Gran Premio d’Italia Oakley
FIM MotoGP World Championship
Autodromo del Mugello, Italy
June 2, 2018
Qualifying Results (all on Michelin tires):
From Qualifying Two:
1. Valentino Rossi, Italy (Yamaha), 1:46.208
2. Jorge Lorenzo, Spain (Ducati), 1:46.243
3. Maverick Vinales, Spain (Yamaha), 1:46.304
4. Andrea Iannone, Italy (Suzuki), 1:46.347
5. Danilo Petrucci, Italy (Ducati), 1:46.445
6. Marc Marquez, Spain (Honda), 1:46.454
7. Andrea Dovizioso, Italy (Ducati), 1:46.500
8. Cal Crutchlow, UK (Honda), 1:46.813
9. Johann Zarco, France (Yamaha), 1:46.830
10. Alex Rins, Spain (Suzuki), 1:46.909
11. Jack Miller, Australia (Ducati), 1:46.998
12. Franco Morbidelli, Italy (Honda), 1:47.002
From Qualifying One:
13. Tito Rabat, Spain (Ducati), 1:46.908
14. Hafizh Syahrin, Malaysia (Yamaha), 1:47.188
15. Pol Espargaro, Spain (KTM), 1:47.335
16. Alvaro Bautista, Spain (Ducati), 1:47.708
17. Bradley Smith, UK (KTM), 1:47.818
18. Takaaki Nakagami, Japan (Honda), 1:47.868
19. Thomas Luthi, Switzerland (Honda), 1:47.989
20. Dani Pedrosa, Spain (Honda), 1:48.065
21. Aleix Espargaro, Spain (Aprilia), 1:48.286
22. Karel Abraham, Czech Republic (Ducati), 1:48.532
23. Scott Redding, UK (Aprilia), 1:48.744
24. Xavier Simeon, Belgium (Ducati), 1:48.794
More, from a press release issued by Monster Yamaha Tech3:
Zarco primed for Mugello battle from third row – Syahrin equals best Qualifying performance
Monster Yamaha Tech3 rider Johann Zarco initiated the second day of action at the Italian GP this morning with a superb improvement of 1.409 seconds from the first to the third Free Practice to comfortably sit in fifth spot. During the second Qualifying session, the French star was fighting hard in the ultra-competitive premier class and will have to start from the third row on Sunday, after he missed out on the top by only 0.622 seconds.
MotoGP rookie Hafizh Syahrin found a great pace from the word go this morning. In FP3 he impressively lowered his practice time by incredible 2.381 seconds from FP1 and showed up in strong form during Q1. With a fastest time of 1’47.188 minutes, he was able to snatch a fantastic fourth position and will launch off the line from the middle of the fifth row of the grid when the red lights will go out for the Italian Grand Prix at 14.00 local time tomorrow afternoon.
Johann Zarco
Position: 9th – Time: 1’46.830 – Laps: 7
“It has been a quite difficult day, overall. We couldn’t find the improvement we were looking for before the Qualifying and I was not able to ride well on this tricky track. In the fourth Free Practice I had a crash, which didn’t help for this afternoon. I tried to be focused, but I feel we were missing a step to be really close to the top and that’s why I couldn’t get any extra. Anyway, the race is tomorrow and I hope to keep calm and find the pace during the race to make up positions step by step. When my pace is good enough, I would like to be back in the top 5, which would be fantastic.”
Hafizh Syahrin
Position: 14th – Time: 1’47.188 – Laps: 8
“I’m very happy about the Qualifying in Mugello. I got the same result like in Le Mans, P14, but Morbidelli as the best rookie sits in P12, which is not too far. I’m also truly close to the top, it’s just 0.9 seconds, which makes me very proud. This is my best Qualifying at the moment, because it’s less than one second to the pole position. For tomorrow I try to deliver a good start and aim to make a step forward in order to be closer to the front, because my overall pace was not bad. This track is very long, if you follow one rider, you can take an advantage for a quick lap time, but anyway, I did a great time by myself and I’m very satisfied with this. A huge thanks to my team, because from this morning, we were very fast and I will give my best to bring home as many points as possible tomorrow.”
More, from a press release issued by Angle Nieto Team:
BAUTISTA TO CHALLENGE FOR TOP 10 AT MUGELLO
Ángel Nieto Team rider has best qualifying session of the season and will try to move further up the order at the Italian Grand Prix on raceday.
