MotoGP: Ducati and Aprilia lead the way on day one at Portimao

March 11, 2023 March 12, 2023

Day one of the Portimao test has ended, with Francesco Bagnaia leading the way.

Ducati

Ducati had a strong day at Portimao, with Francesco Bagnaia topping the time sheets, ahead of Luca Marini. Behind the two Ducati’s is Aprilia, who looked strong ahead of the 2023 MotoGP season.

Enea Bastianini finished in 17^th position on day one, ending the day as the last full-time Ducati rider. Both factory Ducati riders would test aero which was first seen at Sepang, with Bagnaia not opting for the ground effect fairing.

Johann Zarco was one of the many riders who crashed on the opening day of testing on his Prima Pramac Ducati. Jorge Martin would share his bike throughout the day with test rider, Michelle Pirro.

Alex Marquez had his best day so far on the Gresini Ducati, ending his day at Portimao in fourth position. Fabio Di Giannantonio had a crash at turn seven, causing the Italian to be taken to Hospital, but after CT scans it was confirmed that he was okay.

Aprilia

Aprilia looked incredibly strong at the Portimao test, showing the pace of the Italian manufacturer. Maverick Vinales finished the day as the top Aprilia, with Raul Fernandez in fifth place on the RNF Aprilia.

Aleix Espargaro ended a tough day one down in 12^th position and admitted to struggling with arm pump. Espargaro would also crash in the morning session, disrupting the team’s test plans.

Aprilia tested new aero parts on their motorcycle, with a new rear wing on the tail of their bike. They also tested a brand-new front wing which was bolted onto the front suspension of their bike.

Honda

Honda continued to struggle on the 2023 RC213V, with Marc Marquez ending the day in 19^th position. Marquez did a total of 78 laps throughout the day, with the eight-time World Champion continuing to look for improvements. Honda would try a new frame on this year’s bike, as they began to try and find the issue with their motorcycle.

Marquez said: “In the morning our pace and rhythm was not so bad and we were able to work well with the base setup. We had a lot of work to do and in the afternoon we were trying many big things and we were not focusing on a single fast lap.“

Marquez also stated that “We started to lose our way” in the afternoon session and would suffer a crash late on in the day. Joan Mir ended his day in 14^th position, as the 2020 MotoGP Champion switches from Suzuki.

Alex Rins finished the day as the top Honda, in 11^th position as he continues to get comfortable on the RC213V. Rins was within a second of the top time, as his teammate Takaaki Nakagami ended the day in 23^rd.

Yamaha

Fabio Quartararo had a good first day of testing, with the 2021 MotoGP Champion comparing front wings. Quartararo spent the day focusing on the first round of the MotoGP World Championship which will be held at Portimao.

Quartararo said: “We did a lot of work. We tried a bigger aero wing. Tomorrow we will try another set. Let’s see which one we will end up using. But for the moment, I think that the one we tried today will be the one we will use for the race.

“Other than that, we didn’t try many things today. We just tried to find a good base for our bike. We’re working more on the settings than on trying new items.“

Franco Morbidelli tested very similar parts to his teammate today as he aimed to build a good base set-up. Morbidelli set 95 laps today, with a lap time of 1:40.414 which placed him in 21^st position.

KTM

Brad Binder finished the day as the quickest Red Bull KTM, as he ended the day ahead of his new teammate Jack Miller. Binder finished day one in 15^th, riding 58 laps of the Portimao circuit, with a time attack at the end of the day.

Jack Miller continued to get comfortable on the RC16, finishing the day in 16^th position. The Australian ended the day ahead of Enea Bastianini and continued to test aero and fairings on the factory KTM.

GASGAS

Pol Espargaro was down in 22^nd position on the GASGAS machine, with the Spaniard continuing to test parts. He will make the switch this season to return to an RC16 machine after racing for Repsol Honda.

Rookie, Augusto Fernandez ended the day in 24^th position, behind experienced MotoGP rider, Takaaki Nakagami. He finished the day just two seconds behind the top spot and is constantly developing on the bike.

Image credit: motogp.com