From the Marquez-Bagnaia clash to Martin maintaining an undisputed lead in the final race, here are top 5 moments from the Portuguese Grand Prix.
The Portuguese edition of MotoGP 2024 was full of ebbs and flow which made for a thrilling weekend of action at the Algarve International Circuit. While Maverick Viñales from Aprilia Racing took the top honours at the sprint race of Portuguese Grand Prix, Enea Bastianini ruled the roost in the qualifiers and practice race.
Let us look at the top 5 moments from the recently concluded MotoGP Portugal 2024.
MotoGP Portugal 2024: Marquez fails to impress
Marquez had a rather disappointing Portuguese Grand Prix after crashing out in the practice, qualifiers, and the final race. The Spaniard slipped to the eighth spot in the qualifiers after and slipped out of the top 10 in the final race when he collided with Francesco Bagnaia in the 23rd lap of the final race. Surely, he is still getting used to his new home— Gresini Racing— after transfer from Honda at the end of the 2023 season.
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MotoGP Portugal 2024: Acosta – future MotoGP star
The biggest highlight of the race was the rise of a future MotoGP star in the form of Pedro Acosta. The 19-year old Red Bull GASGAS racer recently got promoted from Moto2 to the highest level and made his debut at the Qatar Grand Prix a couple of weeks ago. The Spaniard left everyone impressed he left behind stalwarts like Brand Binder, Marquez, and Bagnaia.
MotoGP Portugal 2024: Setback for Bagnaia
Reigning champion Francesco Bagnaia faced a major setback when he collided with Marc Marquez in the 23rd lap. While Marquez picked himself up and continued with the race to attain the 16th place, Bagnaia retired to the paddocks agonising over the unfortunate incident. As a result, Bagnaia dropped to the fourth spot in the current season standings.
MotoGP Portugal 2024: Missed opportunity for Vinales
After conquering the sprint race, Maverick Viñales continued his spirited run of form in the final race too, looking set for a podium finish, until the Aprilia racer came crashing down, at the start of the final lap. It is suspected that the Aprilia racer possibly faced some technical snags before running too wide off the track.
MotoGP Portugal 2024: Martin remained unchallenged
Jorge Martin recorded his first victory of the season to win the Portuguese GP as the Spaniard maintained a clean lead through the entirety of the final race and remained unchallenged. Martin led the field on the entry into turn one, making a perfect start to the final race of the Portuguese GP.
