MotoGP Spanish GP: Marc Marquez grabs first Ducati pole in damp qualifying

Having taken a primary entrance row since his swap to Gresini Ducati final trip on the Americas GP, former Honda rider Marquez went one higher in entrance of his house crowd at Jerez on Saturday morning.

Setting the preliminary tempo within the damp Q2 session, a late swap to a medium moist tyre allowed Marquez to supply a 1m46.773s secured him a primary pole since final yr’s Portuguese Grand Prix.

This consequence comes a day after the eight-time world champion instructed media that his adaptation time to the Ducati had “finished”.

Bezzecchi held onto second on his GP23 run by the VR46 squad, whereas championship chief Jorge Martin accomplished the entrance row for Pramac.

KTM’s Brad Binder got here by a moist Q1 to qualify fourth, whereas final yr’s Spanish GP winner Francesco Bagnaia was shuffled all the way down to seventh on his manufacturing unit Ducati.

Whereas the rain that fell throughout the remaining follow session – which was additionally topped by Marc Marquez – had eased by the point Q2 received underway, the monitor was by no means dry sufficient for slicks.

To start with, solely KTM’s Binder – who got here by Q1 with Pramac’s Franco Morbidelli – and the Aprilia duo of Maverick Vinales and Aleix Espargaro opted for the medium moist tyre.

Marquez went prime on the comfortable with a 1m48.016s to start with, earlier than Binder took over with a 1m47.807s.

This pressured most to go along with the medium for his or her second runs, with Tech3 rookie sensation Pedro Acosta setting the timing screens ablaze on the primary flying lap of his second run after his tyre swap.

Over six tenths up on the present session greatest as he got here into the ultimate nook, Acosta crashed after the entrance slid away from him below braking.

With just below three minutes to go, Bezzecchi threw in a 1m47.044s to take over provisional pole however might do nothing to halt Marquez’s cost.

The Gresini rider discovered a 1m46.773s on what would grow to be his remaining flying lap, as Marquez misplaced the entrance finish of his Ducati into Flip 1 seconds later.

Whereas he stayed mounted, he’d run out of time to get a remaining lap in, although it proved educational as he held onto his 93rd profession pole.

Martin, who admitted in parc ferme that he didn’t really feel good within the moist circumstances of third follow, will begin third from Binder and the second VR46 Ducati of Fabio Di Giannantonio.

Alex Marquez jumped as much as sixth late on on his Gresini Ducati, pushing reigning champion Bagnaia all the way down to seventh forward of Morbidelli and Enea Bastianini (Ducati).

Acosta ended up tenth after his late crash, whereas Vinales and Espargaro slid to eleventh and twelfth having switched to the comfortable moist tyre for his or her remaining runs.

Johann Zarco led the Honda cost in thirteenth after narrowly lacking a spot in Q2, with the LCR rider beating Trackhouse Racing’s Miguel Oliveira and the manufacturing unit KTM of Jack Miller.

Miller was late to the circuit in Q1 resulting from a problem for his KTM group becoming his rear wheel, and a scarcity of extra tyres for later within the session meant he might do not more than fifteenth forward of KTM wildcard Dani Pedrosa.

Joan Mir was the main manufacturing unit group Honda rider in twentieth, whereas Yamaha endured a shocker with Fabio Quartararo in twenty third and Alex Rins final.

MotoGP Spanish GP Qualifying Outcomes