Pecco Bagnaia on pole in Aragon with new lap record

11/09/2021

Pecco Bagnaia stormed to pole in Aragon after beating the previous lap record held by Marc Marquez by four tenths of a second.

The Italian set a time of 1:46.322 on his penultimate run, 0.366 seconds ahead of Jack Miller as the factory Ducati team locked out the first two positions.

Their only win in Aragon coming at its first race in 2010 with Casey Stoner, the Ducati’s will do well to stay in front tomorrow.

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It was characteristically close among the rest of the field, reinforcing the magnitude of Bagnaia’s lap.

Championship leader Fabio Quartararo, on one of his more difficult tracks, qualified third, 0.031 seconds behind Miller. Despite losing around four tenths in the final sector to the two Ducati’s in front, the Frenchman had been on provisional pole after the first two runs before Bagnaia and then Miller improved.

Marquez will start fourth on his Repsol Honda. A winner on his last four visits to Aragon, the Spaniard has already crashed twice this weekend, first in FP2 on Friday and then again in FP3 before qualifying.

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Jorge Martin qualified fifth on the first of the Pramac Ducatis, 0.005 seconds ahead of Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro.

The Suzuki of Joan Mir had a good qualifying in seventh. The reigning world champion, Mir should have excellent race pace on Sunday.

Silverstone polesitter Pol Espargaro will start from eighth, ahead of Enea Bastinaini, the Italian enjoying a great qualifying on the Avintia Ducati to start ninth.

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Johann Zarco rounds out the top 10 on the second Pramac Ducati, the Frenchman having to go through Q1 to get into the final qualifying session.

Elsewhere, Cal Crutchlow will start from 15th on the factory Yamaha. The 35-year-old, in what should be his last MotoGP race after Yamaha confirmed Franco Morbidelli will be back next week in Misano, almost made it straight through to Q2 after FP3, missing out by less than a tenth of a second.

Maverick Vinales will start from 19th in his first race for Aprilia, the Spaniard struggling in the final sector but showing good pace throughout the rest of the lap.

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Last year’s winner Alex Rins will start from 20th after enduring a poor qualifying session on the second Suzuki.

The two Petronas Yamahas complete the grid, Valentino Rossi ahead of Jake Dixon, the 25-year-old Briton competing in only his second ever MotoGP race.