MotoGP
265 days since his last race, Marc Márquez returned to MotoGP™ with an excellent 7th place, while Brad Binder tore through the field for 5th.
For the first time since late July, 2020, the premier class of world motorcycle racing saw one of its greatest ever competitors return to the fold as number 93, Marc Márquez, started a Grand Prix following an absence of 15 races. After 25 laps of the sun-drenched Algarve International Circuit in southern Portugal, the eight-time champion came home an impressive seventh place.
The 2021 Portuguese Grand Prix saw the paddock return to European soil at the fast and undulating Algarve International Circuit, which had served up a classic at its maiden event for the 2020 season finale. This time out we got another dramatic race which signalled the return from injury for six-time premier class champion Márquez and ended with a second successive victory for Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo.
The cause of Márquez’s prolonged absence was a high-sided crash at the 2020's delayed season-opening Spanish Grand Prix as he charged back from 16th following an early excursion. The Honda RC213V rider quickly and sensationally closed the gap to the podium battle, however in his quest to take second place, and with five laps to go, with Maverick Viñales just a few metres ahead, a vicious high side at turn three ended the dream comeback and resulted in a broken right humerus.
Following months of surgery, setbacks and rehabilitation, the sight of Márquez astride his iconic Repsol Honda machine was a welcome one for fans across the globe, but not so much for his competitors who between 2013 and 2019 have seen the Spaniard win every premier class title but one.
Following qualifying, Márquez ended up an impressive sixth on the grid. When the lights went out and the field plunged into the downhill turn one, championship leader Johann Zarco led on the Ducati with Márquez ending lap one in fourth place and engaging in some close-contact duelling with Suzuki’s Joan Mir.
As the race settled down, by lap five Álex Rins had cycled himself to the lead only to be passed again by the superior power of Zarco’s Pramac Ducati on the start-finish straight. Meanwhile, Márquez settled just inside the top 10 behind the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing machine of Brad Binder.
By lap 10 Ducati’s Jack Miller and KTM’s Miguel Oliveira had crashed out with the latter managing to rejoin, as up front the battle for the victory comprised of four bikes – headed by pole position winner Quartararo, followed by Rins and Mir and followed up by Zarco. The French Ducati rider was keeping the world champion honest as the second half progressed, reclaiming third place with 11 laps remaining.
As the Grand Prix entered the final stages, Rins crashed out at turn five with seven laps remaining in pursuit of Quartararo. That handed second place to the Ducati of Francesco Bagnaia, as Zarco joined Rins by crashing out and waving goodbye to his championship lead.
Behind the winner Quartararo, second-place man Bagnaia and third-place finisher Mir, a mixture of solid and safe riding and key retirements of Rins and Zarco meant that Márquez made his way into seventh at the flag, one place ahead of brother Álex.
Brad Binder gave Red Bull KTM Factory Racing reasons to be cheerful after a challenging season-opening in Qatar. The South African rode superbly to make up for a disappointing qualifying, starting the race in 14th and ending the day in fifth.
Other notable performances included a top-10 finish for rookie Enea Bastianini and 10th place for LCR Honda’s Takaaki Nakagami, who was riding in considerable pain following a nasty practice crash that forced him to miss qualifying.
MotoGP™ of Portugal results
- Fabio Quartararo – Yamaha (FRA)
- Francesco Bagnaia – Ducati (ITA)
- Joan Mir – Suzuki (ESP)
- Franco Morbidelli – Yamaha (ITA)
- Brad Binder – KTM (SA)
- Aleix Espargaró – Aprilia (ESP)
- Marc Márquez – Honda (ESP)
- Álex Márquez – Honda (ESP)
- Enea Bastianini – Ducati (ITA)
- Takaaki Nakagami – Honda (JPN)
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