Persistence Pays Off in Portugal for Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP

Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP's Fabio Quartararo showed consistent pace and superb defensive riding in the 25-lap Grand Prix of Portugal Race, and it earned him sixth position. Rins didn't have the feeling he was looking for today and ultimately crossed the finish line in 13th place.

Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP's Fabio Quartararo gave a defensive riding masterclass in today's Grand Prix of Portugal Race, and his persistence was rewarded with a sixth place. Álex Rins had hoped to engage in battle on the Sunday at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve, but the 25-lap outing turned into a lonely ride to 13th place for him.

Quartararo began his quest from P3 and slotted into fourth position. However, Francesco Bagnaia passed him going into Turn 1 on the second lap. El Diablo was unable to stay with the Italian and instead had Brad Binder on his heels. The Frenchman made his bike as wide as possible. Fermín Aldeguer was closing in as well, but the Yamaha rider kept both of them at bay for as long as he could. However, on lap 9, Aldeguer overtook Binder and launched an attack on El Diablo next on lap 11, putting the number 20 back in the clutches of Binder. As Bagnaia crashed out on lap 11, Quartararo was defending fifth place again. The Frenchman was riding on the absolute limit, not giving an inch and closing every door, until he ran slightly wide in Turn 5 on lap 14. It resulted in Quartararo riding in sixth for the remainder of the race, successfully fending off Johann Zarco to take the chequered flag 18.442s from first.

Rins had a strong start from P17 and completed the first lap in 15th place. With Joan Mir retiring from the race, the number-42 rider was in 14th and keen to hunt down the three riders battling for 11th place. He came as close as 0.4s to Luca Marini ahead of him but was never able to fully close the gap. When Bagnaia crashed out, Rins reaped the benefit and climbed up to 13th. However, it didn't lead to further improvements. In the second half of the race, the Spaniard found himself circulating with substantial gaps to the riders in front and behind him. He crossed the finish line 30.372s from the front.

After today's results, Quartararo stays in 9th place in the overall standings with 198 points, and Rins holds 19th position with 66 points. Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP are 6th in the team championship with 264 points, and Yamaha remain in 5th position in the constructor championship with 237 points.

The Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP team will be back in action next week at the Circuito de la Comunitat Valenciana - Ricardo Tormo, Spain, for the 2025 MotoGP World Championship finale.