Riders reflect on MotoGP qualifying from Qatar

2021 MotoGP Round One Qualifying

Rider Qualifying Quotes

Francesco Bagnaia – P1

“I feel comfortable with the Desmosedici GP, and I’m pleased with the work we were able to do today. Starting on pole position in tomorrow’s race is a great way to begin this new chapter of my career with the Ducati Lenovo Team. However, I’m not particularly satisfied with the result obtained in the FP4 session, but I think that’s entirely due to a wrong tyre choice. I’m sure that we will be strong and fast tomorrow in the race. It will be crucial to have a consistent pace from start to finish”.

Fabio Quartararo – P2

“It‘s a shame that I couldn‘t do a second flying lap on my second run – I took the chequered flag by a second. But I‘m still quite happy. We did a great lap. In FP4 we tried something that I didn‘t like. I didn‘t feel good on the bike, but I feel like we have great potential for tomorrow. We will be using the qualifying bike, because that‘s the one I feel good on. I think we did a great job in qualifying. All that remains is the race. I can‘t wait!”

Maverick Vinales – P3

“I‘m really happy because our objective was to be on the front row. On the last lap there was a lot of dust in Turn 1, so I didn‘t push the way I wanted, but in the end I rode a 1‘53.0s that I‘m quite happy about. The bike was working amazing this evening. I enjoyed the bike a lot in FP4, and I was riding well. But I think there are still some things that we can improve. I‘m happy that overall we are fast. This is good for us, and I just want to congratulate the team that in the end we have found a good bike and that we are ready for tomorrow.”

Valentino Rossi – P4

“I’m very happy and it’s a great way to start the season, because I did a very good lap. The second set of tyres had very good grip and the lap time is fantastic. It’s a little bit of a shame to start behind the front row, but P4 for tomorrow will be very important and I’m happy with this. I think during the weekend we have worked very well, yesterday we were able to stay inside the top-ten, but today we struggled a little bit in FP3 and FP4 with the tyres. It looks like the conditions will be different and difficult for the race because we expect strong winds, which can put a lot of sand onto the track. We hope we have good conditions for a good race though.”

Jack Miller – P5

“I’m pretty happy with my performance in qualifying: I went under the previous circuit record again, and I’ll start from the second row with the fifth fastest time. Unfortunately, in my second outing with the soft tyres, I took some risks and made a few mistakes. We’ll see what the track conditions will be like in the race: the forecast says it will be a lot windier, and the presence of sand on the track will mean faster tyre wear. In any case, I feel I’m ready, and I’m looking forward to the first GP of the season”.

Johann Zarco – P6

“I am very pleased with this day, sixth place is a very good position to start tomorrow. I’m happy for Pecco who did an impressive lap and this will motivate me even more to do better. I know we have a chance to do a very good race, i will do my best tomorrow.”

Franco Morbidelli – P7

“I was hoping for something better but it was a difficult qualifying because I didn’t have the speed for a good time attack, even though I had a good pace in FP4. I tried anyway and I think I could have done a little bit better, but unfortunately I didn’t cross the finish line in time for a second time attack. It looks like we are missing some speed in the evening, so for tomorrow we will try to balance our performance across the day and night. The start of the race is going to be important to try and gain position in the early laps, but we also know there is tyre degradation so we should not see the very fast laps at the beginning.”

Aleix Espargaro – P8

“I can confirm what I said yesterday in terms of feeling with the bike. I’m having fun riding the new RS-GP and I believe in its potential. We may still have some limits in qualifying. I did some very good laps without mistakes, but it wasn’t enough for a spot on the second row. Race strategies will be fundamental. Today we saw some incredible times, but tomorrow in the final laps, race pace will go up quite a bit. We’ll see how this will translate for us. Today we did a few long runs, but this bike’s true potential is still unknown.”

Alex Rins – P9

“Today was a good day, and in FP4 I was able to do a good pace even with a lot of laps on the tyre. I’m feeling quite happy with the first qualifying of the season, because I improved my lap time compared with FP3. I gave my all and that was important, so I’ll keep pushing for tomorrow and let’s see what we can do!”

