The Ducatis seemed to be in more difficulty than usual during the Lusail weekend, but when it was time to get serious they came out great, monopolizing the first two rows of the starting grid for the Qatar Grand Prix.
The curious thing is that in the front row there are only GP22s, with market man Luca Marini, one step away from signing with Honda for next year, who won his second pole position in MotoGP after that of Mandalika, literally pulverizing the primacy of the Qatari route.
The bearer of the Mooney VR46 showed a sensational 1’51″762, beating compatriot Fabio Di Giannantonio by just 67 thousandths, who doesn’t seem like a rider at the end of his adventure in the premier class, but one who has finally reached the peak of his maturation. other things, “Diggia” hadn’t hit the front row since pole at Mugello last year.
After progressing from Q1, Alex Marquez also joined the GP22 party, taking the second Gresini Racing Ducati to third position. And the Spaniard also managed, like the first two, to get below the 1’52” barrier, finishing 136 thousandths of a second from pole.
The two title contenders, Pecco Bagnaia and Jorge Martin, will instead be next to each other on the second line of the grid. The reigning world champion had to deal with the “usual” Marc Marquez who got in his wake, further increasing the pressure. The Piedmontese, however, did not disunite and in the end he posted a 1’52″036 which placed him in fourth position.
Just 22 thousandths further back is the Madrid native of Prima Pramac Racing, who in the first run was slowed down by traffic on his friend Aleix Espargaro’s Aprilia, but on the last lap, alone, he managed to climb up the rankings. Compared to the last weekends, however, he doesn’t seem to be the usual explosive “Martinator” to be considered unbeatable in today’s Sprint.
The Ducati sextet is completed with that of his teammate Johann Zarco, who also passed from Q1, who preceded the first of the “others” who was Marc Marquez himself. Once again, therefore, the eight-time world champion made a big difference compared to the other Hondas, but without the help of Bagnaia he would hardly have achieved his 1’52″103.
After a great Friday, it was reasonable to expect great things from the Aprilias, but the best of the RS-GPs is only in eighth position with Maverick Vinales. The Spaniard was traveling with two “red helmets” until T2, but then he made a mistake and paid a very high price for it. Behind him are the other Aprilias of Raul Fernandez and Aleix Espargaro, with the latter also ending up under investigation for a slap given to Franco Morbidelli in FP2 after a misunderstanding.
It went even worse for the KTMs, because you had to go down to 11th position to find Brad Binder’s RC16, with a delay of over a second. And it’s strange on a track on which he had fought for victory in 2022. The fourth row is then completed with Augusto Fernandez’s GasGas Tech3.
Q1 at Losail was probably one of the tightest in history, with four drivers able to go below the previous track record. It’s a shame, however, that it wasn’t enough for two of these to earn passage to Q2.
An excellent 1’52″504 is only worth 13th place on the grid for the Mooney VR46 Ducati entrusted to Marco Bezzecchi, just as Fabio Quartararo’s 1’52″524 places him only in 14th. All the more reason why the Frenchman from Yamaha will curse the yellow flags that prevented him from entering Q2 directly yesterday. But it must also be said that he wasn’t too smart on a strategic level, given that it was he who offered Alex Marquez the “hook” that took him into the decisive segment of qualifying.
Enea Bastianini was also unlucky, only 15th after last Sunday’s beautiful victory in Sepang. In addition to yesterday’s yellow flags, the Ducati rider today had to deal with the impediment of Iker Lecuona, who was found practically stationary on the trajectory exiting a corner on a lap with which he could have qualified. What is certain is that it is surprising to see a fifth row with these three names.
But those who occupy the sixth are also quite valuable, because Jack Miller’s KTM will open it, which is also the one equipped with all the latest aerodynamic innovations of the RC16. The Australian also complained about the block that Miguel Oliveira’s Aprilia RNF brought him, in turn on the sixth row with the 17th time, just ahead of the other Yamaha of Morbidelli.
With Marc Marquez removed, it is still late at night for the Hondas, who occupy the last three spaces of the starting grid, also behind Pol Espargaro’s GasGas Tech3. Joan Mir will field his RC213V in 20th position, ahead of those of the aforementioned Lecuona, who however clearly risks a penalty, and that of Takaaki Nakagami, who ended up spinning at turn 14.
Q2 ranking
Q1 ranking
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