The Battle Heats Up in MotoGP: Friday Practice at the Portuguese Grand Prix
The first day of practice at the Portuguese Grand Prix saw some intense action on the track as riders battled for the top spot. The dusty conditions from the morning session had improved, resulting in faster lap times in the afternoon.
Leading the way was Enea Bastianini on his factory team Ducati, setting a blistering pace of 1m38.057s. He was closely followed by KTM’s Jack Miller, just 0.118s behind.
Despite suffering his first crash of the season, Marc Marquez managed to secure the third spot on the grid with his Gresini Ducati. Jorge Martin on the Pramac Ducati and Brad Binder on the KTM completed the top five.
In a surprising turn of events, both factory Yamahas pushed rookie sensation Pedro Acosta (Tech3 GasGas) out of the top 10 and into Q1 for qualifying on Saturday.
The session started with Marco Bezzecchi on the VR46 Ducati setting the early pace, but it was quickly taken over by his teammate Fabio Di Giannantonio. However, it was Fabio Quartararo on the factory Yamaha who held the top spot for most of the session, until Marquez made his way to the front with a 1m39.110s.
But it was Bastianini who ultimately ended the day on top with a time of 1m38.057s, followed by Marquez and Miller.
The session was not without its fair share of crashes, with Marquez and his teammate Alex Marquez both going down. However, they managed to hold onto their positions in the top three.
The rest of the top 10 was filled by Martin, Binder, Bezzecchi, Maverick Vinales (Aprilia), reigning world champion Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati), and the Yamaha duo of Quartararo and Alex Rins.
Unfortunately, Acosta missed out on a spot in Q2 by just 0.039s, finishing in 11th place. But with his impressive performances so far this season, he is definitely one to watch out for in the upcoming races.
As the day came to a close, it was clear that the battle for the top spot in MotoGP is heating up. With the top riders all within a few tenths of a second, it’s anyone’s game. Stay tuned for more action at the Portuguese Grand Prix.
