Alex Marquez has been very discreet since his brother joined him at Ducati Gresini, and including in Portugal. However, this is one of his favorite tracks; he even managed to do well with the Honda RC213V when he was driving the beast. This Friday was more than complicated for him, with a fall which did not prevent him from starting again but which jeopardized his hopes of Q2. Clearly, given the competition, the rest of the weekend is already being altered due to this delay. Can he get back into the match?
In Portimao, it's difficult to celebrate for Alex Marquez. While his brother Marc played in front, he could not do better than 13th. This is synonymous with Q2, and more generally, given the track record, a mixed result. « The crash spoiled our plans a bit and when I returned to the track with the soft tires in front, I didn't feel 100%, but I didn't do a bad lap." he said at the end of this first day of competition.
Ready again! @ alexmarquez73 pic.twitter.com/xadS1U9I7j
- Gresini Racing (@GresiniRacing) March 22, 2024
Then, as is often the case in the sessions that count the most, he ran into traffic, this time consisting, among others, of Joan Mir who was carefully following the trajectories of Pecco Bagnaia. “Joan, who was following Pecco, wasted my time. At the moment we only have to think about Q1, from there we will then look at the sprint and the race, now qualifying is decisive. » He raises an interesting point there. Now, every session counts, and it feels like the time for testing just for the sake of testing is over. After a single session, everyone who is not called Bagnaia and who is trapped says they are in bad shape.
Photo: Michelin Motorsport
Do you think Alex Marquez can turn things around between now and tomorrow, with a passage to Q2 and then a good performance? Tell us in the comments!
MotoGP Practice result at the 2024 Portuguese Grand Prix:
Classification credit: MotoGP.com
Cover photo: Michelin Motorsport