Valentino Rossi, the local hero at the Italian Grand Prix, will start from pole position tomorrow. He has not won at Mugello for a decade, and it had been a year and a half since his last pole position. Jorge Lorenzo will start from second at Ducati’s home track and Maverick Viñales will do so from third. Marc Márquez, leader of the World Championship after the first five races of the season, will start from sixth.
Álvaro Bautista will try tomorrow to fight for the Top 10 at the Italian Grand Prix, in a race in which he will start from sixteenth. The Ángel Nieto Team rider made a small change to his bike with his crew, which allowed him to recover some positions compared to free practice. Karel Abraham crashed in the fourth free practice session and, although he escaped unhurt, he had to complete qualifying with his second bike. The Czech made a mistake on his best lap and was unable to lower his time, forcing him to start from twenty-second position tomorrow.
16th Álvaro Bautista 1:47.708: “Yesterday we had some problems and today we made a change to the bike that helped me a little bit. We don’t have a bad race pace, but we still need a quick lap. It was the best qualifying session of the season for us, we will start from higher up than other races and we must take advantage of that. Tomorrow, with the heat and with this demanding track, it will be a difficult race; we will have to know how to manage it. If we can make a good start we can be consistent, so we will try to take advantage of that to fight for the Top 10.”
22nd Karel Abraham 1:48.532: “I’m fine after the crash, but I’m not happy because we could have done more here. We don’t know what it was due to, because I wasn’t going faster than usual nor was I braking. Today has been tough for me physically as I’m still a little ill. I made a mistake at the Savelli corner on my last lap in qualifying and when I got to the Arrabiattas the turn was very difficult. Tomorrow I expect a physically tough race, but I hope to fight for the points and I think we can get it.”
More, from a press release issued by Aprilia Gresini Racing:
SEVENTH AND EIGHTH ROW AT MUGELLO FOR ESPARGARÓ’S AND REDDING’S APRILIAS
The Italian coloured Aprilia RS-GP machines ridden by Espargaró and Redding will start from the seventh and eighth rows on the grid tomorrow in the GP of Italy, the sixth round of the MotoGP Championship.
For Aleix Espargaró, expectations were quite a bit higher, especially after his good performance in the morning session (FP3), where he battled for a spot in the top ten which would have taken him straight through to Q2.
Aleix had finished that session thirteenth (with a time of 1’47.248) just 162 thousandths behind the tenth place time. The final practice session had also confirmed the rider’s good feeling astride his RS-GP- However, a crash toward the end of FP4 forced him to switch bikes in the decisive qualifying session. His decidedly poor feeling with the second bike kept Aleix far from the times he had done in the morning, relegating him to the seventh row with a time of 1’48.286.
Scott Redding was unable to find the right feeling with this bike once again at Mugello, qualifying with a time of 1’48.744 that places him in 23rd place, therefore at the centre of the eighth row.
ALEIX ESPARGARO’
“This morning I was able to be rather competitive. We just missed going through the Q2 by barely over a tenth and overall I am happy with our performance. In the afternoon during FP4, we worked on pace, turning some good laps with used tyres, but unfortunately I had a crash toward the end, making the bike unusable for the qualifiers. In Q1, I used the second bike and I did not have the same feeling, both in terms of grip and in terms of engine power output so, even pushing to the limit, I was unable to better my time. We are starting from the seventh row. It isn’t an ideal position, but I am rather confident that I’ll be able to ride a race similar to the one in Austin, recovering a lot of positions. Especially in the second half of the race: it will be hot, the tyres will be stressed and we know how gentle the RS-GP is on the rear tyre.”
SCOTT REDDING
“Unfortunately, we were unable to improve as much as we would have liked once again today. We tried a few changes, but the right feeling with the RS-GP here at Mugello is still not there. Tomorrow the race will be hard, starting from way back, so all we can do is give it our very best effort and bring home the best possible result.”
More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda:
Close second-row start for Marquez in Mugello, tough qualifying for Pedrosa
On a hot, sunny Saturday at Mugello, Marc Marquez set the sixth-fastest time at the end of an incredibly tight qualifying session in which the top seven finished within less than 0.3” of each other.
