Enea Bastianini will start Round 2 of the 2024 MotoGP World Championship at Portimao from the front of the grid after carrying his form through from Friday for his first pole position since 2022.

The Italian hit the front mid-way through the Q2 session around the Portuguese venue with a 1m 37.706s, enough to withstand a late flyer from Maverick Vinales and Jorge Martin.

A welcome return to form for the Ducati Lenovo Team rider at the start of what he hopes will be a more bountiful season having seen his 2023 MotoGP campaign severely hindered after picking up an injury in a collision with Luca Marini during the last season’s opening round.

His first pole position since the 2022 Austrian MotoGP, Bastianini will lead off Vinales, who flew the flag for the Aprilia on his own in Q2, the Spaniard taking the Aprilia RS-GP up to the front row, less than a tenth shy of his Ducati rival.

Martin completes the front row on the Prima Pramac Ducati, heading off title rival and defending champion Pecco Bagnaia, who heads up Jack Miller on the best of the KTM Factory Racing RC16s and Marco Bezzecchi, who continued to look more comfortable on the Ducati GP23 following his difficult start to the year in Qatar.

Despite failing to make it through to Q2 directly, Pedro Acosta joined Alex Marquez in progressing through from the earlier Q1 session, the Red Bull GasGas Factory Racing Tech 3 Racing rider taking his KTM through to seventh place, joining Marc Marquez and Fabio Quartararo in making up row three.

Brad Binder completed the top ten, ahead df Alex Rins and Alex Marquez, who failed to set a time.

🇵🇹 ⏱️ 2024 Portuguese MotoGP, Portimao | Qualifying Results

Saturday | Conditions - Dry