Podium: Alex Márquez and Pedro Acosta
Alex Márquez (Ducati) got off to a strong start from fifth place and was able to move into second position early on. Although Bezzecchi remained out of reach, Márquez successfully defended his position against Pedro Acosta (KTM), who finished third. After the race, Acosta expressed his satisfaction with the consistent performance of his KTM, but once again criticized the difficulties with grip at the start of the race. As the race progressed, he was able to keep up with the pace of the leaders, but he was unable to make up for the initial deficit.
Acosta emphasized the positive developments within the team and pointed to the support and exchange of experience with Dani Pedrosa, who he said was partly responsible for his progress and consistency in the second half of the season.
Strong Aprilia, mixed feelings among the other manufacturers
Aprilia Racing celebrated Bezzecchi’s triumph extensively. After a detailed analysis of the data from the sprint race and targeted adjustments – especially to the line choice in the corners – Bezzecchi managed a significant improvement on Sunday. The engineers recommended letting the bike run more freely through the corners, which paid off immediately.
While Aprilia celebrated, other teams were rather disappointed after the Portuguese Grand Prix. The race weekend was particularly sobering for the Japanese manufacturers Honda and Yamaha. Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha) did not finish higher than sixth, even though he had taken fourth place in the sprint. The performance differences between Yamaha and Ducati were also evident in the top speeds: while Bagnaia reached 346 km/h without slipstreaming, Quartararo’s Yamaha topped out at 339 km/h.
Sunday was also disappointing for the Honda factory team. Joan Mir had to retire his bike due to technical problems. He and the team left Portimao without any points.
Race progress and retirements
The race got off to a turbulent start. Franco Morbidelli (VR46) retired after a slip in the first lap, followed shortly afterwards by Joan Mir (Honda) and Enea Bastianini (Tech3). Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati), who was in fourth place at the time, crashed on lap 11 and retired for the fourth time in a row. This increased his deficit to Bezzecchi in the World Championship to 35 points.
Bagnaia was self-critical after the race: “The rider who overtook me is Bezzecchi. He deserves third place in the World Championship much more than I do!” For the Ducati rider, it was the fifth race without points in the last six Grands Prix. With 37 points still up for grabs and a 35-point deficit, the podium in the overall standings seems out of reach.
Fermin Aldeguer and the midfield battles
Fermin Aldeguer (Gresini) once again put in a strong performance in the second half of the race, working his way up from eleventh on the grid to fourth place. As has often been the case this season, he had to overtake many competitors, which added to the excitement in the midfield.
The other placings
Brad Binder (KTM) took fifth place, followed by Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha), Ai Ogura (Trackhouse), Fabio Di Giannantonio (VR46), Johann Zarco (LCR Honda), and Pol Espargaro (Tech3), who completed the top ten. The final World Championship points went to Luca Marini (Honda), Jack Miller (Pramac Yamaha), Alex Rins (Yamaha), local hero Miguel Oliveira (Pramac Yamaha) and MotoGP debutant Nicolo Bulega (Ducati).
Current World Championship standings before Valencia
Marc Márquez (Ducati) leads the riders’ standings with an unassailable 545 points despite his injury-enforced break. He is followed by Alex Márquez (445 points) and Marco Bezzecchi (323 points). Francesco Bagnaia is fourth with 288 points, followed by Pedro Acosta in fifth with 285 points.
In the manufacturers’ standings, Ducati remains well ahead with 740 points, followed by Aprilia (387), KTM (350), Honda (276), and Yamaha (237).
Outlook
The season finale of MotoGP, Moto2, and Moto3 will take place this coming weekend in Valencia. While the MotoGP world championship title has already been decided, the Moto2 championship will only be decided in the final race.