After topping FP3 and ending FP4 in a very close fourth place, Marc set the provisional pole record at the end of his first run in Qualifying, but a small mistake during his second attempt, when he was further improving his performance, dropped him to sixth overall, though just 0.246” off the top.
On the other side of the garage, Dani Pedrosa faced a very tough qualifying day. After missing the passage to Q2 by just 0.141” in the morning session, he suffered a crash in FP4 and had to switch to his second bike for Q1.
Not at ease with a different setup, and having only managed to finish 10th in Q1, he will have to start tomorrow’s 2 p.m. Italian GP from the seventh row of the grid.
Marc Marquez 93
6TH 1’46.454
“I’m happy with today, even if we’ll start sixth tomorrow, as I wasn’t able to put together the best lap. Actually, I was doing a very fast one during my second exit but then I made a mistake. Here, we have a tyre allocation that’s a bit too soft for us and that’s why we struggle a bit, especially in the afternoon, when the temperature is higher. In qualifying we ran out of the front spec option I prefer, and when I started pushing hard I overheated the front in the space of three corners. I had to be really smooth. We’ll see what conditions we’ll have tomorrow, but in any case we’ll have to adapt to them as well as possible and try and get some good points.”
Dani Pedrosa 26
20TH 1’48.065
“So far we’ve had a very difficult weekend here at Mugello, constantly struggling with the lack of grip. I was never able to be fast on track. Besides that, after a crash in FP4, I couldn’t use the bike in the following Q1, and the second one had a different setup. We didn’t have time to modify it, and I wasn’t able to do a good lap. The only thing to do now is remain focused on the race and do our best tomorrow.”
More, from a press release issued by Movistar Yamaha:
RECORD-BREAKING ROSSI POLE AND DOUBLE MOVISTAR YAMAHA FRONT ROW IN MUGELLO
Valentino Rossi was unbeatable during today’s Gran Premio d’Italia Oakley qualifying. He set a scorching pace to become the fastest rider ever at the Autodromo del Mugello. Teammate Maverick Viñales also created extra excitement for Movistar Yamaha MotoGP’s home GP. He charged through Q1 to go on securing third place in Q2, making it a double front row for the team.
Scarperia (Italy), 2nd June 2018
Movistar Yamaha MotoGP‘s Valentino Rossi made the crowds go wild as he grabbed pole position at the Autodromo del Mugello, setting a new circuit best lap. Teammate Maverick Viñales also gave a heroic performance at the second day of the Gran Premio d‘Italia Oakley. He went through a hard-fought Q1 to secure a third place front row start in the Q2 session.
Rossi waited for most of his rivals to leave pit lane before he made his way onto the track. His initial lap moved him into fourth place. He then improved his time but not his position on his second attempt, but was pushed back to fifth as his rivals upped their speed.
With seven and a half minutes of the session remaining, the Italian headed back to the pit box and was out one and a half minutes later. With 0.399s to the benchmark pole position, he knew what he had to do. Cheered on by the passionate Italian fans, the local hero completely went for it and pushed out four red sectors to clock a 1‘46.208s. The lap was unbeatable for the rest of the MotoGP rider field, giving the fans’ favourite his 65th career pole position, with a 0.035s margin. It’s his first pole since the Japanese Grand Prix in 2016.
Viñales was quick to head out in Q1 and went straight to the top of the timesheets with a 1‘47.105s which he further improved upon with his second lap. He had to dig deep and bettered his time once more to a 1‘46.806s, but was pushed back to second position as the Q2 session turned red hot in the final minutes. However, his lap was fast enough to keep him in second place and let him advance to the next session.
The Spaniard followed his teammate out of pit lane a couple of minutes later to continue his qualifying fight in Q2. He set the sixth fastest lap on his first try and held on to this position as he bettered his lap time on his second flyer, before heading back to the pits.
Viñales was quick to return, as he knew the long Mugello track wouldn‘t give him many more opportunities to set a hot lap. With a good six minutes left he started his second run. Multiple riders were in contention for pole position and the young Yamaha rider was keen to put his name into the mix. On his sixth attempt he set two red and two personal best sectors, to temporarily secure third place. As the pace quickened, the number 25 rider raised his game. He set a 1‘46.304s, 0.096s behind his teammate, to keep his third position and make it a double front row for the Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Team.
