Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha) in pursuit of the two Pramac Ducati pilots Martin and Zarco and in front of Alex Rins (Suzuki Ecstar). Portimão will be something of the key race for him and Quartararo, in which it is important to forget the bad position from last year.

A first look ahead to the MotoGP kick-off in Europe

If you still have the Losail races in mind, you should now press the imaginary “reset button”. Not only do we assume that a completely different world will begin with the European races. It starts with the Autodromo do Algarve, a route that only slipped into the calendar last year due to the corona pandemic. But like in WorldSBK, there was hardly any negative comment on it from the drivers. Thus, in the second Covid-19 year, the beautiful route near the coastal city of Portimão will return to focus. Because of this, and because the current forecasts predict temperatures of below 20 degrees Celsius, it will be a completely different world than in Qatar. It is also unlikely that there will be a new record like in the 2nd Losail GP, when the first 15 drivers at the finish were only 8.928 seconds apart. Last year, Pol Espargaró, who crossed the checkered flag in P4, was more than twelve and a half seconds behind the winner.

Pol Espargaró (Repsol Honda) – last year fourth at the KTM in Portimão and now on the Honda, which is still new to him in many respects. Perhaps he will be one of the most serious challengers to local hero and last year’s winner Miguel Oliveira, while team-mate Marc Marquez is unlikely to be in front of Jerez.

The riders of MotoGP and their starting position before the GP of Portugal

Johann Zarco (Pramac Ducati) – World Championship leader: Sorted by start number, we would have started as well with him. We had already emphasized in winter that the fast French should not be underestimated. Now he was twice the best Ducati rider in Losail and leads the world championships. Many supposed experts were completely surprised by this. A look into his past is enough to see that he is the most successful of all Ducati riders in both Moto2 and MotoGP. Last season he was in the top ten on last year’s Ducati at the Autodromo do Algarve, while Miller was in P2. Recently, hardly anyone would be surprised if it were the other way around 5 months later, it is that simple with the assessment.

Johann Zarco (Pramac Ducati) – after leaving KTM with dirt from these and Red Bull Media and now worlds before the oranges on the current Ducati. The sympathetic Frenchman even saved himself a verbal return coach in the direction of Austria and gave his answers on the racetrack. The next races will show whether he can fight for the World Cup, but the foundation has been laid.

Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha) – Championship ranking P2: After finishing 5th at the season opener, it was clear to us that this would not be a disaster for the young man from Nice. With his victory in the 2nd race and the second intermediate place, he underlined this impressively. For the French, a lot will now depend on how well the Yamaha works from the Portugal GP onwards. His fourth victory of his career proved at least impressively that Fabio is back and brimming with self-confidence.
Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha) – level on points with Fabio: The Catalan, often decried as a lucky bag, also drove strongly in the second race in Qatar. Like Quartararo, he now has one win and 5th place. Now it is also important for him to get the best out of the Yamaha every time. In contrast to Suzuki, this should always work as well as possible in qualifying. In addition, it is also important to finally suppress the phantom of the problems in the race from the previous year. Maverick now has another chance to finally prove that he can consistently pull through a good season. With that he would shut up his critics for good.

Our picture of the imposing main grandstand of the Autodromo do Algarve, compared to which even the barely 10-year-old building on Spielberg’s start-finish straight looks like a toy. Even more blatant, however, is what a much more exciting route has been conjured up in the landscape, which has only received praise from drivers of all classes so far.

Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo) – P4 ahead of Portugal: In the first race it almost went wrong for “Pecco” when he only stabbed into the last corner on P4, but Joan Mir, who was on P2, failed, and so he got his podium. The Italian didn’t do much wrong in the second race in Qatar, but Johann Zarco and this time rookie Jorge Martin were simply better than the new addition to the Ducati factory team. Since Bagnaia had already given up after the first round in Portugal last year, it is difficult to assess his performance. In qualifying, he was only fifteenth and now the pressure is much higher. The man from the Fiat city of Turin is still on the comfortable 4th place in the World Championship.
Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo) – P9 ahead of Portimão: Ironically, when he was described by many as a World Cup favorite and verbally saw it himself, the Australian struggled with arm-pump problems at the start of the season. The reasons for this are allegedly not only due to excessive strain, but, as has been read several times, also to a cramp in the lower arm. Freshly operated on, it will not be easy for Miller to defend his second place from last year. In the next two races, however, Jack will have to show his performance and try to be at least one of the best Ducatis. Otherwise it will soon be tight for him and with too much pressure to perform there is a risk of unnecessary mistakes. After only two races, “Jack Ass” went from being a favorite to a challenger, it can happen that quickly.

