Fabio Quartararo began his first race as MotoGP Champion firmly in control after a late charge, to head the AlgarveGP FP1 standings.
The Monster Energy Yamaha rider hit the top thanks to a 1’40.192 from the factory Ducatis of Pecco Bagnaia and Jack Miller, with just over a tenth covering the trio after the opening 45 minutes.
The penultimate Friday action kicked off at Portimao with Stefan Bradl in for Marc Marquez at Repsol Honda after the Spaniard’s enduro accident last weekend left him with concussion.
Joan Mir led the standings for the first time without his ‘reigning world champion’ title before Franky Morbidelli, Bagnaia and the new MotoGP champ arrived. Quartararo setting a 1’42.481 on his third lap before shaving exactly one-second off the effort next time around.
Mir sat second after five laps of the 4.6km rollercoaster from Bagnaia, Alex Rins and Pol Espargaro. The Ducati man taking over out front as Maverick Viñales, Morbidelli, Miller, Marquez and home hero Miguel Oliveira rounded out the top 10.
Marquez hit the top three next time around, to head the Suzuki duo of Mir and Rins before Miller advanced to fourth. Aleix Espargaro bettering his younger brother for eighth moments later as Morbidelli joined his Monster Energy Yamaha teammate for second and third.
Castrol LCR’s Marquez continued to shine as he returned to third before dropping to fifth as the times shuffled once again. Espargaro claiming the head Honda rider after 15 minutes of action just two-tenths down on Bagnaia’s 1’40.927 at the top.
Miller improved to third as the session reached the halfway stage. Quartararo sandwiched between the two factory Ducatis with Espargaro and Rins behind. The LCR duo sat on the fringes of the top five as Takaaki Nakagami joined his teammate in sixth and seventh, Johann Zarco heading Morbidelli and Iker Lecuona on the edge of the top 10.
Mir demoted the Tech3, and soon to be WorldSBK, man with his 10th lap of the morning as the Suzuki rose to eighth, Viñales and Espargaro sitting 12th and 14th on the Aprilias with Andrea Dovizioso and Valentino Rossi narrowly behind on the edge of the points.
Luca Marini was the next to improve with 18 minutes to go, as the VR46 rider briefly entered the top 10, Rins demoting him back out seconds later on his way to fifth as his Ecstar team-mate joined him for sixth.
Morbidelli was the man on the move as the session would down, claiming third, behind Quartararo and Bagnaia as Honda’s Espargaro joined, for fourth, shortly after.
Team efforts saw Suzuki and LCR lock out the back of the top 10 with 15 minutes left to run, Viñales completing the initial promotion spots as the clock counted down.
Bagnaia advanced the pace with a 1’40.421 ahead of the end of session shootout, Espargaro circulating half a second back on his way to third before the final flurry promoted Mir into the same position.
Marini claimed fourth with two minutes to go before Rins leapfrogged the Italian and his own garage mate seconds later. The Avintia rider aborting another hot lap in the final sector before setting out for his final effort as the flag was raised.
FP1 concluded with Quartararo bettering the Ducati Lenovo pair thanks to a 1’40.192. Bagnaia heading his teammate with his 16th lap effort as Miller rounded out the top three just 0.086s back.
Suzuki locked out the remaining top five places with Rins from Mir and Marini holding fast in sixth. Espargaro sat seventh on the Repsol Honda, with Morbidelli sandwiched between the Aprilia pair at the edge of the top 10.
