MotoGP Race Lap Record: Marc Marquez, 1:47.639, 2013

Previous MotoGP All Time Lap Record: Danilo Petucci, 1:46.056, 2019

2019 FIM MotoGP World Championship

Autodromo Internazionale Del Mugello

Tuscany, Italy

June 1, 2019

Qualifying Results (all on Michelin tires):

From Qualifying Two:

1. Marc Marquez, Spain (Honda), 1:45.519, New All Time Lap Record

2. Fabio Quartararo, France (Yamaha), 1:45.733

3. Danilo Petrucci, Italy (Ducati), 1:45.881

4. Franco Morbidelli, Italy (Yamaha), 1:45.959

5. Jack Miller, Australia (Ducati), 1:46.029

6. Cal Crutchlow, UK (Honda), 1:46.079

7. Maverick Vinales, Spain (Yamaha), 1:46.181

8. Francesco Bagnaia, Italy (Ducati), 1:46.260

9. Andrea Dovizioso, Italy (Ducati), 1:46.293

10. Takaaki Nakagami, Japan (Honda), 1:46.387

11. Pol Espargaro, Spain (KTM), 1:46.433

12. Michele Pirro, Italy (Ducati), 1:46.638

From Qualifying One:

13. Alex Rins, Spain (Suzuki), 1:46.539

14. Tito Rabat, Spain (Ducati), 1:46.678

15. Aleix Espargaro, Spain (Aprilia), 1:46.899

16. Karel Abraham, Czech Republic (Ducati), 1:47.028

17. Jorge Lorenzo, Spain (Honda), 1:47.135

18. Valentino Rossi, Italy (Yamaha), 1:47.184

19. Johann Zarco, France (KTM), 1:47.394

20. Joan Mir, Spain (Suzuki), 1:47.519

21. Hafizh Syahrin, Malaysia (KTM), 1:48.222

22. Miguel Oliveira, Portugal (KTM), 1:48.235

23. Andrea Iannone, Italy (Aprilia), 1:48.303

More, from a press release issued by Red Bull KTM Tech3:

Fast and flowing Mugello circuit stretches Red Bull KTM Tech3 pair to the limit

Red Bull KTM Tech3’s Hafizh Syahrin and Miguel Oliveira faced a difficult challenge at the Italian circuit today, finishing Qualifying one in P11 and P12, respectively.

Syahrin was using the sunny Saturday to improve his feeling aboard the KTM RC16 at the Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello and did his best time of the weekend during his last lap in Qualifying to hop from 13th to 11th position. Meanwhile, Oliveira was 0.891 seconds quicker in FP4 than on Friday, but was a bit unlucky in the final seconds of Q1. Therefore, the Portuguese MotoGP rookie has to attack from row eight in tomorrow’s 23 laps encounter at 14.00 local time.

Hafizh Syahrin

Position: 21st

Time: 1:48.222

Laps: 7

“Overall, I have to admit, it was a difficult day for us. I tried to do a good lap time and, in the end, it was better, but we are still far from the top. We try to understand how to improve more for tomorrow’s race, where we aim to stay on the wheel of some other riders in order to learn more about our new bike and have a decent race.”

Miguel Oliveira

Position: 22nd

Time: 1:48.235

Laps: 7

“Today after FP4 we had a quite good feeling and pace. Actually, it was the shortest gap we had to the front, so I was pretty positive and going into the Qualifying, obviously on the first run, I couldn’t make a perfect lap. After this, I was waiting for a tow and when I finally got it I crossed the finish line one second down and got the flag. But in any case, this lap was more than half a second faster than my best, although it doesn’t count. Anyway, we’ll see tomorrow, hope to have a good race and learn as much as possible.”

More, from a press release issued by Aprilia Gresini:

MOTOGP QUALIFIERS AT MUGELLO

FIFTH ROW FOR ALEIX ESPARGARÓ AND EIGHTH FOR ANDREA IANNONE

In a qualifying session that had never been so fast, where all the Mugello track records were smashed, Aleix Espargaró also did much better than his times a year ago, also improving his starting position, lapping at 1’46.988 to earn fifth place in Q1 and therefore fifteenth (fifth row) on the starting grid for tomorrow.

