Pecco Bagnaia Wins The Season Opening Portuguese GP, Marquez Crashes Out

After winning the first sprint race in MotoGP history, Francesco Bagnaia dominated once again the Portuguese GP, the opening round of the 2023 season held yesterday at the Portuguese GP yesterday.

Maverick Vinales (Aprilia Racing) pushed the Italian all the way to the chequered flag picking up 2nd, with Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) starting his 2023 in high spirits with a podium finish.

Pecco secured his second win of the season, crossing the line with a 687-thousandths advantage over the Spaniard. The Ducati Lenovo Team rider scored his 12th MotoGP victory, bringing his lead in the standings to 12 points. The Ducati of Marco Bezzecchi, VR46 Racing Team rider, also finished on the podium yesterday.

Following the crash during yesterday’s race, Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) has been awarded a Double Long Lap Penalty which he will take at the next round of the MotoGP calendar, provided he is fit to ride.

The crash saw the eight-time World Champion massively out-brake himself in the early stages of the race, pushing Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) wide and crashing into Miguel Oliveira (CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP Team). The incident ended with Martin losing several positions, whilst Marquez and Oliveira both crashed out of the race.

After the first round of the 2023 season, Ducati and the Ducati Lenovo Team also occupy the first position in the constructors' and teams' standings.

Top 10:

1. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) – 1:38.8752. Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) + 0.6873. Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) + 2.7264. Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) + 8.0605. Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) +8.1256. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) + 8.2477. Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing)+ 8.3818. Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) + 8.5439. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) + 9.29410. Alex Rins (LCR Honda CASTROL) + 11.992