par Et comme ce fut déjà le cas en Aragón, l’Italien y devançait Jack Miller et Fabio Quartararo.
Q1
Bastianini et M. Márquez accèdent à la Q2 !
Les deux hommes se seront sauvés à l’issue des repêchages.
Enea Bastianini (Avintia Esponsorama) et Marc Márquez (Repsol Honda Team), crédités des 14e et 19e rangs à l’issue des FP3, étaient contraints de disputer les repêchages : un exercice parfaitement maîtrisé par les deux hommes. Ces derniers rejoindront ainsi les dix retenus d’office pour la Q2.
Franco Morbidelli (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) occupera quant à lui la 16e position sur la grille pour son premier départ sous les couleurs du team Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP. L’Italien aura à ses côtés la première des RC16, celle de Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing).
Valentino Rossi (Petronas Yamaha SRT), victime de sa deuxième chute du jour, fermera la marche en compagnie de son nouveau coéquipier Andrea Dovizioso (Petronas Yamaha SRT).
Q2
Une première ligne identique à celle d’Aragón
Au vu des gros nuages noirs qui se faisaient de plus en plus menaçants, les pilotes du MotoGP™ avaient bien conscience que chaque tour allait avoir son importance. Du coup, pas de temps à perdre ! Mais au bout du compte la pluie finissait par les épargner, au plus grand bonheur de Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team), qui parvenait à boucler un chrono en 1’31.065, pour s’adjuger le nouveau record de la piste à huit millièmes près. Lequel avait été établi la saison passée par un certain Maverick Viñales.
Le Turinois, dernier vainqueur en date, repartait ainsi avec sa deuxième pole consécutive, sa troisième en MotoGP. Et il y avait comme un air de déjà-vu avec Aragón, puisqu’une nouvelle fois Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) s’intercalait entre son coéquipier et Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP).
Quartararo pris en sandwich entre les Ducati
Le Niçois, qui aura tout donné, sera à vrai dire tombé dans son ultime tentative, en négociant le premier virage. Derrière lui, on retrouvera deux autres Desmosedici, celles de Jorge Martín (Pramac Racing) et de Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing). Pol Espargaró (Repsol Honda Team) les accompagnera sur cette deuxième rangée.
Márquez et A.Espargaró également au tapis
Marc Márquez (Repsol Honda Team), parti à la faute alors qu’il suivait Francesco Bagnaia, devra de son côté se contenter d’une septième position. Mais Aleix Espargaró (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) se faisait lui aussi piéger à hauteur de la courbe 15 ; d’où cette discrète huitième place. Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) et Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) complètent le Top 10.
Mir agacé
Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar), seulement 11e sur la grille, aura pour sa part montré quelques gestes d’agacement après être rentré aux box, sans que personne ne soit prêt. Et dans la foulée, le Champion du Monde était contraint de couper son effort, en arrivant dans le secteur où Fabio Quartararo était tombé.
Pour son premier départ sous les couleurs du team Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP, Franco Morbidelli (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) s’élancera quant à lui la 16e, autrement dit devant Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), premier représentant KTM.
Valentino Rossi (Petronas Yamaha SRT) fermera la marche en compagnie de son nouveau coéquipier Andrea Dovizioso (Petronas Yamaha SRT).
English Information
Brilliant Bagnaia blasts his way to successive pôles
Q1
Bastianini, Marc Marquez progress through Q1
The top two were comfortably clear of the chasing field and will now participate in the battle for pole
Enea Bastianini (Avintia Esponsorama) and Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) both progressed through Q1 at the Octo Grand Prix of San Marino with the Italian rookie the fastest rider in the session, thanks to a 1:31.876, leaving him with a 0.153 cushion over the eight-time Champion.
Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) was unfortunate to miss out as a crash cost him dearly while he was on a hot lap and looked to threaten the top two. Hopes that Valentino Rossi would progress dissipated quickly after the Petronas SRT rider hit the deck once again in Misano, and the Doctor will line up 23rd on the grid. It’s not been a good weekend for the KTMs, with Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) compounding their misery with a late crash.
Q2
The Italian put in a blistering lap time to lead a Ducati one-two ahead of title rival Fabio Quartararo in Misano
It’s back-to-back P1 starts for Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) as the Italian secured his third pole position of the year at the Octo Grand Prix of San Marino thanks to a 1:31.065. The number 63 smashed the previous lap record and leads a Bologna bullets one-two, with teammate Jack Miller some 0.249s behind. There was a collector’s item as Championship leader Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) crashed as he attempted to find some speed to catch Bagnaia, but the Frenchman will still line-up on the front row.
How the battle for pole was won
It was an electric start to Q2, with Quartararo flying out of the blocks to attack pole with vigour, though he wasn’t the only one. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) was the first rider to go sub 1:32, but his stint at the top was shortlived as a series of riders got in on the fun, and it eventually culminated in the Championship leader ending the first runs in P1 and just two-tenths off of Maverick Viñales’ (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) 2020 record.
As the second runs began, the excitement was far from over, with riders really beginning to push in order to find those milimeters that make the world of difference. However, not everyone could handle the heat. First to fall was Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) as he tried to keep pace with a rapid Bagnaia, the eight-time Champion washed the front at Turn 9 while he was soon joined in the gravel by Aleix Espargaro, who hit the deck at Turn 15 as he too looked to up his game.
Quartararo’s lead at the top was a slender one, and he was powerless to resist a scorching effort from poleman Bagnaia, who blasted his way to the top of the timesheets with three-tenths to spare. It didn’t take long for Miller to make his mark, making it a Desmosedici one-two and relegating Quartararo to third. As the Frenchman tried to find a response, he tucked the front end and went down at the Turn 1 right hander, which brought out the yellow flags and signaled the end of the session for a whole host of riders. Fortunately for ‘El Diablo’, nobody was able to put a lap together to threaten his front row start as he held on for a 13th front row start of the season.
Who makes up the rest of the top 12 ?
Jorge Martin (Pramac Racing) complained of some pains in his right leg but it didn’t stop him from taking P4 just ahead of Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing), who is also riding through injury as all four GP-21s sit inside the top five. Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda Team) escaped the clutches of the yellow flags from Quartararo’s crash, and his late charge earned him a second row start, while it demoted teammate Marquez to the head of row three.
Aleix Espargaro and Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) will line-up alongside the number 93 while Maverick Viñales did an exceedingly good job to take P10 on just his second weekend riding on the RS-GP. The Spaniard finished ahead of Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) and Q1 graduate Enea Bastianini (Avintia Esponsorama).
The time for talking is over, with the grid now set for the San Marino Grand Prix, with the premier class seeing lights out at 14:00 local time on Saturday afternoon. You can stay up to date with all the action on motogp.com.
