Portugal MotoGP: Quartararo back to winning ways, leads championship

Reigning world champion Fabio Quartararo clinched victory in the 2022 Portugese Grand Prix, picking up the joint championship lead in the process.

• Alex Rins tied with Quartararo at 69 points
• Marc Marquez only managed sixth place
• Johann Zarco and Aleix Espargaro completed the podium

Ever since the very first pre-season test for the 2022 season, Fabio Quartararo has expressed his displeasure with Yamaha’s inability to find enough additional horsepower for its latest YZR-M1 MotoGP machine. A lack of horsepower and top speed, he says, is the bike’s biggest shortcoming. This is in contrast to the other three Yamaha MotoGP riders, who feel that rear edge grip is the main limiting factor.

So far this year, however, Quartararo has totally, comprehensively and embarrassingly outclassed the other Yamaha riders. So, perhaps, the Japanese manufacturer would do well to listen to his feedback. After all, at the three circuits this year that have straights over 1km long, the Frenchman has finished ninth, eighth and seventh. And at the other two circuits – Indonesia and Portimao – which have straights less than 1 km in length, he’s managed second and first positions.

His victory at Portimao marked the reigning world champion’s return to winning ways after a bit of a lean patch – his last win was eight months and 10 races back, at the 2021 British Grand Prix. He reclaimed the top step in a fashion that we’ve grown accustomed to seeing from him – taking the lead early on, and never really being challenged from there.

The Monster Energy Yamaha rider made an uncharacteristically aggressive start, keen to quickly get ahead of the Ducatis in front of him. Starting from fifth on the grid, Quartararo put in an impressive first lap, making aggressive passes and getting ahead of the Ducatis of Jack Miller and polesitter Johann Zarco, as well as Aleix Espargaro on the Aprilia, to end the lap in second place, behind 2020 world champion Joan Mir.

Mir had a great opening lap of his own, making a clean getaway from second place (his best ever MotoGP grid slot) and ending the lap half a second clear of Quartararo behind. His lead was short-lived, though. The Frenchman clearly had the better pace, and hunted down and passed the Suzuki rider quite comfortably. It was a matter of maintaining his focus and pace from there, which he did excellently, to win by 5.5 seconds, picking up the fastest lap along the way.

Miller crashes, taking out Mir

Mir tried his best to hang on to Quartararo’s tail, but eventually dropped off. That would be the least of his problems as the race progressed, though. As the Spaniard fell back, he slid into the clutches of a resurgent pair of Ducatis in the form of Zarco and Miller. The three riders became embroiled in an intense battle, with each rider and motorcycle combination displaying its strengths at different parts of the circuit, and the gaps between them ebbing and flowing. The three riders also ended up closely spaced on the track. He did manage to hold off Zarco for quite a long time, before eventually succumbing to the Ducati’s horsepower supremacy and being effortlessly passed down the main straight.

Miller’s overtaking manoeuvre on Mir wouldn’t be quite so successful, though. He, too, used the Ducati’s strong engine to gain some ground on the home straight, but could only pull alongside the Suzuki rider as they began braking for Turn 1. In his attempt to out-brake Mir, who himself is notoriously late and strong on the brakes, Miller locked the front of his Ducati and slid out, collecting a helpless Joan Mir along the way and into the gravel trap.

The Australian rider recently mentioned he was being kept in the dark by Ducati's management about his future, and no talks of a 2023 contract had taken place so far. He certainly didn’t do himself any favours in this regard on Sunday in Portugal. With rumours already beginning to circulate about him moving back down to the Pramac squad or even leaving the Ducati fold altogether, the 27-year-old has reportedly contacted LCR Honda, the team with which he made his MotoGP debut in 2014, for a possible 2023 ride.

Zarco and Aleix Espargaro on the podium

With Miller and Mir out, Aprilia man Aleix Espargaro was promoted to third place, and he did his very best to try and convert that into second, bravely chasing down Zarco and coming within touching distance of the Ducati towards the end, but not quite close enough to strike. Behind them, Rins – the other Suzuki rider – put together a superbly entertaining charge of his own, overcoming a disappointing 23rd place grid spot to eventually finish fourth, having scythed through the field with an aggression that he has been criticised for lacking in the past. In doing so, he also secured joint first place in the championship standings, equalling Quartararo’s tally of 69 points.

With main rivals Mir and Enea Bastianini crashing out, Quartararo and Rins made big gains in the championship standings, and we’re poised for a scintillating championship battle as we head further into the European rounds, with the top four riders separated by just eight points.

Home hero Miguel Oliveira clinched fifth spot, and was the top-placed KTM rider. Last year’s championship runner-up Francesco Bagnaia was another rider who made a valiant comeback, fighting through from last place on the grid (the result of a crash in qualifying) to finish eighth. Ahead of him, the Marquez brothers became involved in a heated scrap in the closing laps, with Marc very narrowly clinching sixth place ahead of an impressive Alex. Pol Espargaro and Maveric Vinales completed the top 10.

The next race on the MotoGP calendar is on May 1 at Jerez, Spain.

2022 Portugal MotoGP results

Also see:

Americas MotoGP: Bastianini takes victory with COTA masterclass