The conditions in MotoGP qualifying could hardly have been better. With sunshine and an outside temperature of 16 degrees on Phillip Island, the stars of the «premier class» put on a good show on the 4.448 km long circuit.
Pramac driver Jorge Martin set an all-time lap record at Phillip Island with a time of 1:27.767. The Spanish Ducati rider, making his debut on a MotoGP bike at Australia’s spectacular circuit, smashed the existing record set by Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha) in 2013.
Behind Martin, eight-time world champion Marc Márquez on his Honda prevailed against world championship runner-up Pecco Bagnaia (Ducati). The Spaniard was only able to avoid a crash in his first run thanks to his driving skills. He made a similar save to the one he made three years ago at the Lukey Heights exit.
Aprilia star Aleix Espargaró (+ 0.190 sec), Yamaha factory rider Fabio Quartararo (+ 0.206) and Johann Zarco from the Ducati team from Pramac Racing ended up in 4th, 5th and 6th place.
You can read the complete qualifying here in our live ticker.
1. Jorge Martin (Ducati): “Jorge Lorenzo will certainly not be super happy now. But it’s time to beat such records because the bikes have become much faster. I was a bit lost on Friday because the track is extremely fast. It’s my first time here on my bike, so I had to find my way around first. I have good pace now and feel prepared for the race. I knew that I could also be strong in the hunt for times. A 1:27 lap time is unbelievable, I feel good.”
2. Marc Marquez (Honda): “I am very happy. The slipstream was essential for the lap time. That was clear to me when I saw in practice that Ducati is extremely fast on the track. You can use the torque very heavily on a single lap. It was my only chance to finish on the front row. I played my cards even though it’s not the best way to do a fast lap. We are here to show our best. It’s more important that the feeling comes slowly with the bike, I’m getting better bit by bit. It’s a special track, but physically I’m getting stronger.
3. Pecco Bagnaia (Ducati): “In FP4 we took a huge step forward. In qualifying, I put the pressure on right from the start. I knew there were a lot of riders behind me, but that doesn’t matter. My opponent is Fabio, so I’m happy to be in front of him.”
MotoGP result Q2, Phillip Island (10/15):
1. Martin, Ducati, 1:27.767 mins
2. Marc Marquez, Honda, 1:27.780 min, + 0.013 sec
3. Bagnaia, Ducati, 1:27.953, +0.186
4. Aleix Espargaró, Aprilia, 1:27.957, +0.190
5. Quartararo, Yamaha, 1:27.973, +0.206
6. Zarco, Ducati, 1:28.007, +0.240
7. Marini, Ducati, 1:28.029, +0.262
8.Miller, Ducati, 1:28.116, +0.349
9. Bezzecchi, Ducati, 1:28.185, +0.418
10. Rins, Suzuki, 1:28.541, +0.774
11. Alex Marquez, Honda, 1:28.733, +0.966
12. Viñales, Aprilia, 1:28.765, +0.998
The rest of the starting lineup:
13. Pol Espargaró, Honda, 1:28.392s
14. Mir, Suzuki, 1:28,492
15.Bastianini, Ducati, 1:28.647
16.Brad Binder, KTM, 1:28.652
17. Crutchlow, Yamaha, 1:28.677
18. Darryn Binder, Yamaha, 1:28.760
19. Gardner, KTM, 1:28,820
20. Di Giannantonio, Ducati, 1:28.830
21. Raul Fernandez, KTM, 1:28.966
22. Morbidelli, Yamaha, 1:29.146
23. Nagashima, Honda, 1:29.624
24. Oliveira*, KTM, 1:28.859
*= grid penalty (irregular practice start and slow driving on the line)