Dominant Bagnaia secures Portuguese Grand Prix double
World champion Francesco Bagnaia of Ducati won the season-opening Portuguese Grand Prix yesterday to take a big lead in the rider’s championship with maximum points.
The Italian won MotoGP’s first-ever sprint on Saturday to move top of the standings and victory in yesterday’s race earned him a further 25 points.
Aprilia’s Maverick Vinales and VR46 Racing’s Marco Bezzecchi completed the podium.
“It was a very long race, I’m very happy. This season we started as I wanted, how the team wanted.
“Thanks to the team that has done an incredible job,” Bagnaia said.
Surprise pole sitter Marc Marquez was quick off the line but fell three places behind and local favourite Miguel Oliveira made a blistering start to move from fourth on the grid to first on the opening lap.
But just as Marquez tried to move up to third, he clipped Pramac Racing’s Jorge Martin before the Honda rider barged straight into Oliveira as both riders crashed out of the race.
Vinales capitalised on the incident to move up to second behind leader Bagnaia and Bezzecchi went third.
But Bagnaia extended his lead over Vinales, who settled his first podium since the San Marino Grand Prix last year.
Johann Zarco sprang a late surprise to finish fourth while Alex Marquez of Gresini Racing finished fifth.
● In the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup at the same venue, Gqeberha’s Ruche Moodley started second on the grid for both Race 1 and 2.
A mistake cost him dearly in Race 1 on Saturday and he had to settle for eighth position.
“The first lap I led. Then coming into the second lap, four riders overtook me,” Moodley said after Race 1.
“I didn’t want more riders to overtake me so into turn three I passed Rico and then one rider that was making a pass to the rider in front of him backed out of the pass and I got really close to his wheel.
“I had to brake hard and the back end came around. I had to go straight.”
In yesterday’s Race 2, he crashed out early to put himself out of contention after leading through the first lap again.