Espargaro signs his second MotoGP pole in Barcelona with Aprilia

Aleix Espargaro set the tone by dominating three of the four free practice sessions for the Catalan Grand Prix. At home, “Il Capitano” did not tremble as he took a record pole position in front of his fans this Saturday afternoon. This is his second of the season, the second of the Aprilia RS-GP and the fourth of his career in MotoGP.

Winner at Mugello a week earlier, Francesco Bagnaia lost by 31 thousandths but will be Aleix Espargaro's first opponent on the grid. fabio quartararo will complete the first row in third position, after narrowly falling below the 1’39 mark (1’38.959). A positive result for the Nice resident, who said he “felt slow” twenty-four hours earlier. Staying in 1'39 (1'39.027), his French compatriot Johann Zarco will open the second line in fourth place, also finishing as the best satellite driver of the day.

He will have the Ducati of Fabio di Giannantonio, impressive best beginner, and Jorge Martin on his heels. The only Suzuki driver in Q2, Alex Rins will start seventh ahead of Maverick Viñales, making progress with the Aprilia on the Catalan track, and Luca Marini who is starting to build his place in the Top 10. A Top 10 that will be closed by Pol Espargaro, best representative of Honda in the absence of Marc Marquez.

No Q2 for the best rookie in the championship, Marco Bezzecchi, who will start 13th after being beaten by 17 thousandths in Q1. He will be just ahead of his compatriot Enea Bastianini, whose 14th place is the second worst result of the year. In the fight for the title, the Gresini driver will have to work to recover on Sunday, otherwise he will lose precious points again after his fall at Mugello.

Having been in difficulty for several weeks, Joan Mir is not coping and will only show up 17th on the grid, he who has always finished in the top-6 in MotoGP in Barcelona. He will have in front of him the official KTMs of Brad Binder and Miguel Oliveira, fifteenth and sixteenth on a circuit where the RC16 won in 2021.

A week after his first row at Mugello, Marco Bezzecchi got stuck in Q1 for 17 thousandths and will start 13th. He will have on his right the winner of the Grand Prix of Qatar and the Americas, Enea Bastianini (14th), who signs his second worst qualification of the year. These are three positions better than Joan Mir (17th), another loser of the day. A list to which must be added Franco Morbidelli (18th), who had raised some hopes on Friday, and the KTM clan entirely absent from Q2, with Brad Binder (15th) and Miguel Oliveira (16th) as the best representatives.

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