MotoGP Portugal, where to see it on TV: timetables – Corriere.it

The curtain rises on the MotoGp. The world championship begins this weekend (March 24-25-26) in Portugal, in Portimao. Thus began the challenge to Pecco Bagnaia, reigning world champion with Ducati: the first Italian to succeed on the saddle of the Ducati. The top class race scheduled for Sunday at 3 pm on Sky Sport MotoGP, Sky Sport Uno and streaming on Now TV. A great novelty: the Sprint Race, the new highly anticipated short race which will be held on Saturday afternoon on the half distance of Sunday’s long race, in the case of the Algarve circuit therefore over 12 laps. The teams took advantage of the tests to carry out a full simulation. Not only. The Sprint Race also involves a revolution in the garage with a very different technical-competitive approach from the past, with the second free practice requiring direct qualification for Q2 and one less practice session.

The format

There will be two free practice sessions for all three classes, with reduced hours for Moto3 (30′) and the afternoon one, increased for MotoGP (one hour, previously it was 45′), which from now on will always on the track after Moto2. The two MotoGP free practice sessions will be used to define direct access to Q2 (10 riders). Instead, the Saturday program changes. In the afternoon, after the Moto3 and Moto2 qualifying sessions, there will be time for the Sprint race. This is the score of the Sprint Race attributed to the first 9: 12 points for the winner, 9 for 2, 7 for 3 and we go down to 1 point for 9.

Ducati favored

Bagnaia on the Ducati also lapped at the top in the short stroke simulation, even the only one to have tried two simulations with two very different settings. In the first attempt, very tight from the first to the last lap, Pecco with the soft rear tire finished the 12 laps with an average time of 1’39”094. Five laps under 1’39” with the best time in the third round: 1’38”154. For their part, Quartararo and Bastianini did well, who lapped really fast with the soft, almost like Bagnaia. The Yamaha Frenchman did the 12 laps with an average time of 1’39″190 and the Ducati rider from Rimini with a 1’39″192.

Where to see the free tests

Friday 24 March

9.55 am: free practice 1 Moto3
10.45 am: free practice 1 Moto2
11.40 am: 1 MotoGP free practice

2.15 pm: free practice 2 Moto3
3.05 pm: free practice 2 Moto2
4 pm: 2 MotoGP free practice sessions

Where to see qualifying and Sprint race

Saturday 25th March

9.35 am: free practice 3 Moto3
10.20 am: free practice 3 Moto2
11.05 am: 3 MotoGP free practice sessions
11.45 am: MotoGP qualifying
1.45 pm: Moto3 qualifying
2.45 pm: Moto2 qualifying
4 pm: Sprint Race MotoGP – also free-to-air on TV8 and streaming on YouTube

Where to see the race

Sunday 26 March

10.40 am: Moto3, Moto2, MotoGP warm-up
12:00 Moto3 race – deferred on TV8 from 2.05pm
1.15 pm: Moto2 race – deferred on TV8 from 3.20 pm
3pm: MotoGP race – deferred on TV8 from 5.05pm.