Algarve MotoGP, Portimao - Full Qualifying Results
Francesco Bagnaia takes pole position ahead of team-mate Jack Miller for the Algarve MotoGP at Portimao, as Joan Mir takes his first front-row start and new world champion Fabio Quartararo is left down in seventh place.
Miller made an instant impact with a new all-time lap record on his opening run, keeping him on what would have been a first pole of the season until beaten by Bagnaia with two minutes to go.
Bagnaia improved again to confirm his sixth pole of the year and fifth in a row by 0.1s from Miller, with Mir - angry with Alex Marquez at the end of the session - just 0.168s adrift for Suzuki.
Rookie Luca Marini was an early faller, the resulting yellow flags causing the likes of Quartararo to lose a fast lap, leaving the new world champion just ninth at the start of the final run.
The Frenchman was still down in seventh as he began his last lap, and surprisingly failed to improve after losing time in the final sector.
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 struggle badly with the revised tyre allocation in April, when Quartararo dominated the race from Bagnaia and Mir.
But the temperatures have been too cold for the hard front and Oliveira could only manage 17th on the grid.
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 - Full Qualifying Results | ||||||
| Pos | Rider | Nat | Team | Time/Diff | Lap | Max |
| 1 | Francesco Bagnaia | ITA | Ducati Team (GP21) | 1'38.725s | 7/8 | 335k |
| 2 | Jack Miller | AUS | Ducati Team (GP21) | +0.104s | 7/8 | 342k |
| 3 | Joan Mir | SPA | Suzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR) | +0.168s | 3/7 | 332k |
| 4 | Jorge Martin | SPA | Pramac Ducati (GP21)* | +0.191s | 7/8 | 342k |
| 5 | Johann Zarco | FRA | Pramac Ducati (GP21) | +0.193s | 6/8 | 342k |
| 6 | Pol Espargaro | SPA | Repsol Honda (RC213V) | +0.333s | 6/7 | 341k |
| 7 | Fabio Quartararo | FRA | Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) | +0.406s | 7/7 | 331k |
| 8 | Alex Marquez | SPA | LCR Honda (RC213V) | +0.466s | 6/7 | 338k |
| 9 | Franco Morbidelli | ITA | Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) | +0.596s | 3/7 | 329k |
| 10 | Iker Lecuona | SPA | KTM Tech3 (RC16) | +0.662s | 7/8 | 333k |
| 11 | Alex Rins | SPA | Suzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR) | +0.924s | 3/7 | 332k |
| 12 | Luca Marini | ITA | Sky VR46 Avintia Ducati (GP19)* | +1.103s | 5/6 | 331k |
| Qualifying 1: | ||||||
| 13 | Enea Bastianini | ITA | Avintia Ducati (GP19)* | 1'39.283s | 7/8 | 338k |
| 14 | Aleix Espargaro | SPA | Aprilia Gresini (RS-GP) | 1'39.389s | 7/8 | 335k |
| 15 | Danilo Petrucci | ITA | KTM Tech3 (RC16) | 1'39.595s | 7/8 | 328k |
| 16 | Valentino Rossi | ITA | Petronas Yamaha (YZR-M1) | 1'39.604s | 7/8 | 333k |
| 17 | Miguel Oliveira | POR | Red Bull KTM (RC16) | 1'39.624s | 3/8 | 330k |
| 18 | Maverick Viñales | SPA | Aprilia Gresini (RS-GP) | 1'39.738s | 3/7 | 331k |
| 19 | Brad Binder | RSA | Red Bull KTM (RC16) | 1'39.859s | 6/7 | 336k |
| 20 | Stefan Bradl | GER | Repsol Honda (RC213V) | 1'39.907s | 7/8 | 335k |
| 21 | Andrea Dovizioso | ITA | Petronas Yamaha (YZR-M1) | 1'39.918s | 7/8 | 331k |
| 22 | Takaaki Nakagami | JPN | LCR Honda (RC213V) | 1'40.009s | 5/5 | 334k |
* 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.
