Aragon GP – Qualifying: Marc Marquez sets a new benchmark and takes pole

The Aragon circuit hosts the second day of action this Saturday in MotoGP, under a still clear sky. Before the traditional Qualifying session, the 22 drivers on the grid took part in the last free session of the weekend:

• In terms of time, Marc Marquez once again asserted his dominance over the rest of the field, setting a time of 1:46.607, which placed him 150 seconds ahead of Pedro Acosta and Franco Morbidelli. Pecco Bagnaia had a difficult start to Saturday, reflecting his weekend, while Alex Marquez suffered a dramatic crash at Turn 7, which prevented him from improving at the end of the session.
• The French are having a mixed start to Saturday. While things seem to be moving in the right direction for fabio quartararo, 8th after a frustrating day on Friday, Johann Zarco is only 14th in FP2.
• Joan Mir crashed at Turn 2. While the crash wasn't violent, his machine was badly damaged in the process. As a reminder, Luca Marini and Ai Ogura are both out of this eighth round of the season due to injury.

MotoGP – Aragon GP

The Result of the Qualifications:

Qualification 1:

• After a complicated Friday, the four Yamahas had to make it through Q1 in MotoGP. Given Fabio Quartararo's sudden return to form, the session promised to be thrilling. Iwata's factory machines, ridden by the Frenchman and his teammate, Alex Rins, were quick to show what they were capable of.
• The No. 20 quickly set the benchmark, in 1:47.078. His garage neighbor followed closely behind. He was nevertheless overtaken by Fabio Di Giannantonio, the only Ducati to have failed the day before, at the end of the first rounds of time trials.
• At the end of the session, Fabio Quartararo raised the bar even higher, clocking a time of 1:46.631, half a second faster than the rest. This time, it was Raul Fernandez who responded, with a time of 1:46.711.
• As the chequered flag flew, the 2021 world champion didn't improve, even trailing Fabio Di Giannantonio by 21 thousandths of a second. However, his time allowed him to advance to Q2, thanks to his second place. This suggests a better Saturday than his Friday.

Qualification 2:

• Before the start of Q2, there's no doubt that Marc Marquez is the clear favorite for the session. After dominating all weekend on a circuit he particularly likes for its many left-handers, the #93 now needs to deliver when things count.
• He was also the first to set the benchmark, with a lap of 1:45.986. His brother Alex followed in second place, but was more than two tenths behind.
• Pecco Bagnaia, for his part, is well behind. Behind the two leaders, the KTMs and Fabio Quartararo are therefore in ambush, with a good chance to play.
• With two minutes left in the session, Alex Marquez improved enough to dethrone Marc. He then clocked a time of 1:45.964. Franco Morbidelli was close behind. He also placed himself ahead of the championship leader, who was beginning his final attempt.

Marc Marquez crushes the competition

• Although he was slower than his younger brother in the first two sectors, he really beat his rivals in sectors 3 and 4, which feature numerous complex left-hand turns. He thus put 260 thousandths of a second in the sight of his rivals as he crossed the start/finish line. No one could rival his time of 1:45.704, the new benchmark for the Aragon circuit. Alex Marquez and Franco Morbdelli, his two rivals of the day, completed the top three.
• At the end of the session, Pecco Bagnaia found the necessary weapons to set the fourth fastest time. It was a small consolation for the two-time world champion, who had a complicated weekend. Pedro Acosta and Brad Binder put KTM on the second row.
• Fabio Quartararo finished Qualifying in ninth position, ending his run of three consecutive pole positions. Johann Zarco finished last in Q2, in 12th place.
• Marc Marquez will attempt to defend his pole position for the first time this Saturday, during the Sprint, which will start at 15:00 p.m.

Rankings: MotoTiming