The MotoGP Portuguese GP Sprint is over and done with. Here are some initial observations from a manic first-ever sprint race, won by Pecco Bagnaia of the Ducati Lenovo team.
1. Marc Marquez just leaves you speechless! He’s pushing beyond the limits of that bike – to the point Honda told him on Friday to adapt his riding style to get the best out of the bike and he has! There’s no other Honda anywhere close to him and watching him twitch on the bike upon pushing so hard makes you feel his pain vicariously. However, it is leading to some stunning performance! That sneak move on Miller and Olivera is just why you watch racing! Take a bow!
2. Pecco & Ducati are SO strong. The fact that Bagnaia didn’t panic at all, even though Martin developed that big gap shows his confidence in the package – why wouldn’t he be! They just feel like the proper Verstappen-Red Bull equivalents. Close, but so comfortable for them!
3. What have KTM found over the winter? Jack Miller looked so impressive at the start, sliding his way through. Was it just that he was the only one on the softs in that pack? Can they maintain this pace in the main race? This will be exciting to watch!
4. At the end, we got a glimpse of the Aprilias going all out – at each other! They worked well at the start, but perhaps the fighting cost them more points. Will we see a changed approach from next time? Their pace for the race looks amazing though! Watch out for Viñales!
5. Miguel Olivera was SO impressive on that 2022 Aprilia. He was and should have been P3 – the leading Aprilia at home. Alas, that last lap error blew it – was it the wind or just pressure? Who knows, but he looks so convincing on that bike! Can’t wait to see more of this combo!
6. Where is Yamaha? Fabio Quatararo’s pace at the end was great, but a poor qualifying left them reeling in P10, and he’s their top finisher! Their difficulties passing on straights are well known too. Yahama are the only OEM with 0 points in the sprint. It’s a long road ahead.
7. Can Jack Miller in the KTM and Marc Marquez in the Honda keep up their pace in long runs? Tomorrow’s race will reveal a lot! Aprilia look pretty exciting themselves and may get the jump with their long run pace. I just hope we get to see so many OEMs fighting so often!
8. The first-ever MotoGP Sprint turned out to be…brilliant! I don’t think the quality of racing was ever in doubt though – its the addition of stakes over the weekend and limited practice times that could be problematic, but for now, no complaints! A 7 rider lead pack is epic!
9. I loved that Simon Crafar explained the adaptations made by MotoGP teams to the fuel tanks for the #TissotSprint on the broadcast. They’ve now got smaller fuel tanks specifically for the Sprint to avoid the fuel jiggling in the bigger tanks and upsetting the weight dynamics!
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