Jorge Martin has moved to the head of the 2024 MotoGP World Championship standings after staying clear of dramas behind him to win the Portuguese MotoGP at Portimao.

The Prima Pramac Ducați rider led from the first turn and was never troubled thereafter to reel off his first full length MotoGP win of the year, leading home Enea Bastianini and a sensational Pedro Acosta for third in only his second MotoGP start.

The teenager was the big beneficiary from a dramatic final couple of laps when Marc Marquez and Pecco Bagnaia retired after tangling before Maverick Vinales came down while running in second position on the penultimate lap.

It was a comprehensive performance by Martin, who once again proved his adeptness for controlling races from the front by getting the better of Bastianini through the first turns and swiftly getting his head down to build a margin over the chasing pack headed up by Sprint Race winner Vinales and the demoted Bastianini.

From here Martin didn't put a wheel wrong as he managed the gap back to Vinales, the Aprilia rider keeping him honest in second but unable to get close enough to mount a challenge for a double Portuguese success.

If it was a fairly uneventful afternoon for the Spaniard as he reeled off his 25th and final lap with just under a second in hand over Bastianini, there was far more action happening in his trail after three of the top five contenders barrelled out of the race with less than three laps remaining.

Vinales' hopes of completing his best weekend yet as an Aprilia rider ended abruptly at Turn 1 when he ran wide onto the run-off and lost the front of his Aprilia RS-GP as he attempted to recover. Putting him out on the spot, the close-following Bastianini swept past for only his second podium finish since joining the factory Ducati Lenovo Team.

His exit came just a lap on from a controversial coming together between Marquez and Bastianini as they jostled for fourth place.

Having shaken off the attentions of Acosta coming into the final stages of the race, Bagnaia found himself under pressure from an advancing Marquez instead as the chequered flag loomed. With Marquez finding a gap inside of Bagnaia at the Turn 5 left-hander, his wide exit invited the Italian to attempt the switch-back only for the two riders to meet at the apex and make contact, forcing both down and out of the race.

Their disappointment was to spell joy for Acosta, however, as the Red Bull GasGas Factory Racing Tech3 rider mopped up to move into fourth place before Vinales' retirement moments later promoted him to third. As well as being his first MotoGP podium in only his second premier class start, it was also a first for Tech3 since Miguel Oliveira's 2020 Portuguese MotoGP victory.

A strong afternoon all-round for the KTM contingent, Brad Binder and Jack Miller followed up in fourth and fifth positions, while Marco Bezzecchi, and Fabio Quartararo also enjoyed positive results in sixth and seventh thanks to the dramas ahead.

Though unable to emulate the pace of his team-mate Vinales, Aleix Espargaro would complete the race as the highest-placed Aprilia rider in eighth, two seconds ahead of stablemate and local hero Miguel Oliveira on the Trackhouse machine.

Fabio di Giannantonio made it two Pertamina Enduro VR46 Ducati riders inside the top ten with tenth place, the final points going the way of Augusto Fernandez, leading Honda representative Joan Mir, Alex Rins, Takaaki Nakagami and Johann Zarco.

With Marquez remounting to cross the line 16th, Alex Marquez and Raul Fernandez suffered early retirements in addition to Vinales and Bagnaia, while Franco Morbidelli also tipped off and rejoined.

🇵🇹 🏁 2024 Portugal MotoGP, Portimao | RACE Results

Sunday | Conditions - Dry, Sunny