Johann Zarco (Pramac Ducati, left) and brand colleague Jack Miller activating their start device, which also seems to be a scary means for the opponents in Portimao to arrive among the first drivers in Turn 1. Somehow a bit of a shame, the technology now determines such aspects and no longer the skill of the driver. Obviously bad luck for Pecco in Losail that this gimmick promptly failed him.
Another form of “start device” used by Ducati a little over 20 years ago in WorldBSK. An example of how much technology has changed in recent years and how many critics think, not only for the better. Electronic driving aids such as traction control often prevent highsiders, but drivers with a lot of feeling when accelerating or good starters are deprived of their advantages.

Alex Rins (Suzuki Ecstar) – P5 ahead of Portugal: In contrast to last season, the Spaniard started this time without injury and showed two good results. From now on, the Suzuki drivers are among the top favorites on almost every track in Europe. This applies at least when looking at the results from the previous year. The Autodromo do Algarve, of all places, was the exception in 2020, if you take a comparison from last season. In this respect, the Grand Prix of Portugal will be a key experience for the blue and silver at the start of Europe. Last year he started there from P10, while his team-mate started the race as penultimate.
Joan Mir (Suzuki Ecstar) – P6 ahead of Portimão: The reigning world champion was the favorite among most competitors before the first race of the season. His start into the year 2021 wasn’t that bad as many might think. His strength last year was his consistency and one victory was enough for him to win his first title. For many observers, this was even considered a gift from his teammate, which cannot be completely dismissed when looking at the recording of Valencia. Regardless of this, the result in Portugal and then Jerez should have a decisive character for the young man from Palma de Mallorca, as with Rins.

Alex Rins (Suzuki Ecstar) – He’s aiming high in 2021 after having undoubtedly driven for his team-mate towards the end of the season last year. Last year only 15th at the GP of Portugal, this time he definitely needs an improvement. After Portimão, if not injured, he is one of the favorites on every track in his current form.

Jorge Martin (Pramac Ducati) – Chamiponship rank 7 ahead of Portugal: The Madrilene is an exceptional figure in MotoGP not only because of his origins. Even though he comes from the capital of Spain, his complexion suggests that he is a so-called sun boy. After third place in the second run in Qatar, this was at least undisputed. As a rookie on the podium in the second race, very few drivers in the premier class before him achieved that. But Losail was very special and now comes the phase where he should first confirm these results before being prematurely referred to as the upcoming top driver. As explained at the beginning, a completely different world now awaits the drivers. Of course, we are happy with him, provided that Jorge succeeds in continuing his success story.

Aleix Espargaró (Aprilia Gresini) – P8 ahead of Portimão: For the fitness guru from Granollers, there was actually little to complain about when it came to his results in the first double race. But Aleix, who lives in Andorra, is a fighter before the Lord. At top speed he had no chance against almost all competitors and that was the only reason why he could only be found on P10 in the second Losail race. Despite his lack of top speed, however, finishing eighth at the season opener was simply world-class. The Autodromo do Algarve is a driver’s track, but with a start-finish straight that is too long for his taste. Nevertheless, you will have to expect him in the next races.

Aleix Espargaró (Aprilia Gresini Racing) – Andrea Dovizioso will shortly be testing his bike and may be able to provide valuable input. According to official statements from Aprilia, the three-time vice world champion is out of the picture for this season. The northern Italian would probably hardly be much faster than Aleix anyway.