Andrea Iannone had to settle for a time of 1’48.303 which stopped him on the eighth row. The race tomorrow will be a difficult one for both where they will have to come back from behind if they want a spot in the top ten, an undertaking which has been well within the potential of the RS-GP in this first part of the season.

ALEIX ESPARGARO’

“I think that getting below the 1’47 mark is a good result for the level we are at today. I certainly can’t be satisfied with the final position, but I did a good lap in a time that nobody has ever done with this bike, so I feel like I did as much as possible.In terms of top speed, we do not have big problems, but we are struggling too much in acceleration. I think I have a bit better race pace than I had at Le Mans, but it will be a very difficult race, with the heat and on a very difficult track.”

ANDREA IANNONE

“We are continuing to try a lot of different configurations and that does not help when you’re trying to find the best performance, especially in qualifiers that are this close right from the start. Yesterday we thought we were on the right path, but evidently we missed something. Starting so far back does not make life easy. It will be a complicated race that we’ll also need to use to better understand the reactions of the RS-GP.”

More, from a press release issued by PETRONAS Yamaha SRT:

Excellent front row for Quartararo at Italian GP

PETRONAS Yamaha SRT rider will start from second on the grid, with Franco Morbidelli fourth.

2nd FABIO QUARTARARO +0.214

4th FRANCO MORBIDELLI +0.440

PETRONAS Yamaha Sepang Racing Team had an excellent Saturday at the Italian GP, with Fabio Quartararo setting the second fastest time in Q2, for a front-row start tomorrow, whilst team-mate Franco Morbidelli claimed fourth for his first home Grand Prix for the team.

Both riders set times in the 1min 45secs, which had not been achieved until this season. A stellar time of 1min 45.733secs allowed Quartararo to reach the front row of the grid for the second time in his short MotoGP career. The young Frenchman showed incredible speed in his two runs during Q2 and was only ousted from pole at the last moment. He was the best placed rookie and independent team rider in the class on Saturday.

It was also a great day for Morbidelli, who shone in front of the Italian fans at Mugello. The PETRONAS Yamaha SRT rider broke the 1min 46secs barrier on his last run with a 1min 45.959secs lap, just 78 thousandths of a second off the front row.

In the morning’s FP3 session, Quartararo improved his time from Friday and sealed his place in Q2, finishing sixth with a time of 1min 46.488secs. Morbidelli took ninth thanks to his 1min 46.518secs lap, allowing him to bypass Q1.

Quartararo was fastest in FP4 – with a 1min 46.799secs time – and Morbidelli was tenth with his 1min 47.457secs lap.

The 23-lap MotoGP Italian Grand Prix – the sixth round of the 2019 season – will get underway at 2pm local time tomorrow.

#21 Franco Morbidelli

“I’m very happy with our performance today; I didn’t expect to be that fast. I had a good feeling in FP4, although not so much in our first time attack in Q2. I felt better in the second run and I was able to set a 1:45.9, which is a good time at this circuit. It’s a good starting position for tomorrow. Tyre management will be very difficult in the race. We have to study the choice of compounds well tonight and we must take care of the tyres very well during the race. I’m eager to race in front of the Italian fans and give them a good result.”

#20 Fabio Quartararo

“It was an incredible qualifying session! When I set a 1:45, I thought it was a very fast lap, but then I was able to repeat it. On my last lap I tried everything but I made some small mistakes. Nevertheless, we managed to finish on the front row. We feel really good with the bike, I’m very happy and our race pace is great. Tyre choice will be critical tomorrow. I love this circuit and I enjoy it a lot on a MotoGP bike. The bike corners very well and I feel very strong. I can’t wait.”