MASSIMO MEREGALLI
TEAM DIRECTOR
An incredible second day at the Italian GP! Today the team really pulled together to get some strong results. Vale couldn‘t have made his fans happier than by securing pole and setting the new circuit best lap at Mugello with an astounding 1‘46.208s. It will make the atmosphere tomorrow, at the team‘s home GP, all the more special. Maverick had a difficult start today, but he and his crew turned it all around before qualifying. Despite having to take part in Q1, he scored a really important third place. This double front row start is very encouraging for the team, but the points aren‘t distributed until Sunday. We expect the race to be full-on, because the level is high. Even though it won‘t be easy, we‘ll try to make further improvements tonight as we prepare the last fine-tuning for tomorrow’s warm-up. We have to keep in mind that it will be colder and more humid in the morning, but we‘ll do our best to make a final step before the race.
VALENTINO ROSSI
It gave a great emotion, especially facing the crowd the lap after the pole was fantastic. It‘s great, because it‘s also a surprise. This year in qualifying I always suffered, but today the lap was great and I thought it would be enough for the front row, but in the end it was pole position. It‘s been a long time since I was on pole, so it‘s important and it’s a great feeling. I think tomorrow will be more difficult, but for sure I‘m enjoying this moment.
MAVERICK VIÑALES
After yesterday, I was hoping for a better day, but it‘s not about how the day starts it‘s about how it ends. I think we did a good job in the box. We followed the wrong direction this morning and got a bit lost. It was difficult to keep my concentration and remain positive, but I kept on fighting and I will continue to keep pushing, as always, and we‘ll see. I think we can improve the bike for tomorrow in some areas. At the moment we‘re on a good level to make one fast lap, let‘s see if we can do the same throughout the race.
More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:
Front row start for Jorge Lorenzo, who places second in Italian GP qualifying. Andrea Dovizioso finishes Q2 in seventh place and will start from row 3 at Mugello
Ducati Team rider Jorge Lorenzo will start tomorrow’s Italian GP at the Mugello Circuit in Tuscany from the front row of the grid after a terrific qualifying session. The Spanish rider was second quickest in Q2 with a time of 1’46.243, just 35 thousandths away from Rossi’s pole time.
This morning Lorenzo had set a time of 1’46.782 to slot into third place in the combined times and go directly through into the afternoon’s crucial Q2 run.
Seventh quickest time and a row 3 start went to Andrea Dovizioso (1’46.500). the Italian rider had finished the morning’s FP3 session with the tenth time and he also went through directly into Q2.
The Italian Grand Prix, held over a distance of 23 laps, will get underway tomorrow afternoon at 14.00 CET.
Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team #99) – 2nd (1’46.243)
“I’m very pleased with this second position, but above all with the positive feelings I’ve had ever since I arrived at Mugello. I just missed out on my first pole position with Ducati by a few thousandths, but in any case I’m satisfied with the work that we’ve done and I think the new fuel tank is helping me a lot to make the difference. For tomorrow the important thing will be the choice of front tyre, which at this circuit and in this heat, suffers a lot, and it’ll be a hard-fought race because there are many riders with a good pace. The most important thing however is that we can be there and fight for the win!”
Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team #04) – 7th (1’46.500)
“I’m satisfied with today: yesterday unfortunately we didn’t manage to work well and as a result this morning we started behind quite a lot. In the end however we were able to get inside the top 10 and go through directly into Q2, and this afternoon we confirmed we have a good pace with the soft used tyres. We’re all rather on the limit and tomorrow I expect a race in a group, but I know that we are very fast. Also in qualifying I did a good lap, and even though I’m only seventh on the grid, I believe I have a good pace and I can’t wait to do the race.”
More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki ECSTAR:
SECOND ROW FOR IANNONE IN QUICK AND COMPETITIVE Q2
Andrea Iannone: 4th – 1:46.347 (+ 0.139)
Alex Rins: 10th – 1:46.909 (+ 0.701)
• Very quick pace from Iannone throughout the day.
•Crash hampers Rins’ good improvements.
•Both riders in Q2 and in Top 10 for tomorrow’s race.
The second day at the stunning Mugello Circuit saw the hotly-anticipated Saturday sessions live up to all expectations as the riders pushed hard, the pace was extremely quick, and the fastest ever lap was recorded around the Tuscan track.