Joan Mir – P10

“We improved a little bit today in terms of race pace, but I’m not happy with how my qualifying went. I tried my best, but the more I pushed the worse I felt, so we still need to improve more. We’re not too far off, but we’re missing a few tenths. Anyway, I feel confident that tomorrow I can have a good race, especially as we’ve started in lower positions in the past and done well. I was a bit disappointed after qualifying, but I’m really looking forward to racing now.”

Takaaki Nakagami – P11

“Today we made quite a big step from yesterday so I’m quite happy about that. It was a tough qualifying session in Q1, I tried my best and with my last lap in the last minute I made quite a good lap time, 53.5, which is my best time here, so that’s really positive. We made a good adjustment from yesterday, the feeling on the bike was good especially in FP4 which is the race pace, so that’s the most important thing for this weekend. I’m quite happy and confident for tomorrow and always I’ll do my best until the end and if we can keep 54 lap times it means we’ll have a chance to get a great result. So hopefully we can make a good start and not make any mistakes.”

Pol Espargaro – P12

“At the end our feeling was good but during the day we were looking for solutions, this is can happen when you are still new to a bike. FP4 was not a good session and we were working on stopping the bike better. But we reset, tomorrow we go again no matter what and we fight. I think we can be there in the race. It was not a good day today, but I feel ready for a good race. We need to have a good Warm Up, but I have the feeling it will be a good race and I am going to go for it.”

Enea Bastianini – P13

“Today was my first classification, I didn’t quite know what I would be able to do. In the end I got a good time, unfortunately for only 5 mili, I could not pass on to Q2, I tried until the end. I am very happy with all the work the team has done inside the Box. The bike was fantastic. Tomorrow I’ll be 100% to be in the Top 10.”

 Jorge Martín – P14

“I am happy and satisfied, my goal for now is to improve as much as possible and to get more and more confident with the bike. I have a good pace and I improved since yesterday, at the end I was missing some experience but that will come with time. On the last lap of the second run I was pushing hard and unfortunately I crashed but I’m happy with how the day went. Tomorrow is my first race and I’m going to give it my all.”

Miguel Oliveira – P15

“The starting position is a bit far from our target but we knew that Q2 would be tricky for us today. We still managed to make our best lap-time ever at Losail. The team really helped me for that in terms of making a step with our settings and allowing me to go faster. We’ll keep our heads up tomorrow because we had good pace in FP3 and FP4 and we just need to understand how we can use the front tire more to be set for a good race. I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”

Alex Marquez – P16

“Honestly, in general, it was a really positive day again and we came through a difficult test for us and will have good confidence. In FP4 I think we did a good job and then in qualifying we put everything together and did our fastest time in Qatar – 53 for the first time – but it was not enough to pass. Many riders are so fast on a one-lap time attack and we saw last year that it’s one of the weakest points we have, but in general we can be happy for the race tomorrow. The weather looks like it will be a little bit difficult, so we’ll have to adapt to the conditions.”

Stefan Bradl – P17

“We have had a busy day today and made some more progress. In Free Practice 3 and 4 I was feeling quite good, and our race pace is looking better than where we have qualified. There is still some more performance to gain over one lap with a new tyre. No matter what, we will keep improving during Warm Up and fight forward in the race to gain as many positions as possible. The season has just started.”

Luca Marini – P18

“On the first attempt I wanted to go after another rider, but in the end I was alone. I’ve tried to do my best alone, but I haven’t been aggressive enough to take advantage of the new tires. In the classification with respect to FP4 the behaviour of the tyres of the bike changes a lot and I have not taken advantage of it well. On the second attempt I was ready, but in both turn 1 and turn 2 I have made a mistake in the line losing a lot time. The bike has improved a lot over the weekend. We’ll see how is my first race in MotoGP.”

Brad Binder – P19

“A difficult day because we wanted to try and get through to Q2 but were just a couple of tenths shy of making the cut. I gave 110% and there was not much more I could do. We’ll sleep on it tonight, work hard in the warm-up and fight as hard as we can in the race.”