More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki ECSTAR:

UPHILL BATTLE AWAITS RINS AND MIR AFTER DIFFICULT SATURDAY

Alex Rins: 13th – 1:46.539

Joan Mir: 20th – 1:47.519

• Alex Rins narrowly misses out in Q1.

•Joan Mir getting to grips with Mugello ahead of race.

•Team acknowledge mountain to climb on Sunday.

The second day of track action proved challenging for Team SUZUKI ECSTAR. Mugello’s bright start on Saturday morning meant a highly competitive FP3 session, with many riders battling it out for direct passage to Q2. An early crash for Alex Rins at Turn 11 (Palagio) cost the Spaniard dearly, although he was luckily uninjured. The session was also tough for rookie, Joan Mir, who is still learning this very technical track, he finished 20th.

The team searched for improvements in the 30-minute FP4 session, keen to prepare an attack in Q1. Alex shot into 3rd place with a few minutes to go and closed the session in a decent 4th place.

Both Rins and Mir headed out for qualifying with the hard-soft tyre combination, and they quickly slotted in to 2nd and 5th places respectively. Joan tried hard to find his rhythm, but he will start from 20th on the grid. Alex held onto this 2nd place – which would have promoted him to Q2 – until the final seconds of the session, when he just missed a last flying lap, pushing him to 3rd in the session and 13th on the grid for tomorrow’s race.

Davide Brivio – Team Manager

“This morning was difficult because Alex’s crash made the whole session more complicated. Then, in FP4, we found a good feeling again and we think our race pace is quite good. Alex was very close to getting into Q2, but unfortunately it didn’t work out. Despite the starting position, he has a strong enough pace to make up a lot of places tomorrow. Joan did a good lap right at the end of Q1, and he is learning in every session, the race will be tough for him from that position – but we know he will give his best.”

Alex Rins

“I lost some confidence after my crash, but I recovered it in the later sessions. For the final lap of Q1, I exited the pits at the same time as Rossi, he was behind me on the time sheets and I thought he would be pushing, so I intended to stay behind him on the track as it’s always easier here with a tow. But in the end the lap got messed up and I just lost out on Q2. Tomorrow I’ll try to put together a good race, there are many competitive riders at the front, and I’ll push hard to be up with them.”

Joan Mir

“Qualifying was tough, I couldn’t manage to do a fast lap. I was trying to improve my lap time, but I was in a big group and I didn’t see the chequered flag, which was a shame because I felt I had good pace at the end of the session. It will be interesting to start this Italian Grand Prix from 20th place, I think it will still be a nice race because I feel that I’ll be able to get into a rhythm tomorrow. We’ll see what happens!”

More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda:

 Marquez shatters lap record for Gran Premio D’Italia Oakley pole

Blistering pace under the Tuscan sun saw Marc Marquez take his fourth pole of 2019 as Lorenzo prepares for a comeback from 17th on the grid.

Having finished third fastest in both Free Practice 3 and Free Practice 4, Marc Marquez headed into Q2 confident of challenging for at least a front-row start. A busy session saw Marquez working hard for track position during his first run, setting a best time of 1’46.291 before a perfectly planned and executed second run had the reigning World Champion take his fourth pole of 2019.

Marquez’s 1’45.519 is a new lap record at the Mugello Circuit, Marquez one of only four riders ever to complete a 1’45 lap. This is Marquez’s second premier class pole in Mugello, his first coming in 2014 when he took six straight pole positions.

Saving fresh tyres for Saturday looked to pay off for Jorge Lorenzo in Free Practice 3, immediately able to go a full second faster as soon as a fresh rear was fitted. Eventually setting a 1’46.893, Lorenzo finished the session 12th. He continued to work on his pace for the race throughout Free Practice 4 and spent the session lapping consistently. Unable to improve his time as he had in FP3, Lorenzo will start 17th on the grid with a 1’47.135.

The Gran Premio D’Italia Oakley is scheduled for 14:00 local time on Sunday, June 01.

