Bezzecchi takes a smooth victory at Portimão
- Isha Reshmi Mohan
- 9 minutes ago
- 3 min read
Written by Isha Reshmi Mohan
It was an action-packed race weekend in Portugal, coming right after the conclusion of the overseas rounds.
Saturday delivered an edge-of-your-seat Sprint showdown between Pedro Acosta and Àlex Márquez, setting the tone for an exciting main event on Sunday.
This was also a special race for Miguel Oliveira, the first and only Portuguese MotoGP rider so far, as it marked his final appearance in MotoGP before moving to WSBK for the 2026 season. The preview included a small farewell to Oliveira, as he was handed the Portuguese flag by his wife and daughter during the cultural presentation that takes place at each race.
Grand Prix Results
Marco Bezzecchi, Aprilia Racing, +41’13.616
Álex Márquez, Gresini Racing MotoGP, +2.583
Pedro Acosta, KTM Factory Team, +3.188
Fermín Aldeguer, Gresini Racing MotoGP, +12.860
Brad Binder, Redbull KTM Factory Racing, +16.327
Fabio Quartararo, Monster Energy Yamaha, +18.442
Ai Ogura, Trackhouse Team, +19.255
Fabio DiGiannantonio, Pertamina VR46 Team, +20.612
Johann Zarco, Honda LCR Team, +21.040
Pol Esparago, KTM Factory Team, +26.517
Luca Marini, Honda HRC Team, +28.226
Jack Miller, Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP, +29.717
Àlex Rins, Monster Energy Yamaha, +30.372
Miguel Oliviera, Yamaha Pramac Team, +31.627
Nico Bulega, Ducati Lenovo Team, +32.072
Lorenzo Savadori, Aprilia Racing, +39.869
Somkiat Chantra, Idemitsu Honda LCR, +1’01.999
Enea Bastianini, Redbull KTM Tech 3, +2 laps
OUT Joan Mir, Honda HRC Team
OUT. Franco Morbidelli, Pertamina VR46 Team
OUT Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Lenovo Team
Race Report
It was an incredible start from Marco Bezzecchi and Pedro Acosta, who launched into first and second from the flag, with Àlex Márquez slipping to third.
It did not even take a full lap for Márquez to move past Acosta and take over second place. Acosta, however, did not back down, showing the same fighting spirit seen in Saturday’s sprint sessions.
Franco Morbidelli’s race came to an early end after a crash in Sector 2 on the opening lap following contact with Pol Espargaró.
Right behind the leading trio, Francesco Bagnaia and Fabio Quartararo were locked in a battle for fourth, with Bagnaia eventually claiming the position on lap 2.
As the fight for positions continued, Bezzecchi began to find his rhythm, setting the early fastest lap and gradually building a gap from the rest of the field.
On lap 3, Joan Mir and Enea Bastianini both encountered mechanical issues and were forced into the pits. Bastianini rejoined the race a lap later, but Mir’s day ended early with a retirement.
By lap 4, Quartararo had shifted his focus to defending fifth place from Brad Binder, while Fermin Aldeguer began closing in on Binder in pursuit of sixth.
Aldeguer eventually made his move on lap 9, pulling off a risky overtake that resulted in minor contact, though fortunately without serious consequences for either rider.
Further down the order, the battle for 10th heated up between Jack Miller and Fabio Di Giannantonio. Di Giannantonio initially held firm under pressure, but positions quickly shuffled as he moved up to ninth, Pol Espargaró took tenth, and Miller remained in 11th.
On lap 11 in Sector 3, Bagnaia’s tough run of form continued as he crashed out, marking his fourth consecutive DNF.
Binder continued to climb quietly through the field, making a clean pass at Turn 5 on lap 14 to move ahead of Quartararo and Aldeguer into fifth place.
Quartararo now found himself right behind Johann Zarco, setting up a fierce battle between the two Frenchmen for sixth.
Despite a challenging weekend, Nicolò Bulega managed to secure his first MotoGP points in his debut race, giving him something positive to take away and build on for the season finale in Valencia.
Ai Ogura also impressed, putting up a strong fight to overtake Zarco and showing flashes of the performance, he displayed early in the season, which was a promising sign for Aprilia despite being without both Fernández and Martín this weekend.
In the final three laps, the gap between Bezzecchi and Márquez closed slightly from four seconds to three, but the Ducati rider’s lead was never in doubt.
Bezzecchi kept his composure and crossed the line to take a comfortable and well-deserved victory at the Portuguese Grand Prix, having seized his chances early and controlled the race from start to finish.
And not to be forgotten, our thoughts are with Raúl Fernández, who suffered a heavy crash during Free Practice 1 on Friday, forcing him to withdraw from the weekend.
According to the team’s statement on Saturday, Fernández experienced discomfort in his left shoulder following the impact, and the team is now focused on getting him fit in time for the final round in Valencia.
Don’t miss out on the final race of the season in Valencia on November 16th at 14:00 BST!
