All, absolutely all, Motorcycle World Championship entrants in its category MotoGP, champions and non-champions, veterans and rookies, winners and nominees coincided. Portuguese Grand PrixThe very very special event held in front of 67,000 spectators at the Portimao circuit last Sunday.
Not just because it opened the season, but because the last winter tests were done, not only because he started a new calendar within the same weekend and added a race to the sprint on Saturday, but also because they all had to adapt. New formula.
And the truth is, Portimao was a unique experience, mainly because of the tension and enormous pressure they admitted to going through from the moment they were there, not just on two race days, Saturday and Sunday, as the MotoGP champions themselves admit, but throughout Friday. They needed to run to get into the top 10 of Q2.
they prefer to wait
All the drivers complained about the pressure of the new format all weekend, yes, but they all made sure they didn’t want to express their opinions definitively until two or three more Grand Prix had passed. Judge Yes, indeed the schedules and even the duration of the workouts should be retouched.
But yes, one thing is indisputable: The first race of the first three days of the season meant that four of the best MotoGP drivers were out of the race this week at Argentina’s second grand prix of 2023. will be held at the Termas de Río Hondo circuit. pilots Pol Espargaro (GasGas), Enea Bastianini (Ducati), marc marquez (Sling) and finally, Miguel Oliveira (Aprilia). As you can see the first swords from four official brands.
After falling alone and crashing into a wall of tires replaced by an ‘air fence’ or air defense, it is ‘Polyccio’, who has yet to be definitively diagnosed, who appears to be in worst shape physically. was released, but it resulted in serious injuries to the jaw and some vertebrae, possibly multiple, as Portimao said. Returning to KTM hand in hand with his twin brother, GasGas, the youngest of the Espargaró family is unknown when he will return, some fear it will take months.
Bastianini meanwhile was knocked down by compatriot Luca Marini (Ducati) without any penalty and his right collarbone was broken. Some believe he can return to Austin (Texas, USA) in two weeks, but as El Periódico has learned, he may miss the North American GP and be forced to return to Jerez.
[Consulta la clasificación general del mundial de MotoGP]
Concerning Márquez and Oliveira, who were involved in the spectacular and extremely hard crash caused by the Catalan Honda driver who crashed into the body of the Portuguese Aprilia driver at Turn 4 of the third lap of the GP, Oliveira is certain to win. Return to the USA, where the Catalan champion, who has even completed the two slow lap penalties imposed on him by Race Direction, also aspires to be.
“Before we make a decision about the new format of the weekend, we have to wait for a few more great awards because we’ve had a lot of training in Portimao.”
Márquez dealt such a powerful blow to Oliveira’s right hip that although he didn’t look serious on Sunday, his team announced yesterday that it was impossible for him to race in Argentina. Accepting the Catalan apology “because none of us wanted to cause such a conflict”, Portugal would have to return to the United States. And Márquez, who had surgery on his right thumb yesterday and rebuilt with two screws, will skip Termas de Río Hondo and head to one of the tracks where he is the best and almost always wins, Austin (Texas, USA). .
specific criticisms
No one, certainly no one among the heroes of MotoGP, wanted to admit that what happened when they left Portimao, namely, that so many accidents in the highest category (23) and so many casualties were a result of the new order implemented all season. weekend. . Márquez, for example, was one of those who asked for time to be more precise, “because we ran harder than usual this weekend, always riding below the record because we’ve been training here for days and the bikes are improving.” too much. No, I can’t say it was because of the schedules, the sprint race on Saturday and the long run on Sunday”.
Of course, there were those who spoke of more tension, pressure and danger, such as Aleix Espargaró and Jorge Martín, and even those who said that some drivers, like Marc Márquez, should act more calmly. “It doesn’t make sense how we run, we have to think and think that it can’t end like a boxing match. You go out, you try to pass, and if you don’t pass, you stop and try again. I don’t know, we have to run more rationally”, commented Aleix Espargaró.
Source: Informacion
Gregory Robert is a sports aficionado and a writer for “Social Bites”. He provides in-depth coverage of the latest sporting events and trends, offering a unique and knowledgeable perspective on the world of sports.