Marc Marquez

1ST 1’45.519

“It was a difficult Qualifying because it was different to other races and a bit hard to find space. With the first tyre I was ready to attack straight away but then Dovi slowed down so I overtook him and I lost some time there. Pirro was also trying to follow me for the slipstream so tactics were needed. With the second tyre we just followed our strategy and I found a good space with slipstream and I calculated the space to Dovi perfectly. The pole position is important but the most important part is being on the front row. There are a lot of opponents for tomorrow’s race!”

Jorge Lorenzo

17TH 1’47.135

“We tried to improve the bike but we’re still missing that last piece or step and I’m struggling more than normal. Honda and myself are working hard together to find a solution to make me more comfortable on the bike but of course the rules limit what we can do. Tomorrow we will see what happens at this physical track.”

More, from a press release issued by Mission Winnow Ducati:

Petrucci, 3rd in qualifying practice at Mugello, will start the Italian GP from first row. Dovizioso 9th, Pirro 12th

The Mission Winnow Ducati team resumed action today at Mugello Circuit for the Italian Gran Prix qualifiers. In sunny conditions, with 26 degrees in the atmosphere and almost 50 on the tarmac, Danilo Petrucci seized first row for the second time after Le Mans posting the third-fastest time in Q2 with a 1:45.881, while Andrea Dovizioso will start from third row in ninth position with a personal best of 1:46.293.

After gaining direct access to Q2 posting the fastest time in FP3 in the morning with a new (provisional) best lap of the track in 1:46.056, Petrucci then improved by two more tenths of a second in the second and decisive session, missing pole position by just 0.362 seconds. Dovizioso also made strides after facing some issues in the morning, progressively posting quicker lap times and improving the feeling with the Desmosedici GP to finish Q1 in first position before taking ninth place on the grid in the final session. Michele Pirro, on track as a wild-card with a third Desmosedici GP fielded by the Mission Winnow Ducati team, brilliantly passed Q1 just behind Dovizioso then finished Q2 in 12th position.

Danilo Petrucci (#9 Mission Winnow Ducati) – 1:45.881 (3rd)

“I’m very happy for this first row, because it was really important for us to make the most of our potential even during qualifying after posting the provisional new best lap in the morning. Before going out on track for Q2, my goal was to do a 1:45.8 and take first row, which is what actually happened, even though someone was able to do slightly better. I expect a tough race tomorrow, because I’m still not 100 percent fit due to a cold. After some laps I feel fatigued, but our pace seems competitive and the support of all the ducatisti in the grandstands will surely give me extra energy. It’ll be crucial to have a good start, then we’ll try to play our cards wisely.”

Andrea Dovizioso (#04 Mission Winnow Ducati) – 1:46.293 (9th)

“We’re competitive in terms of race pace but unfortunately today we struggled on the single lap, which slightly complicated our plans but also helped us understand how to improve the setup of my Desmosedici GP during FP4, as shown by the good lap time posted to get through Q1. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to push to the limit in Q2 because of the traffic, which made it very difficult to put a clean lap together even though second row was within our reach. Tomorrow we’ll have to recover positions and keep a strong pace from the very start. Given the track conditions, it’ll be crucial to pick the right tyres for the race, then we’ll be able to fight.”

Michele Pirro (#51 Mission Winnow Ducati) – 1:46.638 (12th)

“I’m quite happy because I was able to do a 1:46.2 in Q1, which is my personal best here at Mugello, and both Dovizioso and I were able to make it through and be in Q2, preceding some tough rivals. Unfortunately, in Q2, the ‘waiting’ game with other riders made me lose a bit of focus and I wasn’t able to post a really quick lap time as I made some mistakes. I’m sorry because, with two new soft rear tyres, I could have possibly posted a high 1:45 and start much closer to the front, but I’m also confident ahead of the race and I hope all Ducati riders can be in the mix. We all work together to be protagonists here at Mugello.”

The Mission Winnow Ducati team will take it back to the track tomorrow, June 2nd, at 09:40 for a warm-up session ahead of the race, which is scheduled to start at 14:00 local time (CET).

