MotoGP Indonesia - Qualifying: The French in the top 10

Jorge Martin crushed the competition in MotoGP qualifying in Indonesia, beating Marco Bezzecchi by more than half a second. Johann Zarco and Fabio Quartararo shined and locked in a top-10 on the grid.

Published on 28/09/2024 à 05:46

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Martin on pole at Mandalika - Red Bull Content Pool

Free Practice 2:

Free Practice 2 was used for some to prepare for a mandatory passage through Q1, for others, to start Saturday calmly, in order to find the rhythm to maintain in a Sprint which promises to be intense in the Indonesian heat.
In terms of time, Franco Morbidelli finished the session in the lead with a time of 1:30.330. Aleix Espargaro and Marc Marquez completed the top three with two different machines.
Pecco Bagnaia is two tenths behind the leader, in fourth position. The number 1 is just ahead of Jorge Martin who suffered a fall at the start of the session.
fabio quartararo once again signs a solid top-10, just three tenths off the best time. Johann Zarco is close behind him, in eleventh place.

Qualification 1 :

Honda's new aerodynamics definitely seem to suit Johann Zarco, who took the fastest time in Q1 with a time of 1:29.995, ahead of Raul Fernandez.
The Frenchman was slightly helped at the end of the session by a fall by Alex Marquez – who clearly hurt himself – which prevented his rivals from improving. This is a big underperformance for the KTMs. Jack Miller (6th) and Brad Binder (9th), are only four tenths from the lead in this Q1, and are clearly still suffering from the unstable behaviour of the front of their machine.

Qualification 2:

Q2 did not start ideally for Marc Marquez who crashed at turn 15. Going to get his second machine, the n°93 got back on track… only to crash again at turn 10. It was therefore impossible for the Spaniard to set a single time in this session.
Up front, Jorge Martin is merciless with his opponents. The Spaniard knocks out his rivals with a time of 1:29.088, which none can approach to less than five tenths. Marco Bezzecchi completes the top-3 on different machines, which relegates Pecco Bagnaia to fourth place, almost seven tenths behind.
The rookie's performance contrasts with that of the other KTM riders, who were unable to tame their RC16 to gain a few more tenths this Saturday.
The French shine in Q2. Fabio Quartararo is just behind the factory Ducati, a handful of hundredths of a second behind Enea Bastianini. Johann Zarco completes the session in seventh position. A good omen for this weekend as two intense races are being prepared in the heat.