The Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team return to the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve in Portugal for the penultimate round of the 2021 MotoGP season, held this weekend.
Having celebrated a brilliant 2021 MotoGP World Championship win in Misano two weeks earlier, Fabio Quartararo is eagerly looking forward to the next round in Portimão where he dominated during Round 3 in April this year.
With the championship win in the bag, El Diablo will be focusing on helping to secure the Teams and the Constructor Title to make it a Triple Crown. Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP has a 13-point lead in the Team standings (with a maximum of 90 points still up for grabs), whilst Yamaha is second in the manufacturers‘ rankings with a 12 point deficit (and a maximum of 50 points to play for.
Franco Morbidelli arrives at the Algarve circuit well-rested. He enjoyed a very positive Emilia-Romagna GP, showing great progress and scoring his first championship points with the Factory Yamaha team after his return from injury. The full race length on championship level was still a tall ask, but he now has had more time to heal from his leg injury and is ready to give it his best shot again this weekend.
Though the lay-out of the Portimão track is full-on due to the evaluation changes, the Italian is keen to have another go at it. He has taken a liking to the track since the Algarve circuit was added to the MotoGP calendar last year. He went on to secure third place in 2020 and narrowly missed out on a place on the podium and finished fourth earlier this year.
The Autódromo Internacional do Algarve – better known as Portimão (after the port city from which it is half an hour‘s ride removed – is situated in the Algarve region of Portugal. The circuit was opened in 2008 and is a big hit with the riders but also especially the fans, who couldn't get enough of their heroes taking on this track that is famous for its elevation changes. The circuit has 15 corners – nine right, six left – and the front straight will allow the MotoGP riders to really stretch the legs of their machines before a unique downhill descent into Turn 1.
Those who want to refresh their memories of what a lap around the Portimão track looks like can watch this week's MotoGP eSport race between Lorenzo Daretti and Michael Amara.
