French Fabio Quartararo wins Portuguese MotoGP

Frenchman Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha) won his second consecutive Grand Prix this season on Sunday, taking the victory in the Portuguese race in Portimao, also taking the top spot in the MotoGP World Championship standings after three races.

Italian Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) and Spanish Joan Mir (Suzuki) completed the podium.

Frenchman Johann Zarco (Ducati-Pramac), the former leader of the riders' championship, crashed in the twentieth lap while aiming for the podium after leading the early part of the race.

In his comeback after nine months of absence due to injury, Spanish rider Marc Márquez (Honda) finished in seventh position.

Despite a difficult start, as usual for the Frenchman, starting from pole position, Quartararo did not give up, gradually making his way through the field to take the lead on lap nine of the 25-lap race.

The Frenchman steadily increased his lead to win with a 4.809-second advantage over the second-placed rider, taking advantage of the crash of his biggest rival, Spanish Alex Rins (Suzuki), in the nineteenth lap.

Italian Franco Morbidelli (Yamaha-SRT) and South African Brad Binder (KTM) completed the Top 5.

Spanish rider Maverick Viñales (Yamaha), winner of the first race of the season in Qatar, could only finish eleventh after a poor start.

In difficulties since the start of the year and his arrival at Yamaha-SRT from the factory team of the Japanese manufacturer, Italian Valentino Rossi also crashed.

Spanish rider Jorge Martín (Ducati-Pramac), injured in the right hand and ankle after an accident on Saturday, was unable to race and will undergo surgery in Barcelona in the coming days.

- Race classification (25 laps of 4.592 km, i.e. 114.8 km):

1. Fabio Quartararo (FRA/Yamaha) 41:46.412 (average speed: 164.8 km/h)

2. Francesco Bagnaia (ITA/Ducati) 4.809

3. Joan Mir (ESP/Suzuki) 4.948

4. Franco Morbidelli (ITA/Yamaha-SRT) 5.127

5. Brad Binder (RSA/KTM) 6.668

6. Aleix Espargaró (ESP/Aprilia) 8.885

7. Marc Márquez (ESP/Honda) 13.208

8. Álex Márquez (ESP/Honda-LCR) 17.992

9. Enea Bastianini (ITA/Ducati-Avintia) 22.369

10. Takaaki Nakagami (JPN/Honda-LCR) 23.676

11. Maverick Viñales (ESP/Yamaha) 23.761

...

Main retirements: Johann Zarco (FRA/Ducati-Pramac), Alex Rins (ESP/Suzuki), Valentino Rossi (ITA/Yamaha-SRT), Jack Miller (AUS/Ducati)

- World Championship standings (after 3 races):

1. Fabio Quartararo (FRA/Yamaha) 61 pts

2. Francesco Bagnaia (ITA/Ducati) 46

3. Maverick Viñales (ESP/Yamaha) 41

4. Johann Zarco (FRA/Ducati-Pramac) 40

5. Joan Mir (ESP/Suzuki) 38

6. Aleix Espargaró (ESP/Aprilia) 25

7. Álex Rins (ESP/Suzuki) 23

8. Brad Binder (RSA/KTM) 21

9. Enea Bastianini (ITA/Ducati-Avintia) 18

10. Jorge Martín (ESP/Ducati-Pramac) 17

11. Franco Morbidelli (ITA/Yamaha-SRT) 17

...

14. Marc Márquez (ESP/Honda) 9

19. Valentino Rossi (ITA/Yamaha-SRT) 4