2025 Portuguese MotoGP: Alex Marquez tops FP1, Nicolo Bulega beats Pecco Bagnaia

Gresini Ducati rider Alex Marquez led the opening practice of the 2025 Portuguese Grand Prix, as World Superbike star Nicolo Bulega made his MotoGP debut.

Having secured runner-up spot in the championship last time out at the Malaysian Grand Prix, Alex Marquez said on Thursday at Portimao that he would be able to ride with less pressure on his shoulders.

And that proved the case out of the gates in the 45-minute FP1 in Portugal, as the Gresini rider led the way by 0.196s over Aprilia’s Marco Bezzecchi.

But the big news of the session was the debut for World Superbike star Nicolo Bulega, who ended his first official MotoGP session on the factory Ducati in 14th.

Impressively, Bulega was under a second off the pace and bested team-mate Pecco Bagnaia, who was 17th at the chequered flag.

KTM’s Pedro Acosta set the early pace in FP1, but was soon bested by Alex Marquez just over five minutes into the session.

Marquez set a 1m39.145s with just over half an hour remaining, which would prove to be the best lap of the session.

Electing against switching to fresh rubber, Marquez’s advantage in the final sector ensured that he would not be deposed through to the chequered flag.

His closest challenger proved to be Aprilia’s Marco Bezzecchi, who used a new soft front tyre to move up to second with a 1m39.341s.

He headed Pramac Yamaha’s Jack Miller, who used a new medium rear to leap up to third late on ahead of early session leader Johann Zarco on the LCR Honda.

KTM’s Pol Espargaro, who is deputising for the injured Maverick Vinales at Tech3, brushed off an early crash at Turn 2 to take an updated RC16 to fifth after a late run on fresh medium rubber.

Franco Morbidelli was sixth on the VR46 Ducati ahead of Honda’s Luca Marini, while team-mate Joan Mir shadowed him in eighth ahead of Acosta and Gresini’s Fermin Aldeguer.

Nicolo Bulega completed 22 laps in his first official session as Marc Marquez’s replacement at the factory Ducati squad.

Impressively, the No.11 - who finished runner-up in this year’s World Superbike season - set his best 1m40.073s on a 21-lap-old medium rear.

Bagnaia continued to evaluate two factory Ducatis as he began the Portugal weekend looking below his best.

He ended FP1 17th on a 1m40.306s.

Trackhouse Aprilia’s Raul Fernandez was 18th after suffering a fast crash at Turn 1 inside the final 20 minutes of the session.

Rain flags were flown at one stage of the session, but there was no significant downpour to disrupt proceedings.

Full 2025 MotoGP Portuguese Grand Prix FP1 results