Pol Espargaró (Repsol Honda) – P10 ahead of Portimão: After Losail was a very special track in extreme conditions with only a few days of testing, the moment of truth for the Catalan will only come from Europe. He has to be credited with the fact that his strategy of staying seated in Qatar worked so far. He has not yet lost too many points on the best, and it will be particularly exciting for him from the GP of Portugal. Except for Miguel Oliveira, he was the only successful KTM rider in Portimão on P4 last year. Despite being behind in practice on the Honda RC213V, he is now all about the sausage. Either he fails in the next two races or he confirms himself as the bearer of hope for HRC.

Enea Bastianini (Avintia Esponsorama Ducati) – World Championship eleventh ahead of Portugal: As a rookie in Losail, the Italian only scored 6 points less than rookie colleague Jorge Martin. Like him, he has the handicap of never having ridden the MotoGP Ducati on the extremely demanding Portimão track. Both also have much fewer test days than the newcomers to the premier class before the pandemic. So for him, like Martin and Luca Marini, the risk is to dose and not to make serious mistakes. With this recipe “la Bestia” became Moto2 world champion last year. It is quite possible that despite the disadvantage compared to the established drivers, he will again surprise positively at the Autodromo do Algarve.

Enea Bastianini (Avintia Esponsorama Ducati) – Even if almost everyone is only talking about Jorge Martin as the coming man at the moment, one should definitely not underestimate the Italian for the European season.

Valentino Rossi (Petronas Yamaha SRT) – rank 14 ahead of Portugal: Despite tire problems, the old champion showed a not so bad performance at the season opener as many saw. In terms of fighting, he was absolutely the same in the second Losail GP, but Valentino missed the last point by almost four and a half seconds. To write it off prematurely could be a mistake. Nevertheless, he will have a very difficult time, especially in the European opener, considering his result in Portimão of last year. In November 2020, however, the darling of the masses crossed the finish line just behind Viñales in P12, despite starting position 17. Once again, for Rossi, a lot depends on FP2, FP3 and qualifying.
Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) – Fifteenth place in Championship before Portimão: The vice world champion had a start that he could hardly imagine worse. Like team-mate Rossi to get only 4 points and no chance in the first race, that sounds like a disaster. Seen a second faster over 22 laps, the Italian would have finished seventh behind Bagnaia in the second race. He has to press the reset button and just look ahead, which of course he knows very well. Morbido was on the podium at the 2020 Portuguese GP and if he repeats that feat he will be back in business immediately. Together with fellow Yamaha brand Quartararo, he was the only one to win three times in 2020. That alone is enough to have him on the bill this season as well.

Valentino Rossi (Petronas Yamaha SRT) – As is so often the case in the past, the old masters have too many problems with qualifying and direct entry into Q2. This is likely to be decisive for its success, especially for the European kick-off.

The remaining Honda and KTM drivers before the Portuguese GP:

Except for local hero Miguel Oliveira, KTM failed to convince current riders in the 2020 race. Together with test driver Bradl, 3 Hondas were in the top nine. For the two LCR drivers Takaaki Nakagami and Alex Marquez it is essential to confirm their performance from the previous year. Otherwise, the train has left for them. Binder like Oliveira are under a lot of pressure at the Portuguese GP, which of course also applies to Tech 3 drivers Petrucci and Lecuona. The latter, however, will probably have to hand over his seat to Remy Gardner, who has already been confirmed by KTM for 2022. Petrux is also not sure of his position and will be driving in the next races for pure existence in the premier class. For all the drivers mentioned and also for the two LCR Honda drivers, the question is: top or flop? We won’t know the answer until Sunday, April 18, shortly before 2 p.m. local time (3 p.m. CET).

Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda IDEMITSU) – To compete in Europe as one of the most consistent drivers of 2020 without points is tantamount to a catastrophe for the fast Japanese. As for many other pilots, his performance in Portugal may be decisive for the rest of the season.

The current World Cup status of MotoGP

Because the situation from round 5 onwards with regard to the calendar is unclear, we have summarized the other rounds in a note. Currently, the overseas races, as well as many events in Europe from the French GP, are still considered acutely endangered by the Covid-19 pandemic and its effects.

The result of the Portuguese GP in November 2020

The schedule for the Portuguese Grand Prix

Unless otherwise stated, this applies to all images (© MotoGP).