It was a much smoother weekend for the MotoGP riders compared to when they came here last year, although I wouldn’t say the problem is entirely fixed. At a track where one team and rider has dominated for so long, and new manufacturer rose up this year, as they try and finally secure the championship!
It truly was a show of force this weekend by Ducati, and it shouldn’t be surprising considering they now make up a third of the grid. That bike has the power down the long straights, but can turn well enough to stay ahead of the other bikes. Locking out the top 5 places in qualifying was quite a display, but it wasn’t that easy in the race! Martin took pole as we have come to expect, however wore his tyres out, as did Bagnaia, and they both fell back with Zarco too. Bagnaia especially needs to bring some form soon in the races! Miller controlled the race off the start, and looked quick, yet Bastiannini had been saving tyres in the pack, making time up under braking, which allowed him to save tyres in the corners. Thus, he had more left at the end, so he passed Miller and stormed to his second win of the season and the championship lead. Enea is becoming a true title threat now, although when the 2022 bike gets better, he may get beaten by other riders. Miller shouldn’t be too disappointed, as long as they keep making progress.
Rins possibly had a better race pace than all the Ducati’s, it was just that it took him too long to get past them all. In the end second was all he could do, although it puts him second in the championship, which is a formidable position. If Suzuki can figure out qualifying, they may well check out in the races. Mir was following Rins through, and will not like being second fiddle to him so far this year. If they are both fighting for the title this year, it could spell fireworks in the team!
Despite everything that has happened to Marquez over the past few weeks, when it mattered, he probably had the best pace of everyone out there. Something about this track just clicks with him, and even with his weakness right now, there was no stopping him. If it hadn’t of been for the issue at the start, he almost certainly would have won the race, or at least crashed trying. He matched the leaders fastest lap, and gained time on them during the race. Marc isn’t out of the title fight just yet! Pol did well in qualifying along with Nakagami, but couldn’t repeat it in the race. That bike is still made for one rider, which could prove costly for Honda.
Yamaha are also finding themselves in a rather tricky spot, with a bike that is not going forwards in terms of the performance, and even if it was, the lack of straight line speed means they are sitting ducks. Much like Honda, only Quartararo can find pace in the bike, which is a real worry, especially as his future isn’t clear. He was able to overtake some of the Ducati’s, but with the Suzuki’s and Marquez passing him, he lost out overall. Dovizioso just beat Morbidelli, but 15th is nothing to shout about.
Aprilia couldn’t get anywhere near to what they achieved last weekend, despite topping practice early on. It is unclear what went wrong, as we saw in Argentina that the bike can turn and go as well as any bike, so maybe they got lost on set up. Vinales just beat Aleix to crack the top 10, which will help to boost his confidence moving forwards.
KTM must be close to panic stations at this point, I know they won at Indonesia, but in the dry they are absolutely nowhere. Is it still tyre issues? That would probably be the best guess, as we haven’t seen any change in their form since last season. Binder as usual led them home, but he wasn’t able to get into the top 10 as we have seen from him in the past.
It is back to Europe now, and almost every team has areas where they need to improve, so upgrades could be everywhere at Portimao. That track could be a chance for Yamaha to strike back, although nothing is simple in MotoGP, and the form guide can change a lot in a year!
-M
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