Jakarta – Aprilia rider Maverick Vinales emerged victorious in the 2024 Portuguese MotoGP Sprint race held at the Portimao circuit on Saturday, March 23rd.
Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez secured second place. The final podium spot, third place, was taken by Pramac Ducati’s Jorge Martin.
On the other hand, 2023 MotoGP champion Francesco Bagnaia failed to make it to the podium, finishing fourth.
Indeed, Bagnaia started the race in second position after Jack Miller in the opening lap.
They were part of an intense front group battle with Vinales, Marquez, Enea Bastianini, Jorge Martin, Brad Binder, Aleix Espargaro, Alex Rins, and Pedro Acosta.
Bagnaia managed to lead the race after overtaking Miller at the last corner, entering the third lap in the lead.
Then, he engaged in a fierce duel with Marquez, which dropped him to second place. The Gresini rider managed to overtake both Vinales and Miller, creating a 0.5-second gap between Bagnaia.
As Marquez fought for second with Vinales, Bagnaia took the opportunity to increase his advantage.
The battle for second intensified when Vinales caught up with Marquez, who made a mistake on lap six of the sixth lap.
Jorge Martin also capitalized on Marquez’s misfortune, snatching third place from him.
In the eighth lap, disaster struck. While Bagnaia had comfortably distanced himself from Vinales’ pursuit, he lost control in Turn 1.
The 2023 MotoGP champion ended up off the track. Vinales, Marquez, and Martin took advantage of the situation, resulting in Bagnaia dropping to fourth.
Marquez and Martin then engaged in a thrilling fight for the second podium spot. In the final lap, the Gresini rider managed to edge ahead of Martin.
This outcome saw Vinales extend his points lead by 12 points. Marquez and Martin collected 9 and 7 points respectively.
Unfortunate setbacks befell four riders. Fabio Di Giannantonio, Johann Zarco, Alex Rins, and even Brad Binder, who were part of the leading group, had to settle for less.
2024 Portuguese MotoGP Sprint Race Results
- Maverick Vinales – Aprilia Factory (RS-GP24)
- Marc Marquez – Gresini Ducati (GP23)
- Jorge Martin – Pramac Ducati (GP24)
- Francesco Bagnaia – Ducati Lenovo (GP24)
- Jack Miller – Red Bull KTM (RC16)
- Enea Bastianini – Ducati Lenovo (GP24)
- Pedro Acosta – Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 (RC16)
- Aleix Espargaro – Aprilia Factory (RS-GP24)
- Fabio Quartararo – Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1)
- Raul Fernandez – Trackhouse Aprilia (RS-GP23)
- Marco Bezzecchi – VR46 Ducati (GP23)
- Miguel Oliveira – Trackhouse Aprilia (RS-GP24)
- Marquez G-124 – Alexandre GASGAS Tech3 (RC16)
Non-Finishers
- Johann Zarco – LCR Honda (RC213V)
- Brad Binder – Red Bull KTM (RC16)
- Fabio Di Giannantonio – VR46 Ducati (GP23)
- Alex Rins – Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1)
Portuguese MotoGP Sprint 2024 _ Vinales Wins, Marquez Takes Second. Author：Sports UEFA.Please indicate the source when reproduced：https://www.sportsuefa.com/motogp-focus/portuguese-motogp-sprint-2024-_-vinales-wins-marquez-takes-second.html