The morning’s FP3 session was a successful one for home rider Andrea Iannone as he led the way and looked dominant up until the closing moments when he was knocked to 2nd place. Alex Rins used the early part of FP3 to confirm his settings, but he made a good final push to place himself 9th, and crucially into Q2.
In FP4 Alex Rins had a high speed fall at Turn 13, but luckily the young Spaniard was able to rejoin the session quickly, despite shoulder pain. Andrea Iannone confirmed his very strong pace once again, and he ended the session on top with a 1:47.548.
The Team SUZUKI ECSTAR riders both began the session with the medium-soft tyre combination. Iannone set a great 1:46.347 with 8 minutes to go, a provisional pole record. Meanwhile, Rins continued to push towards the Top 10 and ended the session with a 1:46.909, and 10th spot. The final minutes of Q2 were extremely fast and competitive with several riders in contention for pole, and Andrea Iannone’s excellent lap time of 1:46.347 was bettered by only 0.139 and a new pole record, the Italian therefore starts tomorrow’s ‘home race’ from the front of the second row in 4th place.
Davide Brivio – Team Manager
“It’s been a positive day, Mugello so far has been very good in general with Andrea always fast and with strong pace. It’s actually good that we feel a little bit ‘disappointed’ about starting in 4th position – it’s a good sign! Overall we’ve done really well this weekend, and when you really think about it, starting in 4th still allows us to do a good race. Maybe it could have been better today, but we are well set for the race with Andrea, and we think we can have a good race and enjoy it. Alex did good work during the morning in FP3, but after the crash he lost his rhythm a little, and he also had to manage a bit of pain during the qualifying session. He could have been better because we made a lot of progress today, but Alex is also capable of having a good race. So overall, the feeling is positive. We’re looking forward to tomorrow.”
Andrea Iannone
“For sure I have a really good chance for tomorrow, during the race we will be racing close together and I expect that I might lose out a bit on top speed, so it could be difficult. During qualifying I made a mistake in Turn 1 which cost me, and I was losing time there, I thought I could be on the front row but we can still be competitive tomorrow with strong pace. We will aim for a good start, good tyre management, and good conservation of energy so that we can push at the end and give all. The fans give me a lot of extra motivation and energy! The last five laps will be tough, but my feeling with the bike is really good and I hope I can take a good result away from my home GP.”
Alex Rins
“It was a fast crash and I hurt my right shoulder, so I lost a bit of strength in my shoulder during qualifying, and I need to go to the Clinica Mobile to have some checks before tomorrow. But apart from that, everything is going well. The crash was strange because I just left the pits with the new asymmetric tyre and I entered the last chicane like always but I lost the front completely. We tried the new chassis in FP2 and I feel more stability with it, I think the chassis helps me to give more. Unfortunately I crashed with this new chassis so I had to do qualifying without it. I need to find a bit more confidence on corner entry, but I hope to have a good race tomorrow.”
More, from a press release issued by Reale Avintia Racing:
Surprising Tito Rabat knocks at the door to Q2 – Simeon makes progress
MotoGP GP of Italy – Mugello
After a difficult first day of practice at the Italian Grand Prix, where the muscle injury in his left arm made it impossible to ride very fast, Reale Avintia Racing rider Tito Rabat surprised his team and the fans at Mugello with a great performance on day two. The Spaniard was on fire, rode consistently fast and was battling for an entry to the Q2 qualifying of the twelve fastest riders of the MotoGP class until the last minute. At the end of the Q1 session, he was third, only fractions of a second behind Jack Miller and his compatriot Maverick Viñales, and will start the race on Sunday from 13th position on the grid.
For team-mate Xavier Simeon, the second day of practice was also positive. The Belgian rider of Reale Avintia keeps struggling with the adaptation of his riding style to the premier class and the fast Mugello circuit is certainly a special challenge for a MotoGP rookie. But on Saturday, Simeon improved his best lap time by roughly a second and he is now confident to make another step in the warm-up session before the race.
Qualifying took place in sunny and hot conditions, with track temperatures up to 50 degree. The weather forecast for the race on Sunday, the sixth round of this year’s MotoGP world championship, is much the same, with lots of sunshine and summer heat.
