Luca Marini and Ducati take the lead at Portimao

Unquestionably the strongest man of the pre-season, Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) was in the lead at midday with a lap of 1'39.548.

Studious morning for fabio quartararo which benefited from the new aero package provided by the Japanese manufacturer. Franco Morbidelli was entrusted with motorcycles equipped with different chassis, including the one tested at Sepang by Quartararo.

Fabio Quartararo © MotoGP

More complicated start to testing for the official Aprilias. Aleix Espargaró and Maverick Viñales were racing this morning with their 2023 machines and both made mistakes! Some adjustments to the handling of the Italian machine seem necessary before the start of the season!

At Ducati's Italian cousins, Pecco Bagnaia and Enea Bastianini  rode with the new 2023 aero package while at Pramac, Jorge Martín was on track with an experimental chassis. Concerning Johann Zarco, the morning was complicated by a fall fortunately not serious for the French driver.

Back on track for @marcmarquez93. Change of leathers and ready to go again after his small fall. pic.twitter.com/z9LlDUnXFp

- Repsol Honda Team (@HRC_MotoGP) March 11, 2023

Major development work on the program at Honda where Marc Márquez and Joan Mir were racing this morning with the chassis used on the third day at Sepang but with numerous modifications, particularly to the swingarm. Márquez's machine was equipped with new fins and air intake.

Ranking at 13:00 p.m.:

1. Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) - 1:39.548
2. Francesco Bagnaia (Lenovo Ducati Team) - +0.062
3. Fabio Di Gannantonio (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) - +0.093
4. Jorge Martin (Before Pramac Racing) - +0.095
5. Maverick Vinales (Aprilia Racing) - +0.145
6. Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) - +0.162
7. Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) - +0.206
8. Miguel Oliveira (RNF MotoGP™ Team) - +0.224
9. Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) - +0.423
10. Enea Bastianini (Lenovo Ducati Team) - +0.461