The Ducati Lenovo Team arrives in Portugal for the first European round of the 2022 MotoGP season
After the first four Grands Prix for the 2022 season held outside of Europe, the MotoGP World Championship arrives in Portugal, at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve, near Portimão, for its first race of the year on the Old Continent.
The circuit, located in the Algarve region, was introduced to the calendar in 2020 and has already hosted the World Championship on three occasions. In the most recent, the Algarve GP last October, both Ducati Lenovo Team riders finished on the podium.
Francesco Bagnaia, who started from pole position after setting a new circuit record in qualifying, secured his third win of the season by also setting the fastest lap in the race. Jack Miller, who started second alongside his teammate, crossed the line third, bringing Ducati’s podiums to four at the Portuguese track.
After a good weekend in America, which saw him finish fifth and rediscover positive sensations on his Desmosedici GP bike, Pecco aims for an important result at Portimão. The Italian is currently 12th in the overall standings, 38 points behind leader Bastianini. Miller, seventh in the standings after securing his first podium of the season in Austin by finishing third in the race, wants to be among the frontrunners again at this weekend’s Grand Prix.
Jack Miller (#43 Ducati Lenovo Team) – 7th (31 points)
“I’m really excited to be back racing in Europe, where I think the world championship will come into its own. Being on the podium at the last American GP gives me the confidence to take on this crucial part of the championship. I can’t wait to get on track at Portimão, a track I like a lot! Last year I finished third in the last race here, and I think there are all the conditions to do well again this year”.
Francesco Bagnaia (#63 Ducati Lenovo Team) – 12th (23 points)
“After the break of the past few days, I’m now charged up and ready to face the first European round of the season! In Argentina and America, we went back to work like we did last year, finally making progress and finding the sensations I was used to riding my Desmosedici GP. Unfortunately, in Austin, we couldn’t get beyond a fifth position because we lacked some speed in the race. This weekend we’ll be racing at Portimão, a circuit where we could do well in both races last year. That’s very positive because it will allow us to evaluate our work so far and understand where we still need to improve. I can’t wait to get on track!”
The Grand Prix of Portugal will start this Friday, 22nd April, from 9:50 am local time (CEST -1.00) with the first free practice session.
