Ducati’s Pecco Bagnaia secured his second MotoGP pole position in a row, and this time at home, after setting a new circuit record at his beloved Misano.
His Lenovo teammate Jack Miller joined him for another spectacular one-two for the Bologna factory with Fabio Quartararo hanging on to a front row start despite a late session crash, in third.
MotoGP qualifying began with Honda out in force as Marc Marquez led younger brother, Stefan Bradl and Takaaki Nakagami round the 4.2km layout as Q1 got up to speed. The HRC pair initially sitting one and two in the times before Enea Bastianini and Valentino Rossi took over with their first hot lap.
Michele Pirro demoted the Italian hero as the third laps came in before Franky Morbidelli and Marquez arrived, the Yamaha yielding the top spot to Bastianini moments later thanks to a 1’31.876, as the Avintia rider sat four-tenths clear.
There was heartbreak for the Misano fans as Rossi crashed out heavily at turn 15 next time around, ‘The Doctor’ frustrated with the situation as he looked to regroup back in the box.
Nakagami entered the top two as the second runs got going before being immediately displaced by Marquez but there was more in the tank for the LCR man. Brad Binder crashing at turn two with yellow flags causing a distraction, Nakagami doing likewise at turn nine after two red sectors.
Bradl towed the Marquez brothers round as the flag prepared with Bastianini on their tail, the final flyers seeing little by the way of improvements. Pirro claiming fourth from an impressive late push by Luca Marini with elder brother Rossi failing to improve on his earlier time. The Petronas riders finished 13th and 14th as the session concluded with Andrea Dovizioso commencing his return to competition from the back of the grid.
Bastianini and Marquez joined the top 10 as the battle for pole fired up under ominous skies. One half of the track enjoying sunshine and blue while the other delivered incoming dark grey rain clouds.
Joan Mir set the initial reference before home hero Bagnaia moved the goalposts. Quartararo outdoing the pair with a 1’32.097 to sit sevens-tenths clear in the opening minutes. The pace, however, had much more to come as Aleix Espargaro arrived, the first into the 1’31’s before it was instantly bettered, four times in a row. The Frenchman once again took the provisional pole after Bagnaia, Jorge Martin and Marquez all took their shot, 1’31.367 the new benchmark with eight minutes remaining.
The Suzuki’s sat 10th and 11th as the second runs prepared, Maverick Viñales at the back of the top 12 before Bastianini’s top six lap was deleted.
Bagnaia launched his pole challenge with Marquez firmly in tow, Martin running just adrift of the eager pair before the Repsol rider crashed out, Espargaro doing likewise as he too looked to follow the Ducati. Yellow flags once again disrupting the pack’s hot laps.
The Aragòn winner was on fire as he crossed the line, 1’31.065 now the provisional pole with a new Misano circuit record to boot and one minute left on the clock. Miller claimed a Ducati one-two to lock out the head of the front row, Quartararo crashing out in the dying seconds to deny the Yamaha man any further attempt on the standings.
With the chequered flag out, there was little left to challenge, the Frenchman lucky to salvage his front row start for Sunday’s battle. Pramac dominated the second row as Martin headed Johann Zarco in the closing stages, Pol Espargaro taking the final position from his Repsol teammate as Marquez salvaged seventh.
Aprilia and Suzuki spilt the final positions between them as Espargaro led Alex Rins, Viñales and Mir with Bastianini completing the top 12 having been unable to improve.
