Marquez Takes Pole Position in Portugal MotoGP with Record Lap Time

Marc Marquez, the Honda rider, clinched the pole position in the MotoGP Portuguese Grand Prix, marking the season opener on Saturday, a day that saw the lap record at the Portimao circuit broken four times. Marquez set a lap record during the first qualifying session and easily improved his time in the second session alongside Portuguese rider Miguel Oliveira. However, the lap record lasted barely a few minutes before Jack Miller, on his new bike with the Red Bull (KTM) team, took over. The Australian rider, who moved from Ducati before the start of the season, felt that it might not be enough but crashed at the third corner while reigning champion Francesco Bagnaia was breaking the record. Nevertheless, the six-time champion Marquez was not finished yet and, with the assistance of Italian rider Enea Bastianini, clocked a fast lap time of 1 minute and 37.226 seconds. Marquez will be joined on the front row by Bagnaia and Jorge Martin of the Pramac Racing team, while Oliveira will start from fourth with Miller and Bastianini alongside him. Former champion Joan Mir, who moved from Suzuki to Honda, failed to qualify from the first session and will start the race from 14th place.