eyetime Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich Sunday Guide
Start Time 2200 AEST | Conditions expected to be dry
Marc Márquez has qualified on pole position for the second successive time at the Austrian GP. The Red Bull Ring is the second circuit on the current MotoGP calendar – along with Buriram in Thailand, a track we’re yet to race at – where Marc Márquez has not won in the premier class.
This is the 49th pole position for Marc Márquez on what is his 101st start in the premier class (48.5%), and the 77th of his Grand Prix career.
Andrea Dovizioso starts from second on the grid, which is his first back-to-back front row starts since 2015 (France/Italy).
Andrea Dovizioso has qualified 0.002 second behind Marc Márquez, which is the closest 1–2 in a MotoGP qualifying session since the German GP in 2003 when Jeremy McWilliams qualified 0.002 seconds behind Max Biaggi.
Jorge Lorenzo starts from third on the grid for his fourth front row start of 2018 – one more than his whole 2017 season.
The highest-placed Independent Team rider on the grid is Danilo Petrucci in fourth, which is his best qualifying result since he was second in Germany this year. Petrucci qualified fifth last year at the Red Bull Ring, but he had to retire from the race.
With Dovizioso, Lorenzo and Petrucci, this is the first time there have been three Ducati riders within the top four on the grid in the MotoGP class.
Cal Crutchlow, who finished 15th at the Red Bull Ring in both 2016 and 2017, has qualified in fifth on the grid for the second successive time.
Johann Zarco, who won the Moto2 race at the Austrian GP in 2016, starts from sixth on the grid as the third Independent Team rider but top Yamaha rider. This is his best qualifying result since he was on pole at the French GP this year.
Yamaha riders have not won since Assen last year with Valentino Rossi (20 successive races). The last time Yamaha had a winless streak of more than 20 races was the 22-race sequence including the 15 races of 1997 and the opening seven races of 1998.
Tito Rabat heads the third row on the grid as the fourth Ducati rider, which is his best qualifying result since he was the fourth fastest qualifier at the Argentina GP earlier this year.
Andrea Iannone, who won his only premier class race so far at the Austrian GP in 2016 from pole position, has qualified in eighth for the third successive time.
Dani Pedrosa, who crossed the line in third place last year at the Red Bull Ring, starts from ninth on the grid, which is his best qualifying result since he was second at the Spanish GP in Jerez earlier this year.
Maverick Viñales has qualified in 11th on the grid as the second Yamaha rider, which is his second successive fourth row start.
After going to Q1 for the first time since Phillip Island last year, Valentino Rossi missed Q2 for the first time since the Catalan GP last year and qualified in 14th. This is Rossi’s worst qualifying since he was 15th at Phillip Island in 2016 and his worst in dry-weather conditions since he was also 14th at Indianapolis back in 2011.
This is the second worst qualifying performance of the year for Jack Miller. The 23-year-old will start from 17th on the grid at the circuit where he recorded a DNF last year. Miller still holds down a creditable tenth place in the overall championship standings.
2018 MotoGP Round 11 – Austria – MotoGP Qualifying Results
- MARQUEZ Marc SPA Repsol Honda Team 1’23.241
- DOVIZIOSO Andrea ITA Ducati Team 1’23.243 / 0.002
- LORENZO Jorge SPA Ducati Team 1’23.376 / 0.135
- PETRUCCI Danilo ITA Alma Pramac Racing 1’23.503 / 0.262
- CRUTCHLOW Cal GBR LCR Honda 1’23.812 / 0.571
- ZARCO Johann FRA Monster Yamaha Tech3 1’23.887 / 0.646
- RABAT Tito SPA Reale Avintia Ducati 1’23.922 / 0.681
- IANNONE Andrea ITA Team Suzuki Ecstar 1’24.091 / 0.850
- PEDROSA Dani SPA Repsol Honda Team 1’24.124 / 0.883
- RINS Alex SPA Team Suzuki Ecstar 1’24.227 / 0.986
- VINALES Maverick SPA Movistar Yamaha MotoGP 1’24.284 / 1.043
- BAUTISTA Alvaro SPA Angel Nieto Ducati 1’24.342 / 1.101
- SMITH Bradley GBR Red Bull KTM 1’24.245 Q2
- ROSSI Valentino ITA Movistar Yamaha 1’24.309 / 0.114
- ESPARGARO Aleix SPA Aprilia Racing Gresini 1’24.762 / 0.567
- MORBIDELLI Franco ITA EG Marc VDS Honda 1’24.767 / 0.572
- MILLER Jack AUS Alma Pramac Ducati 1’24.805 / 0.610
- SYAHRIN Hafizh MAL Monster Yamaha Tech3 1’24.834 / 0.639
- SIMEON Xavier BEL Reale Avintia Ducati 1’24.868 / 0.673
- REDDING Scott GBR Aprilia Racing Team Gresini 1’25.067 / 0.872
- NAKAGAMI Takaaki JPN LCR Honda 1’25.178 / 0.983
- LUTHI Tom SWI EG 0,0 Marc VDS Honda 1’25.310 / 1.115
- ABRAHAM Karel CZE Angel Nieto Ducati 1’25.339 / 1.144
MotoGP World Championship Points
1 Marc MARQUEZ Honda SPA 181
2 Valentino ROSSI Yamaha ITA 132
3 Andrea DOVIZIOSO Ducati ITA 113
4 Maverick VIÑALES Yamaha SPA 109
5 Jorge LORENZO Ducati SPA 105
6 Johann ZARCO Yamaha FRA 97
7 Danilo PETRUCCI Ducati ITA 94
8 Cal CRUTCHLOW Honda GBR 90
9 Andrea IANNONE Suzuki ITA 81
10 Jack MILLER Ducati AUS 61
11 Alex RINS Suzuki SPA 58
12 Dani PEDROSA Honda SPA 57
13 Alvaro BAUTISTA Ducati SPA 51
14 Pol ESPARGARO KTM SPA 32
15 Tito RABAT Ducati SPA 30
16 Hafizh SYAHRIN Yamaha MAL 24
17 Franco MORBIDELLI Honda ITA 22
18 Aleix ESPARGARO Aprilia SPA 17
19 Bradley SMITH KTM GBR 13
20 Scott REDDING Aprilia GBR 12
21 Takaaki NAKAGAMI Honda JPN 10
22 Mika KALLIO KTM FIN 6
23 Karel ABRAHAM Ducati CZE
