MotoGP Test Portimao J1 LIVE: the last tests of the off-season are open, eight Italian motorcycles in the lead!

Portimao offers MotoGP protagonists this weekend for two days their last chance to perfect their prototypes and resolve the problems encountered during the previous Sepang test last February. A final opportunity to optimize or review your copy before the opening of the 2023 World Championship which will take place on the same track in the Algarve on March 26 as part of the Portuguese Grand Prix.

After the Malaysian test, Ducati also seems to be the reference MotoGP for 2023. After winning the rider, constructor and team titles, the Borgo Panigale manufacturer has made a strong comeback in the new vintage and appears to still have the bike to beat. On the international circuit of Sepang, the fastest had been Luca Marini, who, let us remember, does not ride the 2023 specification but the motorcycle with which Pecco Bagnaia et Jack Miller closed the season in Valencia. Unlike 2022, which started with difficulties for the Desmosedici Factory, 2023 immediately saw the reigning champion Pecco Bagnaia and the new recruit Enea Bastianini as protagonists. The manufacturer from Borgo Panigale had placed seven motorcycles in the Top Ten, showing great competitiveness.

Facing “Red”, another Italian manufacturer, Aprilia, unveiled the new RS-GP to the public yesterday. Maverick Vinales finished third, whileAleix Espargaró had obtained the sixth time. Honda, Yamaha, KTM et GASGAS seemed more in difficulty, with Marc Marquez, even better driver Honda, tenth and with four RC213V available in its box. In Portimao, the house with the golden wing will be on the rails with a single machine, the one chosen by the eight-time world champion.

At Yamaha , we will look for performance on the flying lap, which was lacking in Malaysia. Quartararo and Morbidelli only finished in 17th and 20th position. On the other hand, satisfaction on the speed side, given that the new engine has proven to be very efficient. Furthermore, we are waiting the appearance of a new rear wing.

KTM et GASGAS did not shine at Sepang either, with Pol Espargaro who after the traumatic experience with Honda had been the best of the Pierer Mobility group with the 13th best time. That's it for the general presentation. Now for action!

19.4° in the air and 22.2° on a track lit by a beautiful sun are the good conditions offered to the pilots who will be able to work until 18:30 p.m. French time.

At Aprilia, Maverick Viñales does it in great style…

In addition to the regular drivers, we also have two test drivers in action today: Stefan bradl for Honda and Michele Pirro for Ducati. Surprisingly, Yamaha doesn't have a test rider at the start, so the Japanese are the only ones with only two bikes in action. All other manufacturers have four or more machines. The Ducatis are even new in action with Pirro.

Marini sets the first time of the day, 1'47.222. Bezzecchi in second place. Olive tree climbs into third position, all with red helmets on the timesheet. Olive tree improves and moves into second position but is overtaken by Bezzecchi which increases to 188 thousandths of Marini. Marco Bezzecchi completed 5 laps , stopping the clock at 1'42.259. He is currently in the lead, but the times are still high.

Olive tree takes the lead in 1'41.969. The tenors are still in their box. Marc Marquez only has two motorcycles in his box. Only three drivers entered the track during these first minutes.

But now the World Champion Pecco Bagnaia starts. He has the best time ahead Luca marini, but we still only have a few drivers on track. fabio quartararo et alex rins just came out. Here is the ranking in Portimao at 11:00 a.m. French time.

10 riders rode that far, plus three more with installation laps. But now everyone is back in the pits. For the moment, alone Miller on the track

Raul fernandez published on social networks the design of the gloves, helmet and boots he will use during the 2023 World Championship . We recall that the Spaniard moved from the KTM satellite team to the new Aprilia RNF team. Speaking of Aprilia RNF , Noale's satellite team is the last to have to show its 2023 livery again: the presentation is scheduled for Thursday, April 16.

More than three quarters of an hour after departure, things are finally really moving in Portimao. More than two thirds of the board are busy doing their turns. Also, a quick technical update: Joan mir got the same new fairing as Marc Marquez. There is therefore equality in Honda. Marc Marquez takes the lead with 1'41.338. fabio quartararo moves up to third position. Marini takes the lead in 1'40.701. But bagnaia replies in 1'40.551. Behind follow Luca Marini, Oliveira, Marc Marquez, Martin, Alex Marquez, Johann Zarco, Aleix Espargaró and Morbidelli.

