MotoGP: Maverick Vinales wins the sprint in Portugal ahead of Marc Marquez

The Spaniard Maverick Vinales (Aprilia) created a surprise by winning the sprint of the Portuguese Grand Prix, second round of the MotoGP world championship of 21, Saturday on the Algarve circuit in Portimao.

Starting in second position on the grid, the Catalan was ahead of the six-time Spanish world champion Marc Marquez (Ducati-Gresini) and the great sprint specialist, Jorge Martin (Ducati-Pramac).

The reigning double world champion Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati), who started fourth, quickly took control of the race and was heading towards victory before making a fatal error four laps from the end.

The Italian, who finally finished just off the podium, however, retains the lead in the world championship, especially since his former runner-up, the South African Brad Binder (KTM), retired after a fall.

Sick at the start of the weekend, Vinales had an almost perfect Saturday as he first snatched a place on the front row in the final seconds of qualifying, before securing his first victory with Aprilia on the hilly circuit of the 'Algarve.

“I'm happy to be back at my best. We are finding the right path to progress. In Qatar, I didn't feel good on the bike, we weren't happy with the settings. Today I had a lot of fun fighting with the others,” explained the 29-year-old driver.

Marquez had a very eventful day even if it ended well. At the end of the morning, he fell heavily in qualifying and had to settle for eighth place on the grid. But in the afternoon, he made a very good start and was always in the fight for the podium.

On the last lap, the Spaniard took the luxury of overtaking his compatriot Martin, who nevertheless had a better bike, to take second place and a first podium with the Ducati-Gresini satellite team, which He joined this season after 11 seasons at Honda.

The Frenchman Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha), who had achieved an encouraging ninth place on the grid, finished... in ninth place and scored a small point in the championship. The Niçois was the only driver to opt for a medium tire on Saturday while all the others had chosen the soft.

On the other hand, the other Habs Johann Zarco (Honda-LCR) was in very difficulty: only 19th on the grid, he fell on the fourth lap and will not be able to take much from his day.