Danilo Petrucci – P20

“I had my first qualifying with the KTM RC16 and I’m happy about the progress we made, especially in terms of pace. For sure, we still need to improve and I don’t understand why I’m quite slow in some parts of the track, mainly in the final sector.I wanted to be more in front but anyway I’m positive. We have to keep patient and try to upgrade the setup of the bike more and more. I already feel better compared to yesterday but there’s still a lot of work to do.”

Iker Lecuona – P21

“Today has still been difficult. We pushed very hard and tried everything. I improved my lap time and I’m close to the other KTM riders. Obviously,I’m not happy about today’s result but I feel more confident ahead of the first race tomorrow because I could close the gap to Miguel and Brad a bit. Anyway, we still need to work on some things in order to be ready for round one on Sunday.”

Lorenzo Savadori – P22 

“Thanks especially to the good conditions of my shoulder, we are trying to work on the bike to make up for lost time during the winter tests, where I was unable to do more than 2 or 3 laps in a row. We are still lacking something, despite the fact that I could have improved my time in qualifying if I hadn’t made a small mistake. We’ll see tomorrow. Some of our rivals don’t seem so far away in terms of pace, but I’m curious to see how the RS-GP performs.”

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MotoGP Qualifying Report

Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) has taken his maiden MotoGP pole position in serious style at the Barwa Grand Prix of Qatar, the Italian slamming in a 1:52.772 – the fastest-ever two-wheel lap of Losail International Circuit – to take the honour. Bagnaia beats second place Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) by 0.266s, with Quartararo’s fellow Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP rider Maverick Viñales. Fourth? Top Independent Team rider Valentino Rossi (Petronas Yamaha SRT) as the Doctor made it a Yamaha armada just behind Bagnaia… in more ways than one.

Before the final battle though, there was Q1 to contend with. Reigning World Champion Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) found himself having to fight for his place in the pole position shootout at the season opener and it wasn’t a walk in the park as the number 36 faced some stiff competition from two rookies: Jorge Martin (Pramac Racing) and Enea Bastianini (Esponsorama Racing). Both took turns leading the session, with Mir returning to P1 by just 0.005s with his best lap of the weekend.

Martin then crashed unhurt on his last lap and was out of contention, and Bastianini was unable to improve. Out of nowhere, Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) was then the man setting the timing screens alight though and the Japanese rider snatched P1 on his final flyer to demote Bastianini out of Q2 promotion. The Beast’s 0.005s deficit to Mir proved to be the difference. And so Mir edged through to Q2 by the skin of his teeth, and later received a fine and had his first but not fastest lap deleted for leaving pitlane early.

Nakagami and Mir then joined the fastest 10 riders from Free Practice for Saturday’s main course: MotoGP Qualifying 2. And in said session, it took Bagnaia just one lap to break the all-time lap record, a 1:53.273 coming in from the Italian to set us up for a phenomenal first pole shootout of 2021. Still, despite the P1 time being an all-time lap record, the timing screens were lit up with red sector times.

Bagnaia didn’t improve on his next lap, but teammate Jack Miller did and the Aussie took over at the top. Next was Quartararo and the Frenchman was an astonishing four tenths under at Sector 3, losing a little in the final sector but still talking over at the top, homing in on the 52s with a 1:53.038 – another all-time lap record. After the first couple of flying laps, it was a Yamaha and Ducati fest at the top, with Aleix Espargaro placing his Aprilia Racing Team Gresini machine next up in P6 ahead of Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing). Ahead of those two sat Quartararo, Miller, Viñales, Bagnaia and Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) as the grid rumbled back into pitlane and prepared for a final push.

This was it. Viñales was the leader on the road and the first to show us what he had left in his locker, the Spaniard making it a factory Yamaha 1-2. Attention then turned back to Bagnaia though, and he had Valentino Rossi in tow to boot. Pecco unleashed a mind-blowing lap to return to P1 by 0.266s, impervious and seemingly unbeatable, and Rossi’s effort put him P3 for the time being as The Doctor demoted former teammate Viñales off the front row. Top Gun then returned the favour though, taking third back and pushing Rossi down to fourth.

