2021 Grand Prix 888 of Portugal
Nine months since the last start of a race, and even longer since the last finish of a race, it is time for Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) to return to MotoGP.
Marc Marquez
“It’s a great feeling to be returning to MotoGP with my team and my bike. We worked very hard for this, many hours in the gym and with my physio Carlos. We would have loved to have been to Qatar, but eventually my doctors advised against it and I listened to them. I really focused on listening to the doctors and understanding my body so I can get back to MotoGP and do what I love. I have a little experience in Portugal but the goal this weekend is to do a good job. We are coming back step by step and that is very positive after a long time. “
It’s been a long recovery from his accident in Jerez, and the translation into racing terms puts him in focus: Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP), Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) and Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) are all race winners in the premier class.
I am the first MotoGP world champion in ten years who is not called Marc Marquez or Jorge Lorenzo. Ducati is the reigning master constructor and the Suzuki Ecstar team is the team.
Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) leads the championship in 2021, many on the grid are in different colors and some well-known sparring partners have left. Some are completely new faces and there is even someone else on the other side of the Repsol Honda team garage as Pol Espargaro continues to settle in. All of this happened in what for many was a breathless, exciting rush – and it will likely feel like Marquez, too, like the longest months of his life. But the wait is over and the Grande Premio 888 de Portugal cannot start early enough.
All eyes will be on Marquez from FP1 onwards, and having not raced in the Algarve last year, there will likely be thousands of words spoken about how to balance between calm and getting used to the track vs. time champion in five after such a long time Seconds to set a lap record. Some expect the answers within five minutes and others within five Grand Prix, but the questions themselves are the bigger draw. How long does it take for the number 93 to show up on full power? Won’t it be time at all? Has everyone raised the bar, or is Marquez returning to do just that?
Speaking of setting new standards, Oliveira definitely did that in his first race in the premier class on his home turf last year. When the paddock arrived in Portugal for the season finale at that time, the number 88 was already a MotoGP winner, shot out of the blocks and could not be overtaken, which made it easier than ever to make history in what was arguably the closest era of all time. However, as we return just a few months later, there have been some tough races for KTM on the way, so the Austrian factory will get a lot of attention to see if they can get back on the road to victory that made them a Star of the Year 2020, as did Oliveira, who wants to put himself and Portugal back on the top tier at home. Teammate Brad Binder took eighth place, the best KTM Losail finish ever, as the Qatar track has been getting tougher for the brand, so that box is ticked and he’ll be looking for more too. Are the titans of 2020 starting to show more cards?
The aforementioned Zarco meanwhile comes in as the championship leader and is a person who believes the 2020 starting grid has gotten faster. Portimão’s layout wasn’t the best fit for Ducati last year, with the exception of Jack Miller, now on the Ducati Lenovo team. when the Australian finished second, but why Ducati is the reigning constructor champion, sporting director Paolo Ciabatti explained last year in Portugal: A Ducati was extremely fast on every track, it just wasn’t always the same. So the job for the rest of the Borgo Panigale machines – especially Zarco and Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) – will be to unravel Miller’s secret to second place in 2020, and for Miller, after the arm pump operation, it will be easy that Clench your teeth and try and get closer to the front again.
The Moto2 graduates will also be interesting with a blank sheet of paper and Jorge Martin (Pramac Racing) with a first pole and podium finish in the premier class. How can he, Enea Bastianini (Avintia Esponsorama) and Luca Marini (Sky VR46 Avintia) adapt?
Yamaha is facing a similar balancing act from its first visit to the Algarve last year. Franco Morbidelli secured another podium as his machine appeared to be ousting factory riders later in the season, but fortunes have been slightly reversed so far in 2021 when Fabio Quartararo and Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP teammate Maverick Viñales arrive with a win pro Piece; Second and third in the championship. You say that an important test of the machine in 2021 is how it handles Portimão, so how will it handle Portimão? And can Valentino Rossi (Petronas Yamaha SRT) get back to the top after a breathtaking first qualifying in Qatar before falling behind in the order?
Valentino Rossi
“The Portimao circuit is fantastic, it’s different from everyone else, but on the other hand it’s very difficult. It’s a track that takes a lot of time to learn and every time you go there you can improve it. During the DohaGP warm-up on Sunday morning, we found some new settings on the bike, which meant that I was able to maintain better pace, but we were hampered by the poor starting position. We hope that we can be stronger and more competitive at this third GP, but also in Europe as a whole – there are many tracks there that are good for me. “
Many questions also remain unanswered for Suzuki in the Algarve. After winning the pre-Portugal GP title last year, Joan Mir had what he described as a weekend as he struggled with training problems, qualified way down, and then finally got into the race with a mechanical problem. Meanwhile, team-mate Alex Rins said he made the wrong tire choice – and left Suzuki a somewhat unknown size in full chat. Test rider Sylvain Guintoli said after his very first on-track experience on the GSX-RR that it should match the bike, so the Hamamatsu factory could be a major threat if things go a little smoother than the 2020 edition.
At Aprilia, with an almost completely new RS-GP, they ask new questions almost every weekend, and in the best possible way. The Noale plant was closer to the MotoGP winner than ever before thanks to Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresin) in Qatar, and the new machine is very impressive. Once in Portimão recently it will also have been fun to drive a new VIP around Jerez while MotoGP veteran Andrea Dovizioso takes it for a spin. More is to be expected after the three-day test in Andalusia, but everything seems to be on the right track so that the plant in Noale continues to impress in 2021.
The closest top ten in history, the closest top 15 in history and now an eight-time world champion returns to the group. Portimão is uncharted territory for Marquez, more familiar territory for the rest, but for everyone on the grid it will be a very different race weekend than the last one: the previous benchmark is back and the roller coaster is waiting … Full AEST schedule for the weekend can be found below together with the current championship points.