More, from a press release issued by Pramac Racing:

 #ItalianGP Quali. Precious second row for Jack. Best qualifying in MotoGP for Pecco who will start from P8

FP3 (Practice Conditions: Dry – Air 23°. Ground 34°)

P5 Jack Miller (1’46.478, + 0.422 from P1)

Jack seems to be in great shape and easily gains direct access to Q2 by setting the best overall time in T1

P10 Francesco Bagnaia (1’46.713, +0.657 from P1)

The super laptime set in FP2 would have served Pecco to qualify directly to Q2. The Italian rider improves in the FP3 but the feeling with the bike is not that of Friday.

FP4 (Practice Conditions: Dry – Air 25°. Ground 45°)

P5 Jack Miller (1’47.266, +0.467 from P1)

The race pace is extremely convincing.

P14 Francesco Bagnaia (1’47.817, +0.360 from Top 10, +1.018 from P1)

Pecco’s race pace is also incisive and is in line with the Top 10 group.

Q2 (Practice Conditions: Dry – Air 26°. Ground 47°)

P5 Jack Miller (1’46.029, +0.510 from P1)

Jack gets a valuable fifth place after lapping alone in a very convincing way in the second run.

P8 Francesco Bagnaia (1’46.260, +0.741 from P1)

Pecco wins the best grid position in his MotoGP career. He will start between Vinales and Dovizioso, seventh and ninth respectively.

P8 – Pecco Bagnaia

“We are improving and this is a very important fact. I really enjoyed the set up we did. The goal is to finish the race and try to take the Top 10. I can say that we are competitive and for tomorrow there is a lot of confidence”.

P5 – Jack Miller

“I am quite satisfied also because the race pace is positive. We have also worked hard on the tyres and we have taken important data in view of tomorrow’s choice. In qualifying I was expecting a bit more but the second row is not bad”.

More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda Castrol:

CRUTCHLOW SECURES SECOND ROW START FOR ITALIAN GP

LCR Honda CASTROL Team’s Cal Crutchlow will start from the second row of the grid after making excellent progress throughout the Italian Grand Prix weekend. The British rider had felt improvements were needed after the first day of practice, and seemingly he and the crew made the necessary steps forward to give him a fighting chance of success in Sunday’s 23-lap race.

Crutchlow went straight through to the Qualifying 2 final, despite a small crash during the morning free practice session. He then put in an excellent lap time during the 15-minute shootout, despite being unable to take advantage from a slipstream as some of his rivals were able.

Cal Crutchlow – 6th

(1’46.079 – lap 7 of 7)

“I feel good actually and definitely a lot better than I did yesterday. We decided to focus our work on one bike and one setting which was good, because we could adjust small things from there. I wanted to be a bit quicker, and down into the 1’45s because that would have been there. We’re half a second behind Marquez in qualifying, but with the tow he got he probably picked up four-tenths, so we’re right there.”

“I’m quite pleased with my qualifying lap because I did it all alone and it felt good. We threw everything at it with the package we have, which hasn’t felt the best. We’re working hard and the LCR Honda CASTROL team are working great, getting the information we need to improve the bike. Overall, it’s good. It’s probably going to be a tyre war tomorrow, and hopefully we’ll make the right choices.”

More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda Idemitsu:

NAKAGAMI LOOKING STRONG FOR ITALIAN GP

Taka Nakagami was in a positive mood after qualifying at the Italian Grand Prix, a very important race for his LCR Honda IDEMITSU squad. The Japanese rider was fourth fastest in the morning free practice session, securing his placing in the qualifying final, before claiming a tenth-place grid position for Sunday’s 23-lap race.

Nakagami’s smooth style has looked perfectly at home around the undulations of the beautiful Mugello circuit, and if not for a slight glitch in the final corner of his fastest lap, he could well have been much higher up the grid. Given the pace he has shown through practice, Taka is confident of making forward progress in the race and adding yet another top-ten finish to his collection this season.

