Marc Marquez continued to dominate proceedings at Aragon to secure yet another MotoGP pole position.
The championship leader was expected to take pole, especially after his unstoppable performance on Friday. He didn’t quite match the pace from yesterday, however he still made it look easy.
His quickest lap-time of 1:47.009 came after tucking in behind Maverick Viñales down the back straight. Marquez already had a comfortable lead before this lap, and the Spaniard pulled out of his next lap. His job for the day was complete.
Marquez will line-up alongside a resilient Fabio Quartararo. The Frenchman was heading for a last-minute pole after the first three sectors. However, the Yamaha’s lack of straight line speed would cost him +0.327s. Viñales completes the front-row as he continues his impressive form for Monster Yamaha.
Jack Miller overcame Ducati’s struggles to qualifying fourth. The Australian is seemingly the only Ducati rider to be able to challenge this weekend.
Aleix Espargaro produced a fantastic performance to secure fifth for Aprilia. He slotted in behind Marquez on his second run and was rewarded for his efforts with a nice tow. Valentino Rossi completes the second-row.
Cal Crutchlow will start from seventh, lining up alongside Franco Morbidelli and Joan Mir. Andrea Dovizioso has struggled all weekend and could only manage 10th. Andrea Iannone secured his best qualifying spot for Aprilia in 11th.
Pol Espargaro was unable to compete in Qualifying 2. The KTM rider suffered a hi-side in Free Practice 4 and reached for his wrist instantly. It has since been confirmed that the wrist is broken and that his weekend is over.
Qualifying 1 – Iannone thankful for the tow
There was a surprise in Qualifying 1 as Iannone made it through to Qualifying 2. The Italian did so by securing a nice tow from the quickest man, Morbidelli. Morbidelli’s fastest time of 1:48.292 was +0.038s quicker that Iannone.
As a result of the above Alex Rins missed out. The Suzuki rider was leading after his first run, however he switched to the hard rear tyre. Unfortunately for him, he was unable to find the speed required.
Takaaki Nakagami wasn’t too far behind the leading duo and was unfortunate not to make it through. He finished just ahead of Danilo Petrucci, who is struggling on the Ducati.
Francesco Bagnaia and Miguel Oliveira will start 16th and 17th respectively. Tito Rabat is next in 18th, ahead of Mika Kallio on the KTM.
Jorge Lorenzo, Hafizh Syahrin, Karel Abraham and Bradley Smith complete the grid.
Qualifying 2 – Marquez makes it look easy
Several riders led the way in the first half of Qualifying 2. Miller, Viñales and Quartararo shared the spoils, until Marquez blew them away with a 1:47.050. That have the reigning champion a +0.785s advantage.
At the end of the first run, Quartararo was the man in second. He was closely followed by Miller and Viñales. Interestingly, Iannone did not go out during the first half of the session.
It would be his team-mate, Aleix Espargaro, who went looking for a tow. He slotted in behind Marquez and moved up to fourth as a result.
Meanwhile, Marquez followed Viñales closely and edged slightly further away from his rivals with a 1:47.009. He knew he was safe and pulled out of his next lap as well.
The only rider who looked like he may cause an upset was Quartararo. The Petronas Yamaha man was fastest through the opening three sectors. However, the Yamaha can not match the Honda down the back straight. As a result, he lost valuable time and slotted into second.
Tomorrow’s race starts at 13:00.