Tito Rabat | 1’46.908 | P13
“If anybody would have told me yesterday that I would be battling to get into Q2 today, I wouldn’t have believed it. But I had a really good day, we did well both in the free practice sessions and in qualifying. I am happy, because it would have been easy to stay at home and watch the race on television, but now I am here and will start the race from 13th place on the grid. With the adrenalin of racing, the arm doesn’t hurt, which is also very positive. Now we have to check and see where we can improve a bit more in the warm-up session. Then I will concentrate on the race and try to achieve the best result possible.”
Xavier Simeon | 1’48.794 | P24
“I still don’t feel comfortable with the bike, but nevertheless, we managed to make a step forward, which was very positive. Our performance was much better than yesterday. Even though we are still far from where we want to be and we still need to improve, I finished the day satisfied. We got closer to the top and this is what counts. Having said that, the level in this class is very high, the times are very close together and we need to boost our performance even more if we want to have a chance to battle for positions towards the front. It won’t be easy, but we will continue to work hard in order to get the maximum out of the equipment we have.”
More, from a press release issued by KTM:
FIFTH ROW SLOT AND IMPROVEMENT AFTER HOT MUGELLO QUALIFICATION FOR RED BULL KTM TEAM
QUALIFYING 6th Rd. MotoGP 2018, Autodromo del Mugello (ITA)
Qualification at a sizzling Mugello circuit in the heart of Tuscany saw Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Pol Espargaro and Bradley Smith take 15th and 17th positions respectively for the Gran Premio D’Italia and for the sixth round of the 2018 MotoGP series.
MotoGP
MotoGP reconvened in one of the most spectacular, scenic and challenging circuits on the Grand Prix trail for the Italian round and the sixth appointment of nineteen in 2018. Mugello shimmered in temperatures touching nearly thirty degrees and the long fast corners were a different type of test for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing for only the second attack for the KTM RC16 around the rapid layout.
Pol Espargaro and Bradley Smith pushed for the fastest lap-times and optimum set-up through the four Free Practice sessions and in a steady climate and weather conditions. Both the Spaniard and Brit started Q1 aiming to improve on their previous efforts set during the weekend and succeeded; marking better chronos compared to 2017 and sit just over a second from the record Pole lap set by Valentino Rossi.
Espargaro: “Last year we were very far from the top, much further than what we did today. The bike has improved quite a lot and we are a bit closer to the top guys compared to last year. I made a few small mistakes on the fast lap but I was happy and it was quicker than what we managed through the weekend. This is a tricky track for us because of the fast turns and here we have plenty! We will fight tomorrow and it will be important to stay focussed. The tyres will degrade, especially with the graining, and we need to stay on the bike and see what happens. We still have tomorrow to improve a few tenths but we are better with race rhythm than the fast lap.”
Smith: “We are already a good bit faster than last year and this is what we have to base ourselves on and how we have improved and we are definitely getting closer. This track is really technical and this is one of the reasons I love it but the weaknesses show and that’s why we are struggling a little bit. I got held up a bit in the last sector of the qualifying lap and it would have been nice to be fifth-sixth with Pol. The fact that we are starting tomorrow ahead of our normal fighting group is good for us. Normally we get good starts with the KTM so we should be able to launch forward. Then it will be a case of who is managing the tyres a bit better and who has the grip.”
Sebastian Risse (Technical Director MotoGP): “Overall a big thank you and fairplay to the riders; they did a great job in qualifying. The position doesn’t look brilliant but the lap-times were quite good compared to where we were coming from a year ago and compared to the gap to the top so we cannot complain. For sure we want to be better and it isn’t our target to be P15, it’s the top ten, but this is the reality and on this track and because of these chicanes our turning issues are exaggerated and you carry the consequence over the whole next straight and this hurts. We try to get the maximum out of this package – and there is maybe not so much room to improve with what we have here today – but we have a lot going on in the background and I hope soon we can improve in these areas. Tomorrow and the full race distance could be a different story and when it comes to the front tyre.”
More, from a press release issued by Dorna:
Che spettacolo!
The ‘Doctor’ rides a stunner through the yellow haze of the Tuscan hills for his 65th pole position
Frenetic, electric, high-octane, tense and down to the absolute wire: that was qualifying for the Gran Premio d’Italia Oakley. And as the yellow haze clears, it’s Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) who’ll be starting from pole, the ‘Doctor’ putting in an electric 1:46.203 to take to the top and master the stunning Autodromo del Mugello once again. Sometimes, there really is no place like home.