Takaaki Nakagami – 10th

(1’46.378 – lap 7 of 7)

“Of course I’m really happy about the second day today because we have improved a lot from yesterday. During qualifying I was a little bit disappointed with what happened in sector four on the last lap. I hit the bumps and couldn’t hold on to the bike, so I lost a bit of time. Despite this, I was still able to improve on my best lap of the weekend.”

“I’m a bit disappointed to drop to tenth on the grid, which is the fourth row. On the other hand, I’m really happy with my feeling on the bike. I am strong, especially in the middle two sectors on the track and everything is working well on the bike.”

“For the race the tyre situation is quite clear for us, and so hopefully we will get a good start. I might not be fastest in terms of top speed, but I think we can be strong in the whole race. The main thing is not to give up, and I will do my best to bring home a good result for my LCR Honda IDEMITSU Team”.

More, from a press release issued by Monster Energy Yamaha:

THIRD AND SIXTH ROW START FOR MONSTER ENERGY YAMAHA AT MUGELLO

Scarperia (Italy), 1st June 2019

GRAND PRIX OF ITALY

QUALIFYING

Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP’s Maverick Viñales and Valentino Rossi improved their feeling at the Autodromo del Mugello on Day 2 but struggled to make the results materialise during qualifying. They will start tomorrow‘s Gran Premio d‘Italia Oakley from 7th and 18th place respectively on the grid.

7th MAVERICK VIÑALES 1’46.181 / 7 LAPS

18th VALENTINO ROSSI 1’47.184 / 6 LAPS

Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP’s Maverick Viñales put up a fight in a hot Q2 and secured 7th place on the grid for tomorrow‘s Gran Premio d‘Italia Oakley. Valentino Rossi aimed to battle his way through Q1 after finishing outside the combined top-10 results in this morning’s FP3 session, but couldn’t find the pace he was looking for. He will be starting the race from 18th position.

Viñales showed he had a strong pace, especially in sectors 1-3. He was keen on putting his agility to good use in the Q2 session and immediately positioned his YZR-M1 in fourth place on his first flying lap. He was pushed down a couple of positions soon after, but only briefly, as he responded by clocking a 1‘46.181s to take second place.

With more than six minutes remaining he was back in the pit box for a fresh set of tyres. There was a 0.336s-gap to bridge to snatch pole, so the Spaniard set out to give it another go. When he didn‘t improve on his next try, he was lying in fifth place. He gritted his teeth and set three personal best sectors but again couldn‘t better his time, taking seventh on the grid for tomorrow’s race, 0.662s from first.

Rossi had to contest in Q1, after only just missing out on a place inside the top-10 in this morning‘s FP3 session. The local hero let the majority of the riders go out ahead of him and also held back on his first flyer, so he had plenty of clear space on track to put in a hot lap on his second attempt, moving up from 11th to 7th.

The Doctor hurried into the pits with seven minutes on the clock. Two minutes later he was back on the track and after his sighting lap he, in theory, had just enough time left for two more tries. However, the Italian wasn‘t able to improve his time on his next go and just fractionally missed the opportunity to get another lap in. With other riders completing their final laps, he was pushed back to eighth place. He finished 0.906s off the fastest Q1 time and will start tomorrow‘s race from P18 on the grid.

MASSIMO MEREGALLI

TEAM DIRECTOR

“Today didn‘t play out the way we wanted it to. We made some small steps in the morning. Maverick promoted to Q2 without too much trouble, but at the end of FP3 it became clear that Vale would have to join Q1 because of an issue in the last corner, which ultimately proved very costly for him today. Valentino struggled to set the pace required to get into Q2 and, unfortunately, in the end the strategy he chose didn’t work out. Maverick showed competitive lap times in his first stint of Q2, but he couldn’t push the way he wanted to on the second run. Most likely the hard front tyre would have been the better option for him in qualifying. The team will be working hard all night to find a solution that we can test in tomorrow‘s Warm Up. Starting from row three and six is very difficult, so the start of the race will be crucial. Both riders will be pushing early on to battle their way up the order.”

