P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Alex Marquez began MotoGP’s Portimao weekend on top, but the main intrigue was the impressive start to Nicolo Bulega’s weekend on Marc Marquez’s Ducati
Alex Marquez set the pace at the start of MotoGP’s Portuguese Grand Prix weekend, but Nicolo Bulega’s strong performance on Marc Marquez’s Ducati drew attention during the first Portimao practice session. Bulega, the World Superbike Championship runner-up, showed promising speed by finishing 14th, just 0.928 seconds behind Marquez and ahead of his Ducati teammate Pecco Bagnaia. Despite limited MotoGP experience due to just a rain-affected Jerez test, Bulega impressed with his lap times and bike handling.
Marquez maintained his lead with a time of 1m39.145s, even without using fresh tires towards the end of the session. Marco Bezzecchi narrowed the gap to Marquez by using a new soft front tire on his Aprilia. Jack Miller and Pol Espargaro also improved their positions late in the session with new tire runs, while Raul Fernandez had a dramatic crash at Turn 1, narrowly avoiding being struck by his bouncing Aprilia after hitting the air fence.
After the incident, Fernandez was evaluated at the circuit medical center and subsequently taken to a local hospital for a CT scan, while the session continued with Marquez showing strong pace throughout the practice.