Starting alongside the number 46 is the other man with a comparable winning record at the track – Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team); also the rider whose 65 career poles Rossi equals, with the two now equal second of all time. And that stat was on a knife edge, with the number 99 only 0.035 off pole. Lorenzo has also taken the holeshot in both Jerez and Le Mans, but it won’t just be Rossi he’s fighting into San Donato once the lights go out at Mugello – the Ducati rider splits the Yamahas, with Q1 graduate Maverick Viñales (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) completing the front row after an impressive Q2.
The home hero who had led the way for much of the weekend so far was the man to just miss out on the front row, with Andrea Iannone (Team Suzuki Ecstar) taking P4 and just shuffled out in the incredible hot lap shootout. He’s just ahead of top Independent Team rider Danilo Petrucci (Alma Pramac Racing), a podium finisher at the venue last year, with reigning Champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) down in sixth.
One on attempt, Marquez had been almost half a second up by halfway round the lap but it wasn’t to be. Losing time, the Championship leader wasn’t able to put it all together and push himself up the order – despite an impressive save around the final corner in classic self-named style. He’s in good company, however, with key rival and 2017 Mugello winner Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) in seventh and less than a tenth off.
Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) and Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) make for two more riders looking for more on Sunday as they start eight and ninth, with the top ten completed by Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) as he competes at the venue for the first time in the premier class, having sat out the Italian GP due to injury in his rookie year.
Second Q1 graduate Jack Miller (Alma Pramac Racing) will be gunning for his ninth consecutive top ten result from P11 on the grid, with top rookie Franco Morbidelli (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) in P12 after his first automatic graduation to Q2 at his home race. In contrasting fortunes, it’s been a tough weekend so far for former Mugello winner Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team), who’s not yet back to fully fit and will be starting the Italian GP in P20.
So that’s it – the 46 flags are flying high on Saturday. Will it be the same on Sunday? With such pedigree both at the front and looking to move forward, the battle between the veterans, the hard chargers and the fresh challengers is going to light up Mugello once again – tune in for the race from 14:00 (GMT +2).
Home turf pole for Pasini at Mugello
The Italian takes Saturday honours in front of his home crowd, with Schroetter and Marquez in close company
2017 winner Mattia Pasini (Italtrans Racing Team) carried his Saturday morning form into qualifying as the Italian shot to pole position for his home race at the Gran Premio d’Italia Oakley, heading Marcel Schrötter (Dynavolt Intact GP) by just 0.030. Alex Marquez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) rounds out the front row of the grid in third, just 0.067 back from pole in an incredibly close battle at the top.
Schrötter led in the early stages, setting his fastest time on only his fourth flying lap to set the benchmark. Last year’s race winner Pasini then went quicker on his ninth lap to move the goal posts further – a time that wouldn’t be beaten, securing him pole to stake an early claim on the win. The close margins, however, bode well for Sunday, with last season having been a supreme spectacle and 2018 shaping up the same with 19 riders within eight-and-a-half tenths.
Championship leader Francesco Bagnaia (Sky Racing Team VR46) had a quiet session, sitting in the garage for some time, but he’ll launch from P4 as he aims to grab a home victory. He leads fellow Italian Simone Corsi (Tasca Racing Scuderia Moto2), who starts from P5 on his 250th Grand Prix start – a fantastic milestone for Corsi, who’ll be aiming for a podium finish tomorrow.
Fastest of the rookies was Romano Fenati (Marinelli Snipers Team) in front of his home crowd and the Italian was in and around the top ten throughout the session on board his Kalex machine, eventually finishing sixth quickest. Luca Marini (Sky Racing Team VR46) sealed his best qualifying of the year at his home Grand Prix in seventh, with Lorenzo Baldassarri (Pons HP 40) continuing the Italian domination in the top ten – the Jerez winner recovered to eighth on his final run, despite an early fall in the session when he tucked the front at Turn 10 – rider ok.
Friday’s fastest man Joan Mir (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) was ninth quickest, with compatriot Jorge Navarro (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) in P10 for his third top ten qualifying finish of the season. Championship contender Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo) had a more quiet session in P11, the first of the KTM chassis’ in qualifying and looking for more on race pace, with Le Mans comeback king Xavi Vierge (Dynavolt Intact GP) in 12th.
