Italian Marco Bezzecchi easily won the Portuguese Grand Prix on Sunday at the Portimao circuit, the penultimate round of the MotoGP season.
The Aprilia rider was more than two seconds ahead of the Spaniard Alex Marquez (Ducati-Gresini), already assured of winning the honorary title of vice-world champion behind his brother Marc (Ducati).
When the lights went out, Bezzecchi easily retained the reins of the race from pole position while Marquez, 5th on the grid, immediately moved into 3rd position behind Pedro Acosta, whom he then easily overtook. After being under threat from Marquez for a few laps, the winner of the day took off, quickly widening a gap of several seconds.
On the “roller coaster” of the Portuguese circuit, Bezzecchi won a second Sunday victory this season, after his success in Great Britain, and became the sixth different winner in as many GPs since September.
Returning to Marquez’s wheel at the very end of the round, the young 21-year-old Spaniard Acosta finished 3rd, ahead of his compatriot Fermin Aldeguer (Ducati-Gresini) and his KTM teammate, the South African Brad Binder, 5th.
The 2021 world champion Fabio Quartararo, who started from the first row on the grid, finished 6th riding a Yamaha which often struggles to keep pace in races.
Francesco Bagnaia at the fall
Once 7th, Johann Zarco (Honda-LCR) finally crossed the finish line in 9th place after losing a position to Italian Fabio Di Giannantonio (Ducati-VR46) in the last of the 25 laps of the event.
The double 2022-2023 world champion Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) retired, victim of a fall shortly before halfway.
This is the fourth retirement in as many GPs for the Italian, who however seems to confirm having regained his competitiveness since he was 4th before falling.
In the championship, Bagnaia, 4th, however lost very badly against Bezzecchi, still 3rd. Now, 35 points separate the two men before the final race of the season, next weekend in Valencia, Spain. 5th overall, Acosta is only three lengths behind the Ducati rider.
Injured, Marc Marquez – out until the end of the season – and his compatriot 2024 world champion Jorge Martin (Aprilia) did not make the trip to Portugal.
