Catalunya GP: Pole for Morbidelli, Rossi in 3rd position



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Jack Miller and Takaaki Nakagami took the last remaining innings for the decisive second qualifying session of the Catalan GP in Q1 and thus joined the top 10 of the three free practice sessions. The leader of the World Cup, Andrea Dovizioso, was gone and has to hold the starting position 17.

In Q2, Valentino Rossi was the first to stay below the 1:40 mark in 1: 39.851 min, but his Yamaha teammate Maverick Viñales clocked 1: 39.655 min. On the next lap, Franco Morbidelli set a new target time of 1: 39.110 minutes on the Petronas Yamaha.

Meanwhile, Miguel Oliveira crashed at Turn 10, where Fabio Quartararo had already gone too far at the start of the session.

At halftime, official Red Bull KTM rider Pol Espargaró appeared in third place for a short time, but Johann Zarco and Miller pushed him into fifth place – the Australian was second on his only new set of soft tires, 0.115 seconds. behind Morbidelli. The Frenchman was already 0.480 seconds behind with the 2019 Ducati in third place.

Four minutes before the end, Quartararo launched himself in search of his partner and, therefore, pole position. On the first try, however, there were still 0.082 seconds to go.

Red sectors followed in Quartararo, Morbidelli and Rossi, and the 21-year-old Frenchman took the lead in 1: 39.008 minutes. Rossi moved to the front row in third, but there was still a minute left on the clock.

Morbidelli used this to secure his first pole position in the premier class in 1: 38.798 minutes.

Catalunya-GP, MotoGP, Q2:

1. Morbidelli, Yamaha, 1: 38,798 min
2. Quartararo, Yamaha, 1: 39.008
3. Rossi, Yamaha, 1: 39,129
4. Miller, Ducati, 1: 39,225
5. Viñales, Yamaha, 1: 39,371
6. Zarco, Ducati, 1: 39,378
7. Pol Espargaró, KTM, 1: 39.495
8. Mir, Suzuki, 1: 39.628
9. Petrucci, Ducati, 1: 39.641
10. Folder, KTM, 1: 39,659
11. Nakagami, Honda, 1: 39.713
12. Oliveira, KTM, 1: 40,188

The rest of the starting grid:
13. Rins, Suzuki, 1: 39,751
14. Bagnaia, Ducati, 1: 39.777
15. Aleix Espargaró, Aprilia, 1: 39.973
16. Crutchlow, Honda, 1: 39,988
17. Dovizioso, Ducati, 1: 40.109
18. Alex Marquez, Honda, 1: 40,164
19. Lecuona, KTM, 1:40 490
20. Bradl, Honda, 1: 40,721
21. Smith, Aprilia, 1: 40,838
22. Rabat, Ducati, 1: 41,013

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