The front row would go unchallenged for the remaining seconds. Bagnaia said on Friday, “we will beat the record in Q2”, and he stuck to his word as the Italian to claimed his first premier class pole position in style with the fastest-ever two-wheel lap of Losail International Circuit. Quartararo and Viñales lock out the front row as The Doctor joins two of his three Yamaha counterparts inside the top four; a 1:53.114 by far the fastest Rossi has lapped Losail.

Joining the veteran Italian on the second row are Miller and Zarco. The two Bologna bullets will have been hoping for more in Q2 but the second row is a solid place from which to unleash Ducati’s holeshot device. Zarco is also the new MotoGP top speed record holder at 362.4km/h after FP4, and his last flying lap in Q2 was his best to knock Morbidelli onto the third row.

2020 runner up Morbidelli spearheads Row 3 and he’s joined by Aleix Espargaro in eighth place, an impressive feat given the top eight were all under Marc Marquez’s old lap record. Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) is the final member on Row 3 in P9, with Mir being forced to settle for P10 – 0.910s back from pole position. Work to do on a Sunday for both Suzukis again, but if there’s one thing we learned in 2020, it’s to never discount the GSX-RR duo in race trim. Nakagami is the leading Honda ahead of the opening race of 2021 just behind them, he and Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda Team) will fire off the line in P11 and P12.

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MotoGP Qualifying Results

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Moto2

Sam Lowes (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) was once again in superior form at the Barwa Grand Prix of Qatar as the British rider set a 1:58.726 to take the first honours of the season. The Brit beat rookie sensation Raul Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) to pole position by 0.140s, with Bo Bendsneyder’s (Pertamina Mandalika SAG Team) awesome early season form seeing the Dutchman claim just his third Grand Prix front row start in P3, 0.233s from Lowes’.

Ahead of the opening Moto2 pole position battle, four riders entered the fray from Q1. Fabio Di Giannantonio (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) was the quickest as rookie Celestino Vietti (Sky Racing Team VR46), Somkiat Chantra (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) and 2019 Moto3 World Champion Lorenzo Dalla Porta (Italtrans Racing Team) finished within a tenth of each other to get another crack at the whip in Q2.

As Q2 kicked into life, the fastest rider after the opening flying laps was Lowes. Jake Dixon (Petronas Sprinta Racing) made it a British 1-2 but working in tandem, Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Raul Fernandez and Remy Gardner then took over at the top – the latter leading his rookie teammate with a 1:59.245. Incidentally, Lowes’ first lap time was then scrapped but soon after, his second lap then saw him fly to P1, 0.447s faster than Gardner’s best.

Once again, Dixon made it a British 1-2 but Lowes’ lead was still considerable. Bendsneyder then catapulted himself to P2 before Lowes once again pulled clear of the chasing pack. Marco Bezzecchi (Sky Racing Team VR46) then took over in second, but the Italian was still over three tenths behind. The Red Bull KTM Ajo duo then launched themselves onto the front row, Raul Fernandez P2 and Gardner P3, but the Aussie’s lap would get cancelled.

The ever-impressive Bendsneyder then hit back to demote Bezzecchi off the front row on his final lap as Gardner then threatened Lowes’ time on his last lap. However, a crash for Xavi Vierge (Petronas Sprinta Racing) at Turn 10 – minutes after the Spaniard and teammate Dixon collided at Turn 3 – put a halt to Gardner’s late charge. Dixon was judged to have been riding slow on the line, causing a collision and has a three-place grid penalty.

At the top though, Lowes was untouchable. The 2020 title challenger has been in supreme form at Losail and will launch from pole, and he’ll line up alongside a rookie sensation in Raul Fernandez. The Spaniard has taken to Moto2 like a duck to water and Bendsneyder impressed too, picking up his first front row start since the 2017 Moto3 Dutch GP.

