Alex Marquez was only rewarded on Sunday in a Portuguese Grand Prix which, until then, did not give him the satisfaction that the promises made with his Ducati during the off-season seemed to guarantee him. Only thirteenth at the end of qualifying, he saw his brother Marc take pole position and the podium at the end of the Sprint. But the Sunday race gave him the possibility of a podium before giving him an encouraging top 5. Enough to console the Gresini team which is worried about its second driver Fabio Di Giannantonio…
Alex Marquez closed the Portuguese Grand Prix, first round of the 2023 World Championship, in fifth position. A good start for the Spaniard who found his rhythm during the Sunday event while taking advantage of the opportunities offered thanks to a few falls in front of him. Number 73 fought for third position with Bezzecchi during most of the race, then towards the finish, pressed by the KTM, he no longer has to think about defending himself and alone Johann zarco managed to overtake him on the last lap. Important points and a lot of confidence were gained when it was time to take off for the next event this weekend at Termas de Rio Hondo.
Alex Marquez: “ for a first race, I can't complain«
« I tried by all means to keep 4th position but I didn't close the doors enough and Zarco took advantage of it » regrets the Spaniard who however immediately adds: “ for a first race, I can't complain, and we are going to Argentina with a lot of confidence. I gave 100%, I even looked at the podium with certainty for a moment… And it's been a while since that happened to me. We know what to work on to improve the end of the race and we will be ready at Termas ».
For his part, his teammate Fabio DiGiannantonio did not close the Portuguese Grand Prix. Starting from last place on the grid, the Roman driver had to deal with contact with Morbidely and a physical problem with his forearm which forced him to retire… “ It definitely wasn't the weekend I was hoping for. We started the race pretty well, but then I lost a front wing in contact with another driver and a few laps later my right forearm no longer responded as it should. I could no longer brake and had to stop. Now let's try to get back in shape for Termas, and quickly ". Indeed, because the deadline is already this weekend.
MotoGP Portugal Portimao Race: classification
Credit classification motogp.com
