Quartararo untouchable in Portuguese MotoGP

Monster Yamaha rider Fabio Quartararo was peerless in the Portuguese Grand Prix, crossing the line nearly five seconds ahead of his rivals to take a 15-point lead in the 2021 MotoGP World Championship.

From pole position, and two days before his 22nd birthday, the Frenchman came good on the promise he showed in his 2019 rookie year to pick his way through early traffic and streak away to take a dominant win without putting a wheel wrong.

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It was championship leader Johann Zarco who fired his Pramac Ducati to the holeshot from the outside of the front row, followed by the two Ecstar Suzukis of Alex Rins and Joan Mir. And while it looked like Rins was the only rider capable of sticking with Quartararo, the Spaniard crashed out of second place with just seven laps to go. One lap later, Zarco crashed out too, also from a podium spot.

Lenovo Ducati rider Pecco Bagnaia started from 11th on the grid and clawed his way through to the leaders. Denied his record-setting pole position the day before for exceeding track limits, the Italian was aiming for a top-five result but ended up second behind Quartararo by the chequered flag and now sits second in the championship.

Marc Marquez made his well publicised comeback to racing 265 days after breaking his humerus and, when he crossed the line in a respectable seventh place, it marked 518 days since he last saw a chequered flag. He couldn’t contain his emotions, breaking down in tears after he returned to his box, and again during the post-race television interviews with Spanish media, where he said ‘it was tough,’ before excusing himself and walking away.

Joan Mir stayed out of trouble to take third place and hold off a late charge by SRT Petronas Yamaha rider Franco Morbidelli. Red Bull KTM rider Brad Binder gave a strong ride to fifth from 15th on the grid. Last year’s race winner Miguel Oliveira crashed on lap seven and remounted to finish last at his home grand prix.

Maverick Vinales (Monster Yamaha) was swallowed up at the start and exited the first corner in second-last place. He benefitted from fallers ahead of him and eventually finished 11th.

Aussie Jack Miller’s (Lenovo Ducati) season has gone from bad to worse. He qualified fourth and looked to be in podium contention before his race ended in the gravel on lap six. Valentino Rossi (SRT Petronas Yamaha) also crashed out of 10th place with 10 laps to go, while Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda) retired due to a mechanical issue after just five laps.

Quartarao leads the way on 61 points ahead of Bagnaia (46) and Vinales (41). Zarco slips back to fourth on 40 points ahead of Mir (38), Aprilia Gresini’s Aleix Espargaro (25) and Rins (23). Miller is in 12th on 14 points.

Remy Gardner is giving Aussies plenty to cheer about after taking the championship lead with his third-consecutive podium finish in third behind race winner and Red Bull KTM teammate Raul Fernandez. Sam Lowes (MarcVDS) was leading the title heading into Portugal and qualified on pole, but high-sided out on the very first corner of the race, leaving Gardner to lead the field around the opening lap.

Marco Bezzechi (Sky Racing VR46) took the lead from Gardner at the start of lap three, but it was Gardner’s teammate Raul Fernandez who was on the move, and who found himself in fourth place from 10th on the grid by lap number four.

Aron Canet (Solunion Aspar) and Joe Roberts (Italtrans Racing) took the lead from Bezzechi but with five laps to go and, after mistakes from Gardner, Fernandez was up to third and was the quickest man on track. He took the lead with four to go and crossed the line 1.6-seconds clear of Aron Canet, who picked up his first Moto2 podium.

Gardner put in a series of personal-best laps to get himself back into contention and made an aggressive move on Roberts in the final stages of the last lap to take the final step of the podium.

Gardner leads the points on 56 points ahead of Raul Fernandez (52) and Lowes (50). Marco Bezzechi (36) and Fabio Giannantonio (27).

Pedro Acosta (Red Bull Ajo) became the youngest rider ever to score three consecutive podiums at the start of a Moto3 career when he celebrated victory in the Portuguese Grand Prix ahead of Dennis Foggia (Leopard Honda) and Andrea Migno (Rivalcold Snipers Team).

Acosta’s second win in as many races gives the rookie a clear advantage over his rivals and he leads the notoriously tight championship on 70 points, 31 points clear of teammate Jaume Masia (39). Darryn Binder (Petronas Sprinta) and Niccolo Antonelli (Avintia Esponsorama) are equal on 36 points in third and fourth place respectively, Migno rounds out the top five in 29 points.

The series now heads to a double header in Jerez with on-track action kicking off on Friday 30 April.