Can Suzuki come out swinging and challenge again in the Algarve GP?ĭucati and Yamaha will hope not, as the Hamamatsu factory are out of the running in the Team and Constructor standings but could complicate life just ahead of them. The Spaniard ultimately crashed out, but he’d been able to stay with Quartararo until that point. His performance in Portugal last time out was impressive though, and that will be a positive on the way in – as will the reappearance of Valencia on the horizon, scene of his first MotoGP™ win.Īnother positive as the Hamamatsu factory aim to push back towards the very front will be the pace shown by Mir’s teammate Alex Rins in the Portuguese GP. That’s a lot of extra work to do on Sunday and he also arrives on the back foot after a crash out at Misano from 18th on the grid.
The 2020 Champion hasn’t ever had a front row in MotoGP™ and despite five podiums this season, has a 2021 best of fifth and that – at the Styrian GP – is the only time he’s started on the front two rows this season. Mir and Suzuki, meanwhile, arrive hoping to repeat that podium but still looking for some Saturday secrets. Now, Bagnaia arrives with the last four pole positions in his pocket… so the sensible bet is against the Italian having to repeat his comeback on take two. That dropped him ten places behind Quartararo on the grid, and Bagnaia and Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) charged from 11th and ninth to second and third, respectively. The other obstacle for Bagnaia’s charge to stay with Quartararo on take one in Portugal was a rollercoaster qualifying that saw one lap chalked off for track limits and another for a Yellow Flag. But Quartararo was already in his stride as the season began, something that, arguably, Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) hit a little later. If there hasn’t been a shake up since then, that’s no problem at all for El Diablo – especially as the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP team arrive 13 points clear in the Team standings. The Frenchman dominated on our first visit, and headed a top three on the podium that mirrors the 2021 standings exactly. And now it won’t include the added presence of a stronger Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) as the eight-time World Champion is sidelined as a precaution, having suffered a slight concussion in training on Saturday.Īn exact re-run of the Portuguese GP would probably suit newly-crowned Champion Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) just fine though. Interestingly too, the next stop is a return ticket to the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve as the paddock gears up for the Grande Premio Brembo do Algarve, so there’s already a point of comparison from this season to get a possible glimpse of what to expect. Two Grands Prix remain, and there are also the Team and Constructor crowns to be fought for. The 2021 FIM MotoGP™ World Champion is decided, but there’s plenty still on the line this season. Quartararo will have the chance to become France’s first MotoGP world champion at the next race at Misano in Italy on Oct 24.MotoGP™ ready for round two vs the rollercoaster, Marquez sidelinedĪ second visit to the stunning Algarve venue sees plenty on the line but one key player missing as the winner of the last two races sits it out “That’s exactly what I did.”īy the halfway stage he was more than two seconds up on Quartararo, who started from the middle of the front row and finished 4.679sec behind.īagnaia, starting from pole for the third straight race, was running fourth with a few laps remaining, when his pressure on Jorge Martin finally caused the rookie to cut two corners and draw a long-lap penalty that secured Bagnaia’s place on the podium. “Start well, be first in the first corner, be slow the first two laps and then when the tires drop a little bit start to push,” the Honda rider said of the pre-race plan. The event was cancelled last season when he was recuperating after breaking his right arm in a crash, and his front-row start was his first since his return to the sport. “The plan exactly was like I did the race,” said a beaming Marquez, the six-time world champion who won the first six races held at the Austin, Texas, circuit but fell off while leading in 2019. With just three races left this season - and with 25 points on offer to the winner of each one - Quartararo is within touching distance of a first MotoGP world title. Marquez never allowed Quartararo a look-in, but the Yamaha rider pushed his lead in the standings to 52 points over Italian Ducati rider Francesco Bagnaia, who finished third.
Marquez, starting third on the grid, seized the lead at the start and relentlessly powered to victory over championship leader Fabio Quartararo of France. AUSTIN (Texas): Marc Marquez reasserted his mastery of the Circuit of the Americas on Sunday, winning MotoGP’s Grand Prix of the Americas for the seventh time.