Deniz Oncu will start the 2023 Italian Moto3 round from pole position as anticipated after following through from his dominant Practice pace to prove similarly formidable in qualifying at Mugello.

The Turkish rider was never challenged as he twice bettered his own marker, eventually stopping the clock just shy of a 1m 55secs lap at 1m 56.020s.

That was still good enough to command a huge half-second margin over the opposition, and even then that came from a rider - Joel Kelso - who won't even start Sunday's race alongside him.

Indeed, Oncu's efforts notwithstanding, the big news coming into the session was the ruling from the FIM Stewards that eight riders - among them title contenders - would have to start from the back of the grid, regardless of where they qualify, and serve a long-lap penalty in the race.

They were each punished for irresponsible riding, namely getting in the way by touring around the track slowly trying to pick up a tow from a rival rider. A prevalent issue for Moto3 for some years, the hard punishment is being seen as an example of what could happen as part of a stricter efforts to deter potential offenders.

The eight riders are : Joel Kelso (2nd), Diogo Moreira (4th), Stefano Napa (7th), Xavier Artigas (8th), Ivan Ortola (10th), Vicente Perez (14th), David Salvador (20th).

While the final grid is yet to be communicated, the penalty spells particularly bad news for Moreira and Ortola's title challenge, while Kelso was a big loser too, the Australian coming out of Q1 before going on to set the second fastest time on the CFMoto PruestelGP behind Oncu in the knowledge he'd be demoted.

With the octet removed, Ayumu Sasaki and Daniel Holgado make up the front row alongside Oncu, with Matteo Bertelle up in fourth place, Riccardo Rossi rising from ninth to fifth, while Jaume Masia finds himself in sixth despite a lacklustre afternoon that had him 11th.

Scott Ogden was also a winner from the grid shake-up, his 15th place being transformed into an eighth place start on row three

Italian Moto3, Mugello | Qualifying Results

Saturday | Conditions - Overcast, Dry, Warm

* To start from the back of the grid and must take a long lap penalty in race after stewards punishment for irresponsible riding in Practice