Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya
Sunday Race Day Guide
- MotoGP Race – 2200 AEST
- Moto2 Race – 2020 AEST
- Moto3 Race – 1900 AEST
Jorge Lorenzo has qualified on pole position for the first time since Valencia in 2016, which is his first pole since joining Ducati. He becomes the first rider to qualify on pole position on both Yamaha and Ducati machinery in the premier class.
Jorge Lorenzo’s pole position is the 66th of his career and he’s now in second place on the list of riders with most pole positions in Grand Prix racing behind Marc Márquez (74). This is his tenth successive front row start at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
After passing through Q1 for the third time since he stepped up to the premier class, Marc Márquez starts from the front row for the third time this year. He will be aiming to become the third rider to win a race after passing through Q1 along with Cal Crutchlow (Phillip Island – 2016) and Jack Miller (Assen – 2016).
Last year’s Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya winner Andrea Dovizioso is in third place on the grid, which is his first front row start since he was also third at Sepang last year.
The last time there were two Ducati riders on the front row was in Austria last year, with Andrea Dovizioso in second place ahead of Jorge Lorenzo.
Heading the second row of the grid is Maverick Viñales, who has had just one podium finish in his last eight starts.
Andrea Iannone is in fifth place on the grid, which is the third successive time he starts from the second row of the grid. This is the best qualifying result by a Suzuki rider at this track since Aleix Espargaró was on pole position in 2015.
Danilo Petrucci, who started from the front row for the first time in his Grand Prix career last year in Barcelona, is in the final spot on the second row as the top Independent Team rider. He crashed out of the race in 2017 at Turn 5 with just two laps remaining.
Valentino Rossi, who has qualified seventh, is the most successful rider across all classes at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya with ten wins: 1 x 125cc, 2 x 250cc, 1 x 500cc and 6 x MotoGP. Each of these wins at this track came from the first two rows of the grid.
Johann Zarco has qualified in eighth place on the grid and starts from the third row for the second successive race. He crossed the line in fifth place last year to finish top Yamaha and lead Independent Team rider.
Tito Rabat completes the third row on the grid, which his best dry-weather qualifying result ahead of his 42nd start in MotoGP.
Dani Pedrosa, who has stood on the podium on his last seven visits to the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, starts from 11th on the grid. That equals his worst qualifying at this track from 2006.
Takaaki Nakagami, who has qualified in 12th place on the grid, is now the second of the five rookies this year to reach Q2 with Franco Morbidelli.
This is the first time that Pol Espargaró, who starts his 200th Grand Prix race, and brother Aleix, have failed to qualify inside the top 12 on the grid at their home circuit in the premier class.
Catalunya MotoGP Qualifying Results
- LORENZO Jorge SPA Ducati Team 1’38.680
- MARQUEZ Marc SPA Repsol Honda Team 0.066
- DOVIZIOSO Andrea ITA Ducati Team 0.243
- VINALES Maverick SPA Movistar Yamaha MotoGP 0.465
- IANNONE Andrea ITA Team Suzuki Ecstar 0.468
- PETRUCCI Danilo ITA Alma Pramac Racing 0.498
- ROSSI Valentino ITA Movistar Yamaha MotoGP 0.586
- ZARCO Johann FRA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 0.651
- RABAT Tito SPA Reale Avintia Racing 0.824
- CRUTCHLOW Cal GBR LCR Honda 0.876
- PEDROSA Dani SPA Repsol Honda Team 1.015
- NAKAGAMI Takaaki JPN LCR Honda 1.208
- MILLER Jack AUS Alma Pramac Racing 1’39.732 (Q1)
- SYAHRIN Hafizh MAL Monster Yamaha Tech 3 0.662
- RINS Alex SPA Team Suzuki Ecstar 0.701
- ESPARGARO Aleix SPA Aprilia Racing Team Gresini 0.793
- ESPARGARO Aleix SPA Aprilia Racing Team Gresini 0.802
- SMITH Bradley GBR Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 0.841
- ESPARGARO Pol SPA Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 0.961
- REDDING Scott GBR Aprilia Racing Team Gresini 1.083
- ABRAHAM Karel CZE Angel Nieto Team 1.232
- BAUTISTA Alvaro SPA Angel Nieto Team 1.307
- KALLIO Mika FIN Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 1.355
- LUTHI Tom SWI EG 0,0 Marc VDS 1.373
- GUINTOLI Sylvain FRA Team Suzuki Ecstar 1.617
- SIMEON Xavier BEL Reale Avintia Racing 2.152
Moto2
Fabio Quartararo starts from pole position for the first time in the Moto2 class. This is the third pole position of his Grand Prix career.
Quartararo (19 years 57 days old) is the second youngest rider to qualify on pole position in the Moto2 class behind Marc Márquez (18 years 114 days old), and the youngest French rider to do so in the intermediate category. He will be aiming to stand on the podium for the first time since he was second in Moto3 at Assen in 2015.
This is the 16th pole position for a French rider since the introduction of the Moto2 class in 2010 and the 72nd in the intermediate category.
This is the first pole position for a rider riding a Speed Up since Sam Lowes at Silverstone back in 2015, and the tenth for Speed Up since the introduction of the Moto2 class in 2010.
Yuki Takahashi in 2010 and Andrea Iannone in 2012 are the only two riders to have won from pole position at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya
Last year’s Moto2 winner Álex Márquez is in second place on the grid, which is his 19th front row start in the class. He will be aiming to win his first race since Japan last year.
Marcel Schrötter, who is scheduled to make his 100th Grand Prix start in the Moto2 class, starts from third on the grid, which is the fourth front row start in his Grand Prix career.
Heading the second row of the grid for the third time this year is Francesco Bagnaia, who crossed the line in 13th place last year.
Brad Binder has qualified in fifth place for the second time this year. He finished in 17th position in his rookie season last year at this track.
Taking the final spot on the second row is Mattia Pasini, who crossed the line second last year at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, but he was later disqualified for a technical infringement.
Moto3
Enea Bastianini has qualified on pole position for the ninth time in his Grand Prix career. He is now third overall in pole positions since the introduction of the Moto3 class in 2012 behind Álex Rins and Jorge Martín.
This is Enea Bastianini’s second pole position at this track after he claimed his first pole position back in 2015. This is also his third front row start at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
Maverick Viñales (2012), Luis Salom (2013) and Álex Márquez (2014), are the three riders to have won from pole position at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
Second on the grid is Jorge Martín, which is his fifth successive front row start of 2018. He crossed the line in third place last year at this track, which was his fifth podium finish at that time.
Tatsuki Suzuki completes the front row on the grid, which is the first back-to-back front row start for a Japanese rider since the introduction of the Moto3 category in 2012.
Heading the second row is Ayumu Sasaki, which is the second successive time he has qualified inside the top six.
Arón Canet has qualified in fifth place on the grid and will be aiming to stand on the podium for the third time this year.
Taking the final place on the second row is Kaito Toba, who is the third Japanese rider in an all-Honda top six.
This highest placed KTM rider is John mcphee, who has qualified in seventh place on the grid. That’s his best qualifying result since he was third in Texas earlier this year.
KTM have only won once in the Moto3 class at this track, which was taken by Luis Salom back in 2013.