MAVERICK VIÑALES

“My pace is really good, but starting from seventh is always very difficult, very tough. We’re going to try to make a good start and ride some good first laps, which we have been working really hard on this weekend. Anyway, the race is always different, so then we will see where we are. The bike is moving a lot, I’m fighting it every lap. But anyway, luckily I’m physically really fit. I think I can arrive at the end of the race in a good condition. It’s going to be a tough and long race, with many bikes and overtakes, so we have to be smart and also manage the tyres.”

VALENTINO ROSSI

“This morning was quite a good practice. At the end I was on a good lap to get inside the top-10, but unfortunately I made a mistake in the last corner, and after that I had to go to Q1. In the afternoon, in FP4, I used a used tyre but, sincerely, I wasn’t very fast, so that’s when I realised it would be difficult to try to get into Q2. In Q1 we waited a bit and I took the chequered flag at the end. But anyway, I was too slow to get into Q2, unfortunately. Tomorrow we will try something different, because today – though we already improved the pace a lot compared to yesterday – it’s not enough. So in tomorrow’s Warm Up it will be very interesting to try to find something better. After that, the race will be hard, because I will start far towards the back and my pace is not fantastic. We need to stay concentrated, give the maximum, and try to take some points.”

More, from a press release issued by Red Bull KTM:

PACE AND POTENTIAL CONTINUES AT MUGELLO WITH ESPARGARO 11TH ON THE MOTOGP GRID

MotoGP 2019 – Round 6, Mugello (ITA)

Red Bull KTM maintained their exciting level of competitiveness in MotoGP and around the demanding fast layout of the Autodromo Internazionali del Mugello as Pol Espargaro took his KTM RC16 to 11th place in the Q2 Qualification session today for the Gran Premio D’Italia Oakley.

Still buoyed after 6th position from round five of nineteen at Le Mans two weeks ago, Red Bull KTM travelled to Mugello and the wonderfully scenic and challenging course a short distance north of Florence. Largely unaltered in design since the circuit first appeared in Grand Prix back in the mid 1970s, Mugello was a different prospect altogether compared to the heavy braking zones and tighter corners at the French venue.

Pol Espargaro was immediately on the clock from the first Free Practice sessions on Friday, already dipping into the 1min 46 bracket to vie for direct Q2 selection. Team-mate Johann Zarco also approached the top ten, split by fractions of the second as he took 12th. On Saturday Pol roared out of the pitbox to set the second fastest time in FP3; achieved with a lap almost two seconds better than the effort he managed in 2018 and thus representing fantastic progress.

As Zarco pushed in Q1 he unfortunately crashed in the third sector of a flying lap and rested 19th. Meanwhile Espargaro was able to wait until Q2 (the second time in six rounds he was able to enter the chrono) where he used his last flying lap of the fifteen-minute session to log a 1min46.4 and end the day in 11th.

Red Bull KTM Tech3 pairing Hafizh Syahrin and Miguel Oliveira will occupy 21st and 22nd positions respectively. The Portuguese misjudged the remaing time in Q1 to further improve his ranking.

Pol Espargaro: “I’m more than satisfied. The lap-time we did this morning was outstanding and I feel super-proud of what we are doing. I wanted to do better in the afternoon but if there is a small change then we pay for it quite hard. It was quite windy in some parts of the track in the afternoon and with the change of direction I could not move the bike. I was hitting T1 even faster than the morning lap but I was losing it through T2, 3, 4: more than four tenths of a second there. Honestly though I am super-happy and looking forward to tomorrow because I think we have better pace than what we are showing. It will be a fun race.”

Johann Zarco: “I tried to adapt myself as much as possible to the bike to use different lines and different places to brake and open the throttle – because this is what I have to do. Pol is going very well this morning and this means he has good confidence and this is possible on the bike and I am trying to change myself to do it. I need to learn and keep pushing for the race.”

Hafizh Syahrin: “I tried to do a good lap time and, in the end, it was better but we are still far from the top. We try to understand how to improve more for tomorrow, where we aim to stay on the wheel of some other riders in order to learn more about our new bike and have a decent race.”

