2022 Portuguese MotoGP, Portimao – Warm-up Results

Pole position time:
Johann Zarco FRA Ducati 1m 42.003s

* Rookie
Official Portimao MotoGP records:
Best lap:
Francesco Bagnaia ITA Ducati 1m 38.725s (2015)
Fastest race lap:
Alex Rins SPA Suzuki 1m 39.450s (2021)

MotoGP champion Fabio Quartararo leads the MotoGP timesheets during an intense warm-up session for the 2022 Portuguese Grand Prix at Portimao.

After four wet free practice sessions and a damp qualifying, teams and riders spent the 20-minute warm-up scrambling to find the best dry set-up possible for this afternoon’s race.

Quartararo, named alongside Joan Mir as a dry race favourite by Marc Marquez on Saturday, hit the top of the timesheets on his seventh lap, then remained in charge to the end.

Jack Miller, starting just ahead of Quartararo at the head of the second row this afternoon, was just 0.058s slower with Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda), Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia) and Alex Marquez (LCR Honda) claiming a late third, fourth and fifth.

After hurting his right shoulder in the damp Qualifying 1, Francesco Bagnaia was declared fit to ride this morning. The Factory Ducati star set the 12th fastest time in warm-up but will need to start 25th and last in this afternoon’s race.

World championship leader Enea Bastianini, another Q1 faller, was also back on track after scans on his right wrist and will line-up 18th on the grid today. The Gresini Ducati rider was just behind Bagnaia in warm-up.

However, rookie Raul Fernandez has been declared unfit after also highsiding in Qualifying 1 and injuring his hand.

Fellow rookie Marco Bezzecchi, starting from a career-best sixth place this afternoon, fell on his way to 20th in warm-up.

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Pramac Ducati rider Jorge Martin, injured at this track a year ago, walked away from a bigger fall in the closing minutes. team-mate and pole qualifier Johann Zarco took tenth this morning.

Michelin expects the medium compound slick tyres to be chosen for the race, as were used last November.

After four overseas events, the European leg of the 2022 MotoGP season begins at Portimao this weekend with Gresini’s Enea Bastianini leading the world championship standings by five points over Suzuki’s Alex Rins, after victories in two of the opening rounds.

Aleix Espargaro is 11 points from the top for Aprilia, with Rins’ team-mate Joan Mir, Yamaha’s reigning MotoGP champion Fabio Quartararo and KTM’s Brad Binder completing the early top six.

2020 champion Mir, Ducati’s reigning title runner-up Francesco Bagnaia and Repsol Honda’s six-time premier-class champion Marc Marquez (who has missed two races due to diplopia) are among those still seeking a first podium of the season.

The previous Portimao MotoGP rounds, all held since November 2020, have been won by home star Miguel Oliveira (KTM), Quartararo and Bagnaia respectively.
 

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Portimao MotoGP schedule (UK time)

Friday April 22

9am-9.45am – Moto3 Free Practice 1

9.55am-10.40am – MotoGP Free Practice 1

10.55am-11.35am – Moto2 Free Practice 1

1.15pm-1.55pm – Moto3 Free Practice 2

2.10pm-2.55pm – MotoGP Free Practice 2

3.10pm-3.50pm – Moto2 Free Practice 2

 

Saturday April 23

9am-9.40am – Moto3 Free Practice 3

9.55am-10.40am– MotoGP Free Practice 3

10.55am-11.35am – Moto2 Free Practice 3

12.35pm-.12.50pm – Moto3 Qualifying 1

1pm-1.15pm – Moto3 Qualifying 3

1.30pm-2pm – MotoGP Free Practice 4

2.10pm-2.25pm – MotoGP Qualifying 1

3.10pm-3.25pm – Moto2 Qualifying 1

3.35pm-3.50pm – Moto2 Qualifying 2

 

Sunday April 24

9.20am-9.30am – Moto3 warm-up

9.40am-10am – MotoGP warm-up

10.10am-10.20am – Moto2 warm-up

11.20am – Moto3 race

1pm – MotoGP race

2.30pm – Moto2 race