Maverick Vinales took advantage of a mistake by Francesco Bagnaia to claim victory in the MotoGP Sprint race at the Portuguese Grand Prix, marking his first win for Aprilia. Vinales has now made history as the first rider to win for three different manufacturers: Suzuki, Yamaha, and Aprilia. Marc Marquez secured his first podium with Gresini Ducati colors, finishing in second place, while Jorge Martin, known for his expertise in Sprint races, finished in third place with the Pramac Ducati bike.
Jack Miller initially led the race after a great start from fifth place, with Marquez and Bagnaia also making impressive advances in their grid positions. Marquez pulled off an incredible overtake on Vinales on the outside of Turn 12, while Aleix Espargaro continued his climb from the fifth row to eighth place. Bagnaia took advantage of a moment of distraction from Miller on the straight, taking the lead and maintaining a comfortable advantage in the following laps.
Vinales and Marquez continued to battle for podium positions until crashes by Alex Rins, Johann Zarco, and Brad Binder ended their hopes in the Sprint race. Despite a tough start that left him in 11th place, rookie Pedro Acosta fought back to seventh place, matching his original qualifying position.
Marquez briefly fell behind Vinales and Martin after running off track, while Bagnaia seemed to be in control and on course to extend his championship lead with a Sprint race win. However, with four laps to go, the reigning champion misjudged the opening corner, allowing Vinales to take the lead, with Martin in second and Marquez in third. Vinales then increased his lead over the Ducati riders, and his chances were further boosted when Marquez overtook Martin on the penultimate lap.
Meanwhile, Enea Bastianini, who started on pole position, dropped in the rankings and couldn’t recover for a podium finish, ending in sixth place behind Miller on the KTM. Acosta earned three points for his overall campaign, Espargaro finished in eighth, and Fabio Quartararo secured a valuable point for Yamaha with a ninth place in Portimão.