Miguel Oliveira: “Today after FP4 we had a quite good feeling and pace. Actually, it was the shortest gap we had to the front, so I was pretty positive and going into the Qualifying, obviously on the first run, I couldn’t make a perfect lap. After this, I was waiting for a tow and when I finally got it I crossed the finish line one second down. This lap was more than half a second faster than my best, although it doesn’t count! Anyway, we’ll see tomorrow, we hope to have a good race and learn as much as possible.”

Moto2 & Moto3

Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Jorge Martin came through the Q1 period to take 12th place in Moto2 while teammate Brad Binder missed the qualification cut and will start from the seventh row in 19th spot. Former Moto3 Grand Prix winner at Mugello, Andrea Migno, was the highest KTM rider with 4th position after the Moto3 Q2 period. The Italian will line-up behind Lorenzo Dalla Porta, Gabriel Rodrigo and Polesitter Tony Arbolino for what will be the first race of the day tomorrow.

More, from a press release issued by Dorna:

Reigning Champion vs rookie: Marquez snatches pole from Quartararo at Mugello

The number 93 takes a last dash pole in enemy territory as fast Fabio once again unleashes some serious speed

Saturday, 01 June 2019

Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) played qualifying to perfection in the Gran Premio d’Italia Oakley as the reigning Champion struck late to take his second pole position at Mugello and reassert some authority over ever-impressive rookie Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT), setting a new lap record in the process. Nevertheless, Frenchman Quartararo will start his first premier class race at Mugello from second as both top Yamaha and top Independent Team rider, with Danilo Petrucci (Mission Winnow Ducati) completing the front row and flying the tricolore after a difficult day for a couple of his compatriots on home turf.

It was a star-studded Q1 to begin deciding the grid, with Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP), Andrea Dovizioso (Mission Winnow Ducati) and Jorge Lorenzo (Repsol Honda Team) all fighting it out to move through, and it was a nail-biter of a finale – for Dovizioso at least. On his final flying lap it was all or nothing for the 2017 Mugello winner, but he made it count to top wildcard and teammate Michele Pirro by just thousandths – knocking out Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar), who therefore starts 13th. But that’s better reading than it is for Lorenzo and Rossi, who line up in P17 and P18 respectively after not making it out of Q1 – 13 premier class wins at Mugello on Row 6.

In Q2 then, Dovizioso had another shot – but it was Marquez who was back in the driving seat. After getting followed by Pirro the reigning Champion decided to turn the tables on Ducati in the latter half of the session and actually followed key rival Dovizioso on what would turn out to be his record-breaking pole lap – getting a good tow from the Borgo Panigale machine as the flag came out and able to depose Quartararo. The Frenchman topped FP4 but couldn’t quite eke out those final two tenths, and he didn’t get a tow to the line…

Petrucci then is the sole home hero on the front row, and he’s had some serious pace all weekend. Searching for his first win and with previous podium experience at the venue, he could be one to watch and will be joining Quartararo on the mission to overtake Marquez off the line and convert pace into podium.

Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) heads an all-Independent Team Row 2 ahead of Jack Miller (Pramac Racing) and Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol), with Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) in P7 and Friday’s fastest, rookie Francesco Bagnaia (Pramac Racing), having a solid qualifying in P8 – just ahead of Dovizioso, who enjoyed a less solid day at the office. ‘DesmoDovi’ will need quite a start to try and get in the fight at the front from the off on Sunday – and it’s his 300th Grand Prix.

Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) locks out the top ten, ahead of Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) after another automatic graduation to Q2 for the impressive Spaniard. Pirro slots into 12th as he starts his 100th GP, just ahead of the aforementioned Rins – one of many big names looking to launch forward quick style when the lights go out.

Mugello is always an incredible event, but with such a tantalising grid and a mix of searing ambition and veteran experience on every row, 2019 will surely be something special. Don’t miss the premier class race at 14:00 local time (GMT+2).