Francesco Bagnaia has given himself the best possible opportunity to take a fifth straight MotoGP™ win by qualifying on pole position in All Time Lap Record pace at the Gran Premio Animoca Brands de Aragon. Not only did Bagnaia take pole with a 1:46.069, just quicker than Jack Miller in a Ducati Lenovo Team one-two, he is set to start a full row ahead of his key World Championship rivals at MotorLand Aragon. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) came from Q1 to take fourth on the grid, pending a possible visit to stewards, while Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) could only manage sixth.
With so many big names starting Q1, someone was bound to be disappointed and it turned out that Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) would be one of them. He was quickest after the first runs on a 1:46.909 before Zarco went to the top on a 1:46.843 and then Aleix Espargaro usurped both of them with a 1:46.569. The eight-time World Champion was unable to improve and will therefore start 13th, sharing Row 5 with Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) and Di Giannantonio.
Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) had his first crash of the year, the usual front-end wash-out at Turn 2, and is set to start 16th, alongside Alex Marquez (LCR Honda Castrol) and Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda Team). The latter also hit the deck, late in the Q1 session at Turn 5, and the yellow flag which his incident caused would have seen a faster lap from team-mate Marc Marquez, among others, scrubbed off anyway.
The rest of the grid, from 19th onwards, will be Cal Crutchlow (WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP™ Team), Franco Morbidelli (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™), Raul Fernandez (Tech3 KTM Factory Racing), Remy Gardner (Tech3 KTM Factory Racing), and Darryn Binder (WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP™ Team), while Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) has withdrawn from the event due to pain in his right ankle persisting from his crash at the Austria GP.
Warm Up is next on Sunday at 09:40, then the Grand Prix itself lights up Aragon from 14:00 (GMT +2)!
MotoGP™ Q2 Top 10:
1. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) – 1:46.069
2. Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) + 0.090
3. Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) + 0.244
4. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) + 0.521
5. Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) + 0.577
6. Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) + 0.733
7. Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) + 0.783
8. Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) + 0.842
9. Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) + 0.843
10. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) + 0.855
