2025 Portuguese MotoGP: Sprint race AS IT HAPPENED

Bezzecchi leads the opening lap from Acosta, Marquez, Quartararo, Bagnaia, Di Giannantonio, Zarco.

Gap then to Espargaro that was filled by Mir, but he's dropped to the back end of the top20.

Riders are off on their warm-up lap ahead of the Portimao Sprint.

Conditions about equal to what they were yesterday morning: dry, 20C air temperature, 26C track temperature. Slightly sunnier than yesterday, though.

In terms of tyres, everyone has the hard-front, soft-rear combination, apart from Alex Rins and Somkiat Chantra who both have the medium-compound front tyre.

It's a debut MotoGP Sprint this afternoon for Nicolo Bulega, who will start his 100th grand prix tomorrow.

The Italian will start 18th after an impressive-so-far weekend in Portugal, filling in for Marc Marquez at the factory Ducati team.

Certainly, a MotoGP start will be something new for him. He has some experience of the start devices from the practice starts on Friday morning, but adding in the chaos of 20 other riders is sure to complicate things for the debutant.

The first two positions in the championship are already secured for this year, but third place remains open.

Bezzecchi currently holds third by four points over Pecco Bagnaia, who starts fourth today and won the Sprint last time out in Malaysia.

Pedro Acosta is also within a mathematical shot of the championship bronze medal, but he has 31 points to make up on Bezzecchi in these final two rounds.

Marco Bezzecchi starts on pole position this afternoon. It's his fourth pole of the season and first since Indonesia, where he also won the Sprint.

Bezzecchi's pace was also strong enough on Friday afternoon to have some of his rivals concerned, but victory here is not a guarantee for the Aprilia rider.

Welcome back to live coverage of today's MotoGP action from Portimao where the penultimate Sprint of the year will be coming up in just under 30 minutes at 15:00.

Starting grid for the Portuguese MotoGP Sprint after one withdrawal.

• Pedro Acosta breaks front row MotoGP drought: “This will make everything easier”

  

Pablo Nieto spoke during the FP2 session of changes that have been made on Fabio Di Giannantonio's side of the VR46 Ducati box in the last races.

Full story here.

Marco Bezzecchi takes pole position in Portimao. Pedro Acosta and Fabio Quartararo on the front row with him.

Bagnaia, Marquez, and Zarco make up row two; then Mir, Miller, and Di Giannantonio on the third row.

Espargaro completes the top-10, then Aldeguer and Ogura complete the Q2 order in 11th and 12th, respectively.

Marquez, by the way, seems fine after his turn three crash, and is riding back to the paddock on a scooter.

Another 1:37 from Bezzecchi on his third lap but not an improvement.

Bagnaia didn't improve on his first two laps of run two, but goes fourth with his third attempt.

Bezzecchi was improving again but just misses out on an improvement. Acosta does improve, but only enough for second, 0.150s behind Bezzecchi who is going for a third lap.

Marquez has crashed at turn three. He's fourth at the moment.

Zarco briefly onto the front row but now Marquez is into the 37s. That got him on the front row briefly, but Quartararo is now P2.

Really strong lap from Bezzecchi to open his second run - 1:37.556 for provisional pole.

Miller to fourth behind him, and Acosta goes second and into the 37s but almost 0.3s behind Bezzecchi.

Acosta the first rider out for his second run but there rest aren't too far behind.

Improvements on the second lap, as you'd expect, from several riders.

Marquez now pole on a 38.098 from Bezzecchi and Acosta - top-three covered by 0.092s.

Bagnaia fourth and 0.4s behind, then Quartararo and Aldeguer.

Mir, Espargaro and Di Giannantonio provisionally on row three; then Zarco, Ogura, Miller on the provisional fourth row.

Still 8 minutes remaining and the second runs to come.

1:38.518 opens proceedings from Quartararo, that puts him just ahead of Bezzecchi by a tenth after the first laps.

With Q1 complete, we have our full 12-rider Q2 line-up:

• Alex Marquez
• Francesco Bagnaia
• Marco Bezzecchi
• Pedro Acosta
• Joan Mir
• Johann Zarco
• Fabio Di Giannantonio
• Fermin Aldeguer
• Pol Espargaro
• Ai Ogura
• Fabio Quartararo
• Jack Miller

All five manufacturers represented.

Q2 coming up in five minutes.