Álex Márquez, second in the Portuguese GP after his Sprint victory: "I'm happy with the weekend"

It was a near-perfect weekend for Álex Márquez at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve. After his victory in the Sprint race at Portimão, Márquez briefly looked capable of challenging the pole-sitter, Marco Bezzecchi, in the opening laps of the Portuguese Grand Prix. With a blistering start, the Spaniard propelled himself from fifth to second position on the very first lap, taking the place of his compatriot Pedro Acosta. However, Marco Bezzecchi dominated the race, easily holding off the Gresini rider who couldn't match his pace.

Threatened at the end of the race by the return of Pedro Acosta, who came within only 1,1 seconds on lap 23, Álex Márquez nevertheless managed his advantage to retain second place and cross the finish line ahead of his rival's KTM.

Álex Márquez praises Marco Bezzecchi’s performance: “ He was better than us.

Aware of Aprilia's dominance and already assured of second place in the championship, the younger of the Márquez brothers preferred to play it safe in the race. We saw this morning that Aprilia had made a significant step forward compared to Saturday! Marco [Bezzecchi] did a really good job in certain areas. He was better than us today, everywhere. he confided. I tried to stay with him, but I realized I was wearing out my tires a lot trying to do so. I didn't have anything in particular to gain, so in the end I didn't try to force my way back to him. The front tire was very worn at the end of the race, partly because I had to push hard at the beginning.

Although Marco Bezzecchi prevented him from having a perfect weekend, Álex Márquez was nonetheless satisfied with his performance. Second place finish, I'm happy with the weekend after the Sprint victory. he concluded. It's been a positive weekend. "An encouraging result for Márquez before the final round of the season, which will take place from November 14 to 16 in Valencia."

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