Portugal – EL1: The first for Alex Marquez

Alex Marquez came close to the track record to set the best time in the first free practice sessions for the Portuguese Grand Prix. As the drivers set off for this first session, a downpour disrupted the first laps of the 2023 season. Johann Zarco tried a set of wet tires, a safety choice, as rain was no longer expected for the rest of the weekend.

The first fall of the season was to the credit of Franco Morbidelli after only 3 minutes of testing. The Yamaha rider was the victim of an impressive highside but fortunately with no other consequences than a bit of torn carbon and certainly a little injury to his self-esteem.

💥 Fall of Franco Morbidelli in the first minutes of Trials 1 🏍️🌧️#PortugueseGP #MotoGP pic.twitter.com/zlHGYqf6fM

— CANAL+ MotoGP™ (@CanalplusMotoGP) March 24, 2023

After 10 minutes of the session, Marco Bezzechi signed the first significant mark in 1'49"000, more than 10 seconds from the track record, owned by Francesco Bagnaia since 2021 in 1'38"735. 

The on-board cameras showed very clearly the pilots' difficulties in transferring the power of their machines despite the traction control. Fabio di Giannantonio was also surprised on the go-around and made a mistake on a section that was nevertheless dry. The Teams then carefully returned the motorcycles to the pits while waiting for the asphalt in Portimão to dry.

The 2023 season is launched © Michelin

The track finally dried halfway through the session, activity on the track picked up and Jorge Martin was the first driver to go under the 1'40 per lap mark. The “Martinator” chained great laps to sign 1’39″206 ahead of Marc Marquez and fabio quartararo. What if the track record fell in the first free practice session on a still green track? A few drops of rain put the question in suspense.

For the last 10 minutes, all the drivers took to the track to collect valuable data and gain a little confidence. The good surprise came from the Hondas of Mir and Marquez, both in the Top 5. Alex Marquez then came within 5 hundredths of the track record and took first place in the ranking ahead of Joan Mir (Honda) and Luca Marini (Ducati ). 5th time for Johann Zarco and 8th for Fabio Quartararo, our French are in good shape!

Meet at 16:00 p.m. French time for free practice 2.

Ranking of FP1 of the Portuguese GP:

ALSO READ > The Portuguese GP MotoGP Schedule