MotoGP™: Bagnaia claims assertive win in the Algarve

The Grande Prémio Brembo do Algarve – the 17th and penultimate round of the 2021 MotoGPTM World Championship – was won by Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team). The race was red-flagged two laps from the end, with Joan Mir (Team SUZUKI ECSTAR) and the winner’s team-mate Jack Miller in second and third places. It was another successful weekend for Michelin whose tires helped Bagnaia to establish a new track lap record (1m38.725s) in qualifying.  

After securing his fifth pole position in a row, and his sixth of the campaign, Bagnaia started the Portuguese race on medium MICHELIN Power Slicks front and rear and held the lead from lights-out to the finish.

The outstanding grip delivered by his rubber allowed him to post a string of quick, consistent times that saw him pull clear of Mir. The Ducati rider clocked the vast majority of his laps in less than 1m39s and he was some 2.5s clear of his Suzuki rival when the race was halted with two laps to go due to a collision between Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and Iker Lecuona (Tech 3 KTM Factory Racing).

Miller came out on top in his scrap with Alex Marquez (LCR Honda) for the third step of the podium to take Ducati’s score for the year to 21 top-three placings en route to the 2021 world title.

Marquez and Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) rounded out the top five which featured four different bikemakers, another illustration of the versatility Michelin’s tires have showcased this season.

The MICHELIN Power Slick effectively proved strong at the Portuguese venue where three different “specs” were chosen for Sunday afternoon’s grand prix, with all the riders opting for the medium front, combined with either the medium or hard rear.

The recently-crowned champion Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) fell and failed to finish for the first time this year. Bagnaia is confirmed as this season’s vice-champion, while bronze for Mir means that three different makes figure on the year’s rostrum.

Last round: Gran Premio Motul de la Comunitat Valenciana, Circuit Ricardo Tormo, Valencia, Spain (November 12-14).