A star-studded second row will be lining up for the opening round of the season as Bezzecchi, Joe Roberts (American Racing) and Gardner claim P4, P5 and P6 in Q2 respectively. Dixon couldn’t improve on his couple of early banker laps and slipped down to P7, but will start further back in tenth. Q1 graduate Di Giannantonio was P8 but will start seventh ahead of Jorge Navarro (MB Conveyors Speed Up), with rookie Vietti boosted up to ninth after an impressive day.

Marcos Ramirez (American Racing) and Simone Corsi (MV Agusta Forward Racing) both went to the medical centre for check-ups after both suffering big crashes in Q1. Unfortunately, both riders have been declared unfit. Corsi sustained a left wrist fracture and Ramirez suffered a right humeral fracture, the duo will miss the Qatar GP.

Moto2 Qualifying Results

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Moto3

From Q1 to pole, 2021 is off to a good start for Darryn Binder. The Petronas Sprinta Racing rider topped the first qualifying session to make it through to the pole position shootout at the Barwa Grand Prix of Qatar, then setting a 2:04.075 – a new lap record – to take the first pole of the year, despite also dicing it out with a few rivals on the way round. Reigning FIM Moto3 Junior World Champion Izan Guevara (GASGAS Gaviota Aspar) claimed a wonderful debut Grand Prix front row, and also progressed from Q1, with the rookie set to line up in second. Veteran campaigner and former Qatar podium finisher John McPhee (Petronas Sprinta Racing) completes the front row.

The biggest name to miss out on an automatic Q2 place after Free Practice was Binder, but the South African made no mistakes in Q1 to put in a 2:04.834 and top the session, cruising into the pole position shootout along with Guevara, Romano Fenati (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team) and Riccardo Rossi (BOE Owlride), setting the stage for the first pole position fireworks of 2021.

As Q2 began it was initially a waiting game, with all but four riders sitting outside their pit boxes, waiting for other riders and teams to blink first. It wasn’t until nearly five minutes had gone that everyone finally ventured out on track, but two of those who didn’t wait around were CIP Green Power’s Kaito Toba and Maximilian Kofler. Toba, the Free Practice pacesetter, set a 2:05.414 to lay down the first benchmark time.

Coming out of Q1, Binder was in the groove and that lap from Toba didn’t last too long at the top. The new Petronas Sprinta recruit made light work of a couple of riders in front of him and his first lap in Q2 was a new lap record, and by some margin. Jeremy Alcoba (Indonesian Racing Gresini Moto3) then got within a tenth of Binder’s blistering 2:04.354 as two Moto3 race winners, John McPhee (Petronas Sprinta Racing) and Dennis Foggia (Leopard Racing) – tangled at Turn 15, with both chasing improved lap times and things getting close in the battle for the first pole of the year.

The grid then rumbled back down pitlane after their first runs, with most leaving it late before heading back out for a one-lap dash. However, late was very late for some, and for Gabriel Rodrigo (Indonesian Racing Gresini Moto3), it was too late. The Argentinean took the chequered flag before starting his lap as Toba launched himself into P3, but there was plenty still to come from those who had managed to sneak over the line for a last shot at pole.

Lots of orange sectors were lighting up on the timing screens but three riders were showing red: Binder, Guevara and McPhee. Soon-to-be polesitter Binder was forcing his way through those ahead in the final sector too – those ahead being Jaume Masia (Red Bull KTM Ajo) as the two got very close on track.

Up ahead, and for about half a second, it seemed like a dream debut pole position was going Guevara’s way… but Binder was still on a charge. The South African completed his barnstormer and returned to P1 with another new lap record to seal the deal in a scintillating end to the first qualifying of the season. Those joining him on the front row make it an interesting one too: rookie sensation Guevera sandwiched by two pre-season title favourites in Binder and McPhee.

Alcoba missed out on a final flying lap but his opening run pace was enough to see him spearhead the second row in P4, with Masia and Toba launching from the second row too in P5 and P6 respectively. Rodrigo, Sergio Garcia (GASGAS Gaviota Aspar) and Rossi set themselves up for a chance of a good start in seventh, eighth and ninth in that order. Rounding out the top 10 was Niccolo Antonelli (Avintia Esponsorama Moto3), a former winner at Losail.

Moto3 Qualifying Results

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