All eyes were on the Repsol Honda team’s garage as Marc Marquez made his long-awaited return to the track. Pol Espargaro just missed the top ten after a tough first day in Portimao.
The MotoGP World Championship returned to Portugal for the second year in a row when the third round began at the Algarve International Circuit. It was Marc Marquez’s return to competition for the first time since 2020 when he first came to Pol Espargaro in the Repsol Honda team’s garage.
265 days after the last appearance in the Repsol Honda Team RC213V, the eight-time World Championship Marc Marquez was back on the track. A moment later, Marquez and his team took a calm and busy approach to their first session of the year together. After 14 laps, Marquez finished the morning session in third place and everyone involved was happy with Marquez’s recovery and physical condition.
Marquez was able to drive without restrictions and was eager to continue working in Free Practice 2. The afternoon session gave Marquez an opportunity to attempt a time attack and finished the session in sixth as the best Honda. Marquez is happy with his first day riding and is working with his crew to maximize their performance for the remainder of the weekend.
Pol Espargaro was instantly up to date on the Honda at Portimao, challenging the top three in the first practice session of the day as the track continued to dry out. Although Espargaro had previously only driven the RC213V in Qatar, he was able to quickly adapt the Honda and himself to the demands of Portugal and finished fourth in FP1.
Espargaro struggled to feel better and spent much of Free Practice 2 in the top ten. Unfortunately he was beaten in 12th place by the LCR Honda Duo in the final minutes. Free Practice 3 offers the # 44 another opportunity to secure a place in the top ten for direct access to the second quarter.
Free Practice 3 at 9:55 am local time tomorrow, Saturday April 17, is your last chance to fight for the top ten and secure an early spot in the second quarter. This is the goal for both riders on the Repsol Honda Team.