A remarkable weekend unfolded for Jorge Martin as he clinched victory at the Portuguese GP, leading the race from start to finish. The Spaniard exhibited masterful control over every aspect of the bike and race management, securing his first win of the season and ascending to the summit of the MotoGP World Championship standings.
Enea Bastianini, who put together an excellent performance that saw him in close proximity to the race lead up to the chequered flag. Francesco Bagnaia was out of contention with three laps to go while battling for fifth place due a coming together at turn five. Bastianini showed a consistently quick race pace throughout the 25-lap race. After setting the fastest lap of the encounter in 1:38.685secs – new race lap record at Portimão – Enea moved up to second place at the start of the final lap, securing his maiden podium of the season.
On the other side what a day for Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 in Portimao as well! Young rookie Pedro Acosta took his first-ever MotoGP podium in Portugal, taking P3 after an unbelievable race, making him the third youngest rider to stand on a podium in MotoGP. The weekend had been going perfectly so far for the #31 after he qualified in P7 on Saturday before taking P7 in the Sprint, but the rookie did not quite stop there, and went on to climb on the third step of the podium after making the show again in the main race.
Jorge Martin
“It’s so special to win here. In 2021, I had a massive crash which could have cost me even more, and now being the winner shows my strength, determination, and passion for this sport. Doing a good start has been crucial to get the win; this is a very difficult track so the rider makes the difference. I took care of every detail, and it’s amazing to leave Portugal leading the Championship and giving Ducati victory number 89”.
Enea Bastianini
“It was a good battle. I never stopped believing until the end, but Jorge Martín pushed very hard and did a perfect race, so I had to settle for second. This is a special result for me, as Portimão isn’t among my favourite tracks. Surely, it’s a really great circuit, but prior to this weekend I had never been able to be really strong here. The three of us at the front did some push and pull throughout the race, but in the end the win was an impossible task today. Having Maverick (Viñales) ahead of me made my life a bit more complicated as he was really strong in the fourth sector, and I was never able to get close enough to him in the rest of lap. Things may have been easier had I been in front of him, but I was a bit nervous in the opening lap and made a few too many mistakes. I would like to thank the team and my family for their support because it wasn’t easy to return to top positions after such a complicated 2023 season.”
Pedro Acosta
“It is not easy to come to a new track with no experience on the MotoGP bike, but I only have good words for my team. They are working like hell to provide me with the best bike, I always have messages from my crew chief asking me to check some things, to try finding good ways to prepare, and honestly we have done an amazing job. Since the race start, the bike felt much better than yesterday, but I have raced on the long distance my whole life, so the main race is more natural to me. We managed our tyres pretty well, and we did many good overtakes. However, the one that I enjoyed the most was Pecco Bagnaia, because I spent a lot of time behind him before, and I was able to learn from him, it was a great opportunity. It was a great weekend for us, but we have to keep our feet on the ground, because there are many more new circuits to learn, so we will now focus on the next one and try having a good one in Austin.”
