MotoGP Algarve Grand Prix – Start time, how to watch & more
Francesco Bagnaia is on pole position for the MotoGP Algarve Grand Prix at Portimao. Here’s how and when you can watch the race.
The Ducati rider claimed his fifth consecutive pole position with another flawless qualifying performance to take top spot by 0.104s from team-mate Jack Miller.
For a second straight round it was a tricky qualifying for world champion Fabio Quartararo, who could only manage seventh place on the factory Yamaha after a set-up change failed to work as expected and gave the French rider a “weird feeling” in Q2.
Joan Mir secured his first-ever MotoGP front row start on merit, having started from third place at last year’s Styrian GP due to a grid penalty for Johann Zarco, with the Suzuki rider completing the front row alongside the factory Ducati duo.
Jorge Martin led Pramac Ducati team-mate Zarco at the front of the second row, with Pol Espargaro claiming sixth place for the factory Honda squad. Espargaro is without regular team-mate Marc Marquez who was ruled out of the Algarve GP after suffering concussion in a training accident last weekend.
With Quartararo in seventh, he will be joined on the third row by LCR Honda’s Alex Marquez and Franco Morbidelli on the sister factory Yamaha.
Having progressed through Q1, Iker Lecuona leads the KTM charge in 10th place for Tech3, as Suzuki’s Alex Rins and Avintia Ducati’s Luca Marini round out the fourth row.
Valentino Rossi will start his penultimate MotoGP race from 16th on the grid for Petronas SRT Yamaha.
Brad Binder, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
When is the MotoGP Algarve Grand Prix?
• Date: Sunday 7th November 2021
• Start time: 1:00pm GMT, 1:00pm local time
How can I watch the Algarve MotoGP?
In the United Kingdom, the Algarve MotoGP race day will be broadcast live on BT Sport, which has live broadcasting television rights for the 2021 MotoGP season. The race will be shown live on BT Sport 2, with race coverage starting at 12:30pm GMT, directly after the Moto3 race and before the Moto2 race.
TV Channel: BT Sport 2
Channel number: Sky – 414
Channel number: Virgin Media – 528
Start time: 12:30pm GMT
MotoGP also offers its own live online video streaming service which is available to stream in the UK.
How can I watch the Algarve MotoGP highlights?
ITV4 will show the highlights of each MotoGP round in 2021, including highlights of the Moto2 and Moto3 classes, which will be broadcast on each Monday evening after the race.
TV Channel: ITV4
Channel number: Freeview – 25
Channel number: Sky – 120 HD, 818 SD
Channel number: Virgin Media – 178 HD, 118 SD
Channel number: Freesat – 117
Start time: Monday 8th November - 10:15pm GMT
What's the weather forecast for the race at Portimao?
Dry and sunny weather is forecast for the Algarve Grand Prix on Sunday afternoon, with a low chance of rain, and a high of 18 degrees Celsius for the start of the race – two degrees warmer than the Emilia Romagna GP at Misano last time out.
Why is it called the Algarve GP?
With races not allowed to be given the same race names in the same MotoGP world championship season, Portimao’s second race of the season has been called the Algarve GP, named after the region of Portugal the circuit is located in.
It takes inspiration from the other double-headers MotoGP put on both in 2020 and this year as part of the reshuffled calendar due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Earlier this season Qatar hosted the first-ever Doha GP as the second leg of its back-to-back races, while the Red Bull Ring hosted the Styrian GP as its second part of its double-header and Misano hosted the Emilia Romagna GP as its second race of the season.
Why is MotoGP holding two races at Portimao?
As part of the COVID-19-hit campaign the 2021 MotoGP calendar has been tweaked due to various travel restrictions in place across the world. The Finnish, Japanese, Thai, Australian, Malaysian and Argentina MotoGP rounds have all been cancelled for 2021.
In order to bulk out the calendar, Losail, the Red Bull Ring, Misano and Portimao will all host two races.
MotoGP Algarve Grand Prix qualifying results
Qualifying 2
| Cla | Rider | Bike | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Francesco Bagnaia | Ducati | 1'38.725 | |
| 2 |  Jack Miller | Ducati | 1'38.829 | 0.104 |
| 3 |  Joan Mir | Suzuki | 1'38.893 | 0.168 |
| 4 | Jorge Martin | Ducati | 1'38.916 | 0.191 |
| 5 |  Johann Zarco | Ducati | 1'38.918 | 0.193 |
| 6 | Pol Espargaro | Honda | 1'39.058 | 0.333 |
| 7 | Fabio Quartararo | Yamaha | 1'39.131 | 0.406 |
| 8 | Alex Marquez | Honda | 1'39.191 | 0.466 |
| 9 | Franco Morbidelli | Yamaha | 1'39.321 | 0.596 |
| 10 | Iker Lecuona | KTM | 1'39.387 | 0.662 |
| 11 | Alex Rins | Suzuki | 1'39.649 | 0.924 |
| 12 | Luca Marini | Ducati | 1'39.828 | 1.103 |
| View full results | ||||
Qualifying 1
| Cla | Rider | Bike | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Johann Zarco | Ducati | 1'39.130 | |
| 2 | Iker Lecuona | KTM | 1'39.171 | 0.041 |
| 3 | Enea Bastianini | Ducati | 1'39.283 | 0.153 |
| 4 | Aleix Espargaro | Aprilia | 1'39.389 | 0.259 |
| 5 | Danilo Petrucci | KTM | 1'39.595 | 0.465 |
| 6 | Valentino Rossi | Yamaha | 1'39.604 | 0.474 |
| 7 |  Miguel Oliveira | KTM | 1'39.624 | 0.494 |
| 8 | Maverick Viñales | Aprilia | 1'39.738 | 0.608 |
| 9 |  Brad Binder | KTM | 1'39.859 | 0.729 |
| 10 |  Stefan Bradl | Honda | 1'39.907 | 0.777 |
| 11 | Andrea Dovizioso | Yamaha | 1'39.918 | 0.788 |
| 12 |  Takaaki Nakagami | Honda | 1'40.009 | 0.879 |
| View full results | ||||
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