The up-and-down Portimao hosts the Portuguese GP, the penultimate round of the 2025 MotoGP season.
The most important takeaway from the previous round in Malaysia was the good news about Moto3 riders Jose Antonio Rueda and Noah Dettwiler, following their horrifying pre-race incident.
After official updates from their respective teams, the newly-crowned Moto3 champion and Swiss youngster are thankfully in the process of recovering from their injuries.
Now, the paddock can turn its focus to putting on a show at the Algarve circuit, known for its constant change in elevation through each section, hence the feel of a roller coaster.
Alex Marquez arrives on the back of a dominant Malaysian victory, and the rest of the grid are keen to end their seasons in the best way possible.
Who will come out on top in the 2025 Portuguese GP?
What Is There Left to Play For?
With two rounds left, there is not much to play for when it comes to championships in the premier class.
(That being said, Moto2 has a tense battle for the crown between Manu Gonzalez and 2026 LCR Honda-bound Diogo Moreira.)
With the top two places already sealed by the Marquez siblings, the final podium position in the standings is still up for grabs between three riders.
After Pecco Bagnaia retired from Sepang (a very rare rear tyre puncture), Marco Bezzecchi has a five-point lead over his friend and compatriot.
Embed from Getty ImagesAbove: Only five points separate Marco Bezzecchi and Pecco Bagnaia for third place in the championship
Twenty-six points behind Bagnaia, KTM’s Pedro Acosta is the outsider looking to join the Italians’ duel, thanks to his consistency and squeezing as much performance as possible out of his RC16.
One intriguing addition is Marc Marquez‘s injury replacement, the World Superbike runner-up, Nicolo Bulega.
The Italian leader of Ducati’s WSBK charge was given a rare opportunity to deputise for the World Champion in the final two weekends, making his premier class debut.
Embed from Getty ImagesAbove: WSBK vice-champion Nicolo Bulega will deputise for the injured Marc Marquez in the Portuguese GP.
With his brother missing, Alex Marquez is the favourite for back-to-back wins, with the Ducati GP24 that won here last year with Jorge Martin.
But if the later stages of 2025 are any proof, surprise faces at the sharp end are the norm…
A National Hero’s Last Hurrah
This Portuguese GP is also the scene for the final appearance, in front of his home crowd, of national hero Miguel Oliveira as a MotoGP rider.
Motorcycling’s most successful Portuguese is leaving the paddock at the end of the season, moving to the Superbike World Championship as a factory BMW rider.
A five-time race winner in the premier class with KTM, Oliveira’s last few seasons were characterised by ill-timed injuries derailing any momentum he’d create.
Even this final year was rough, with an injury in Argentina (through no fault of his own) hampering his adaptation to the Pramac Yamaha.
Embed from Getty ImagesAbove: Miguel Oliveira will hope to make one last heroic MotoGP ride in front of his home crowd
The time he lost sealed his fate as a premier-class rider, dropping him in favour of the team retaining teammate Jack Miller.
His finest career moment came at this very track in 2020, where he dominated the entire weekend, en route to winning the first-ever MotoGP race in Portimao aboard the Tech 3 KTM.
While replicating that feat is very unlikely, it is bound to be just as emotional a ride for the #88, with hopes of a good final home showing in the premier class.
The Portuguese GP History
The Portuguese Grand Prix first became a fixture in the sport in 1987, albeit in unique circumstances.
Originally set to take place at the Estoril Circuit, the weekend actually took place on Spanish soil, at Jarama, where Eddie Lawson became the first premier class (then 500cc) rider of the GP.
2000 was the year that the country finally hosted its own race, with Estoril ready. It stayed on the calendar until 2012.
Eight years later, MotoGP returned to Portugal at the Portimão circuit, serving as a replacement round due to the COVID-19 pandemic that had swept the world.
Once seen as a one-off return, Portimao returned as a host for two rounds in 2021 (also as the Algarve Grand Prix), and finally became a permanent fixture on the calendar.
The most iconic race on Portuguese soil is undoubtedly the dramatic 2006 race, in which Toni Elias scored his only MotoGP win, beating Valentino Rossi by 0.002 seconds. This margin cost the Italian that year’s world title.
To this day, Elias’ win is the smallest gap of victory in any premier class in history.
Oliveira’s 2020 win is iconic for its home hero success, while the 2024 edition was marked by late drama, including a collision between current Factory Ducati teammates Bagnaia and Marquez.