An all-time MotoGP lap record secured a sensational pole position for Pramac Ducati’s Jorge Martin at Spielberg this afternoon as qualifying for the StyrianGP played out.
Fabio Quartararo’s session topping effort was deleted in the dying seconds due to a track infringement at turn eight, with Pecco Bagnaia sweeping through to claim second as the Frenchman dropped to third. Ducati power dominating the day’s proceedings by locking out four of the top-six positions.
Alex Rins, Pol Espargaro and Miguel Oliveira joined Valentino Rossi in the battle for the top two positions as Q1 fired up at the Red Bull Ring. The Suzuki rider taking first blood with a 1’23.844 as Brad Binder held off Espargaro for the final coveted spot.
Alex Marquez was the next to set his cap at second with his fourth effort before Oliveira swept through to head the times thanks to a 1’23.773.
The final three-minutes saw Rossi circulate on the wheels of Dani Pedrosa as the pair claimed fifth and sixth respectively, the returning Catalan looking to improve on his next lap before losing out in the final sector.
A late effort from Enea Bastianini claimed the spoils with a 1’23.510 before the Avintia’s time was deleted, Alex Marquez left in control as the session concluded with Oliveira holding tight in second. Rins heading Pedrosa and Espargaro on row five for Sunday’s 28-lap race
Jack Miller kicked of the second session with an early 1’24.125 reference before Bagnaia and Maverick Viñales improved with 1’23.9 pace. It was Quartararo, however, who was preparing to strike, a 1’23.259 now the aim.
There was much more to come as Miller fired out a 23.3 to take second, with eight-minutes left to run, Martin continuing his impressive Austrian performance in third as Quartararo pushed his pace to a 23-dead.
Joan Mir sat fourth as the pack returned for fresh tyres, Viñales fifth with Marc Marquez trailing Aleix Espargaro in seventh and eighth. Takaaki Nakagami headed the final Ducati’s of Bagnaia and Johann Zarco with the Q1 promotees rounding out the field.
Bagnaia broke the mid-session lull with a pole-worthy effort on the Desmosedici, the 1’23 barrier still painfully unbroken, just 0.038s away. Martin, however, had the bit between his teeth, a 1’22.994 and a new lap record, the reward.
The Pramac delight looked short-lived as Quartararo delivered a 1’22.958 before the time was deleted. Marquez crashing his Repsol at turn three on his final flying lap and bringing out the yellow flags.
With further progress prevented in the dying seconds, Martin secured the pole from fellow Bologna-man Bagnaia with Quartararo settling for the final spot on the front row, in third. Miller and Zarco continued the Ducati delight in fourth and sixth respectively with Mir splitting the pair in fifth. Espargaro placed his Aprilia in seventh ahead of Marquez and Viñales with the LCR duo of Nakagami and the younger Marquez, and Oliveira completing the top-12.