The ranking at 11:30 a.m.: 

Exit from the stands Marc Marquez :

Followed by Joan mir :

Red flag. All drivers are in the pits, so there is no risk of an accident. Green flag, the track is open again. The rookie Augusto Fernandez now marks its beginnings. There is still no trace of Maverick Casa Particular in Viñales. Luca Marini achieved the best time in 1'40″396, Martin is 2nd, then Olive tree et bagnaia.. Things are not going so well for his compatriot Enea Bastianini. 'La Bestia' had to park his Ducati at turn 4 with a technical problem. Red flag…

Ranking at 12:00 p.m.: 

Activity on the track has resumed. An hour and a half after the start of the test, Maverick Vinales released for the first time. Until his first lap, the hardest driver to date, Franco Morbidelli, has already completed 23 laps. During this time, Quarterly moved into the top 5. A few figures: the track record is the prerogative of Bagnaia. 1'38.7250, established in 2021.

Enea Bastianini quickly returned to the pits after his fault and got on his second bike. Maverick Vinales ranked 16th. His teammate Alex Espargaro is sixth. The fastest Aprilia is still the customer team driver Miguel Oliveira. There are only two Japanese motorcycles in the top 10. Unsurprisingly, they are fabio quartararo et Marc Marquez. KTM, on the other hand, has not yet shown anything. The best driver is Brad Binder in 17th place… bagnaia returns to the lead with 1'40.383. For the moment there are three Ducatis in front of everyone: 1st Bagnaia (official Ducati), 2nd Marini (Ducati Mooney VR46), 3rd Martin (Ducati Pramac).

Crash for Pol Espargaró at turn 5, the driver is fine. Fabio Quartararo climbs to 3rd place and thus breaks the trio Ducati. CrashAleix Espargaró at turn 1. Driver OK.
zarco enters the top 5 while Luca Marini quickly in the lead at 13:00 p.m.

Ranking at 13:00 p.m.: 

During these two days of testing in Portimao, Aprilia will continue with a comparison between the new bike and last year's bike. Johann Zarco crashes in turn 13. We still expect a good performance from KTM. Brad Binder remains the best in 18th place, more than a second and a half from the leader. Four drivers are under 1'40.

kick of Raul Fernandez at turn 15, driver OK.
Olive tree moves up to second position. The duel continues between bagnaia et Marini who exchange first position: now world champion Pecco is in front. Valentino Rossi can surely be satisfied with the work done by the Mooney VR46 team. The best Honda rider is Rins (6th).

The driver who has completed the most laps at the moment is Quarterly, with 36 turns. Pol Espargaro leaves the pits with his GASGAS team KTM:

The 5 best drivers currently present in the ranking managed to go below the 1'40 mark. These are : 1st Bagnaia, 2nd Oliveira, 3rd Marini, 4th Martin, 5th Quartararo. As part of his team change this year, Alex Rins will also wear a new helmet, which he presented to us on Twitter.

Ranking at 13:30 p.m.: 

Best time for Luca marini : 1. Alex Marquez rises to fourth place. Here are four Ducatis in front… Furthermore, we don’t see any presentable lap times from KTM. Mir rises to 8th place, behind Kidneys. Some shots of Marc Marquez et Joan Mir:

Third beat for By Giannantonio : there are 5 Ducatis in the lead… Only the test riders Michele Pirro et Johann zarco do not appear in the top 10, otherwise all Ducatis are represented there. Casa Particular in Viñales climbs to fifth position. Marc Marquez reduced the gap with the leader to 6 tenths but it is for a 13th place…

Ranking 14:00 p.m.:

KTM is not at the top today, neither in terms of times nor in terms of number of laps. So far there have been no visible problems: no drops and no defects. After all, Brad Binder, fifteenth, has now reduced the gap to less than a second. Bezzecchi climbs to seventh position, bastianini tenth. TOP 10: Marini (1:39.548), Bagnaia, Di Giannantonio, Martin, Vinales, A.Marquez, Bezzecchi, Oliveira, Quartararo and Bastianini. The first eight positions are occupied by Italian motorcycles.

Takaaki Nakagami finally leaves the last place which is now the prerogative of the Ducati tester Michelle Pirro. However, the Japanese doesn't look good against his new LCR teammate alex rins, losing almost 1,5 seconds to the Spaniard.

Little action on the track at the moment. Alone Di Giannantonio, Rins, Zarco, Morbidelli, I will espargaro, Pirro et A. Fernandez are on the trail. It's lunch break in Portimao. Here is the ranking for the first part of the day.

Mid-day standings: 

Credit rankings: MotoGP.com