Tetsuta Nagashima (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) was a prolific figure in the top ten throughout, P13 was his best qualifying position of the season. Sam Lowes (Swiss Innovative Investors) – second fastest man on Friday – had to settle for P14, while Danny Kent (MB Conveyors – Speed Up Racing) was 0.001 behind his fellow Brit in 15th.
The grid has taken shape ahead of the intermediate class race, so tune in at 12:20 local time (GMT +2) to see the Moto2™ riders do battle at Mugello.
Martin supreme on pole as Suzuki and Sasaki impress
‘Mr Pole Position’ strikes again to top qualifying by two tenths – with a Japanese lockout completing the front row
Jorge Martin (Del Conca Gresini Moto3) kept his awesome record in qualifying at the Gran Premio d’Italia Oakley, taking provisional pole and then bettering that on his final run to end the session 0.190 ahead of the field. That field was headed by two equally impressive performers: Tatsuki Suzuki (SIC58 Squadra Corse) and Ayumu Sasaki (Petronas Sprinta Racing), who locked out the front row for Japan.
It’s the first front row start for both and with no Italians on the front row, Suzuki flies the flag for the home nation with the SIC58 Squadra Corse outfit. And, after getting tangled in a crash earlier in the day, Sasaki’s ride through the pain barrier – despite still suffering with an injury to his leg sustained in Le Mans – made for an incredible performance for the former Asia Talent Cup and Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup Champion.
Aron Canet (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) was also in close company, just 0.014 further back heading up the second row – with first Italian, Championship leader Marco Bezzecchi (Redox PrüstelGP) – 0.017 in arrears to complete the top five. Fabio Di Giannantonio (Del Conca Gresini Moto3) and Niccolo Antonelli (SIC58 Squadra Corse) took P6 and P7 respectively on home turf as the gaps remained incredibly tight, ahead of Adam Norrodin (Petronas Sprinta Racing) and Marcos Ramirez (Bester Capital Dubai). From second to ninth is covered by just over two tenths – an incredible preview of what’s to come on race day at the venue that saw 21 riders fight for the win last season.
Kaito Toba (Honda Team Asia) took tenth as the third former Asia Talent Cup rider in the top ten – and he’s just ahead of compatriot and top rookie Kazuki Masaki (RBA BOE Skull Rider), the reigning Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup Champion…and another former Asia Talent Cup competitor in an impressive day for the graduates of the Road to MotoGP™ program.
The stage is set for a showdown at Mugello, with the times incredibly tight and some big names looking to slice through from further back – including Enea Bastianini (Leopard Racing) in P14 and last year’s winner Andrea Migno (Angel Nieto Team) in P15. Will the fight at the front be another 20+ strong battle? Find out on Sunday from 11:00 (GMT +2).
More, from a press release issued by Alma Pramac Racing:
Gran Premio d’Italia – Qualifying
#ItalianGP Quali. What a Saturday: Petrux First Independent and second row, Jack dominates Q1
The qualifying for the Italian Grand Prix gave great satisfaction to Alma Pramac Racing. Danilo Petrucci conquers the second row and celebrates with his team the “Independet Rider” award. Jack Miller dominates the Q1 but then fails to be incisive in Q2.
Petrux and his team solve the small problems of Friday and the pace of the rider from Terni is incisive. In the FP3s Danilo easily wins the Q2. In the FP4s the feeling was positive and in qualifying Petrux pushed hard for pole position, finishing fifth just two tenths off Valentino Rossi’s pole.
Also for Jack the feelings are positive. After a convincing FP4 the Australian dominated Q1 ahead of Vinales (3rd on the grid) but in Q2 he could not find the conditions to stay in the Top 10. Tomorrow he will start from 11th place.
P5 Danilo Petrucci – 1’46.445
“The front row was maybe possible but I’m happy anyway. Our target was the first or second row so we managed to get the result. Tomorrow will not be easy because the competition is very fierce. However, we’re doing a great job and I’m sure we can play it”.
P11 Jack Miller – 1’46.998
“If I’m honest I’m a bit disappointed with this qualifying. Unfortunately the crash of the FP3 compromised our work but I’m still happy that I didn’t hurt myself. I wasn’t able to get the most out of my tyres in qualifying and we will have to work on that. Tomorrow I want to have a good race”.