | +0.732s | 19/19 | 339k |
| 10 | ˅6 | Alex Rins | SPA | Suzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR) | +0.786s | 19/19 | 339k |
| 11 | ^6 | Jorge Martin | SPA | Pramac Ducati (GP21)* | +0.789s | 18/18 | 340k |
| 12 | ˅3 | Franco Morbidelli | ITA | Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) | +0.835s | 16/18 | 328k |
| 13 | ^3 | Danilo Petrucci | ITA | KTM Tech3 (RC16) | +0.841s | 19/20 | 335k |
| 14 | ˅6 | Maverick Viñales | SPA | Aprilia Gresini (RS-GP) | +0.894s | 18/19 | 336k |
| 15 | ˅9 | Luca Marini | ITA | Sky VR46 Avintia Ducati (GP19)* | +0.933s | 18/18 | 332k |
| 16 | ^4 | Enea Bastianini | ITA | Avintia Ducati (GP19)* | +1.077s | 18/18 | 336k |
| 17 | ˅2 | Brad Binder | RSA | Red Bull KTM (RC16) | +1.108s | 17/18 | 336k |
| 18 | ^3 | Stefan Bradl | GER | Repsol Honda (RC213V) | +1.310s | 18/19 | 338k |
| 19 | ˅1 | Miguel Oliveira | POR | Red Bull KTM (RC16) | +1.545s | 17/18 | 330k |
| 20 | ˅6 | Iker Lecuona | SPA | KTM Tech3 (RC16) | +1.707s | 7/18 | 334k |
| 21 | ^1 | Valentino Rossi | ITA | Petronas Yamaha (YZR-M1) | +1.784s | 17/17 | 330k |
| 22 | ˅3 | Andrea Dovizioso | ITA | Petronas Yamaha (YZR-M1) | +1.824s | 18/20 | 328k |
Key:
^X Rider is X positions higher than FP1.
= Rider is same position as FP1.
˅X Rider is X positions lower than FP1.
* Rookie
Official Portimao MotoGP records:
Best lap:
Fabio Quartararo FRA Yamaha 1m 38.862s (2021)
Fastest race lap:
Alex Rins SPA Suzuki 1m 39.450s (2021)
Peter has been in the paddock for 20 years and has seen Valentino Rossi come and go. He is at the forefront of the Suzuki exit story and Marc Marquez’s injury issues.
