MotoGP | Portimao GP: Bagnaia repeats the Sprint Race, Marquez hits Martin and Oliveira

MotoGP Portuguese GP Race – Pecco Bagnaia, after having won the first Sprint Race of the new era of the MotoGP class yesterday, won the Portuguese Grand Prix today, the first stage of the 2023 MotoGP.

The #1 Ducati took command of the proceedings after a few laps and never left it until the checkered flag.

Full haul for the Piedmontese, 37 points, 12 from the Sprint race and 25 from today's race. For Bagnaia this is the 12th victory in MotoGP, 22nd in his career.

On the podium were Maverick Vinales with the official Aprilia and Marco Bezzecchi with the Desmosedici GP of the Mooney VR46 Racing Team, the latter achieving his second podium in the Top Class after the one in 2022 in Assen.

Great fight for fourth position, with Johann Zarco coming out on top as he made a double overtaking on the last lap on the Ducati Pramac, first outwitting Brad Binder and then Alex Marquez, with the Team Gresini rider fifth, ahead of the South African KTM, who in turn beat team-mate Jack Miller.

Italian domination with five bikes in the top five positions, Ducati, Aprilia, and three other Ducatis.

Colorless race for Fabio Quartararo, who after a disastrous start finished eighth ahead of Aleix Espargarò's Aprilia and the Hondas of Alex Rins (LCR) and Joan Mir (Repsol), the latter penalized with a long lap penalty after contact in Sprint Race with Quartararo. Takaaki Nakagami (Honda LCR), Augusto Fernandez (GASGAS rookie) and Franco Morbidelli (Yamaha) also scored points.

A separate chapter for Marc Marquez, who after yesterday's pole position and the podium in the Sprint Race, was the protagonist of a bad episode. In the very first laps (third to be exact) Marquez entered the corner like a fury, first hitting Jorge Martin and then finishing at double speed on home idol Miguel Oliveira, the great protagonist up until that moment.

Oliveira was taken to the medical center (he had pain in his right leg, ed.), while Marc Marquez was widely booed by the Portuguese public, even though he spoke of a possible technical problem, which remains to be verified.

Ducati Corse administrator Claudio Domenicali was harsh and, speaking to Sky Sport, called for severe penalties for certain behaviors.