Sachsenring MotoGP qualifying
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That's a wrap from us today for MotoGP qualifying.
Marquez will fancy his chances of a breakaway from pole tomorrow, but today has shown he is at least theoretically beatable at the Sachsenring.
"Theoretically" being the key word:![Sachsenring MotoGP: Marquez denies Petrucci pole by 0.025s]()
Marquez will fancy his chances of a breakaway from pole tomorrow, but today has shown he is at least theoretically beatable at the Sachsenring.
"Theoretically" being the key word:
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Marquez: "I mean, the team did a perfect strategy. We did a new strategy here in Sachsenring, two laps - one - two. And I think this give me the pole position:
"I was ready and was enough time to prepare to try the front tyre, and I feel better with the hard, but also with the medium was okay - but for the last run I didn't have another new, because the allocation is very short.
"We just push, and honestly I didn't expect this pole, because on the last tyre, the one I felt better, I did a few mistakes. One in Turn 3, I nearly crashed, but I keep pushing, I did a good laptime - then last lap again I did another mistake, that was so difficult to recover what I lose, but these 20 milliseconds were enough to get the pole."
"I was ready and was enough time to prepare to try the front tyre, and I feel better with the hard, but also with the medium was okay - but for the last run I didn't have another new, because the allocation is very short.
"We just push, and honestly I didn't expect this pole, because on the last tyre, the one I felt better, I did a few mistakes. One in Turn 3, I nearly crashed, but I keep pushing, I did a good laptime - then last lap again I did another mistake, that was so difficult to recover what I lose, but these 20 milliseconds were enough to get the pole."
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Petrucci: "First thing that I have to say is that I was behind Jorge and this helped me a lot.
"Anyway we have been very very fast all the weekend, maybe today a little bit of difficulties in FP4 but we have been always fast. But since yesterday from FP2 I always finished the session in second position.
"Today when I cross the line, I say, maybe today is the right day. And then I saw Marquez on the mega screen put the red [laptime]...
"I am happy, even if tomorrow will be very very tough. For sure the second half of the race will be difficult, I don't know how many riders know the bike feeling, because the rear consumption is very very high.
"We'll see, I always struggle a little bit more for my weight and then I have to care very very good about the first lap to save the tyre.
"Anyway we have been very very fast all the weekend, maybe today a little bit of difficulties in FP4 but we have been always fast. But since yesterday from FP2 I always finished the session in second position.
"Today when I cross the line, I say, maybe today is the right day. And then I saw Marquez on the mega screen put the red [laptime]...
"I am happy, even if tomorrow will be very very tough. For sure the second half of the race will be difficult, I don't know how many riders know the bike feeling, because the rear consumption is very very high.
"We'll see, I always struggle a little bit more for my weight and then I have to care very very good about the first lap to save the tyre.
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Lorenzo: "Let's say that in the last run with the second tyre I make a good lap, but I make a mistake in the last corner, I open the throttle a little bit too late and I lose acceleration, I lose probably one or one and a half tenths that could be pole position.
"Anyway it's very good to be in first row in Sachsenring, has been always a difficult track for me and also for Ducati. Ducati is finally strong also in this track, and this makes me happy."
"Anyway it's very good to be in first row in Sachsenring, has been always a difficult track for me and also for Ducati. Ducati is finally strong also in this track, and this makes me happy."
Marquez celebrated that pole more than he's celebrated some of his championships. His crew also went bananas.
Information
Q2 order: 1 Marquez; 2 Petrucci; 3 Lorenzo; 4 Vinales; 5 Dovizioso; 6 Rossi; 7 Crutchlow; 8 Iannone; 9 Bautista; 10 Pedrosa; 11 Rins; 12 Nakagami.
It'll be Marquez, Petrucci and Lorenzo on the front row. Marquez's sixth consecutive MotoGP pole at the Sachsenring. If the track is leaving the calendar next year, as is expected, his perfect record is safe.
Crash
Alvaro Bautista has gone down at Turn 12.
Stopwatch
Marc Marquez steals it at the death! 1m20.270s, 0.025s quicker than Petrucci! Wow.
Checkered flag
Marquez finds a lot of time in the final sector once more. but very nearly snatches pole. He's a close second as the chequered flag waves.
That's a new Sachsenring MotoGP lap record by the way. Two minutes left for Marquez to reclaim it, or for somebody else to rain on Petrucci's parade.
Stopwatch
1m20.327s from Lorenzo, but 1m20.295s from Petrucci, who will replace him at the factory Ducati team next year!
Lorenzo is starting a quick lap, but he is towing Petrucci and Rins along.
The other riders are kicking off their second runs, Marquez will likely switch back to his first bike and go for a last-gasp third run.
Marquez loses two tenths to Vinales in the third sector, and can't make up enough time in the end. He's 0.089s slower and stays third.
Information
Q2 order: 1 Vinales; 2 Lorenzo; 3 Marquez; 4 Crutchlow; 5 Rins; 6 Dovizioso; 7 Rossi; 8 Petrucci; 9 Nakagami; 10 Iannone; 11 Pedrosa; 12 Bautista.
0.882s separating the lot of them.
0.882s separating the lot of them.
Marquez has already been to the pits and is now kicking off his second run. He's clearly determined not to give up his perfect Sachsenring pole record without a fight.
Stopwatch
Vinales has found something, he's two tenths up after three sectors... and it's a 1m20.441s. Only two thousandths quicker than Lorenzo, but, crucially, quicker after all.
Vinales briefly edges ahead, before Jorge Lorenzo posts a 1m20.443s! Marquez comes up 0.152s short with his follow-up lap.
Stopwatch
A very solid 1m20.953s right away from Marquez, he's top of the timing screens.
Marquez is on his first flying lap now and he has found some space on track.
Green flag
Lights, camera, action in Q2.
Quote
Poncharal on Zarco's struggles: "I think it's for sure a disappointment, but when you look at the laptime, we're 0.096s from going to Q2. It's not a lot on track. For me the biggest problem at the moment I would say is grid position.
"The most important is to try to improve the feeling of the bike with Johann, set-up, find the right tyre selection. It's a long race, a lot of laps because it's a short circuit."
"The most important is to try to improve the feeling of the bike with Johann, set-up, find the right tyre selection. It's a long race, a lot of laps because it's a short circuit."
It looks like anybody's game in Q2. Although those might just be famous last words before a dominant Marquez pole.
Information
Q2 roster: Iannone; Petrucci; Crutchlow; Rossi; Bautista; Marquez; Vinales; Lorenzo; Rins; Pedrosa; Dovizioso; Nakagami.
And of course the penalty means that Aleix Espargaro will be starting in P19 - which is still ahead of his poor ol' teammate Scott Redding.
Information
Q1 order: 1 Dovizioso; 2 Nakagami; 3 A Espargaro; 4 Zarco; 5 Miller; 6 P Espargaro; 7 Smith; 8 Syahrin; 9 Rabat; 10 Redding; 11 Bradl; 12 Luthi; 13 Abraham; 14 Simeon.
Dovizioso and Nakagami will be moving on to Q2.
Checkered flag
Chequered flag's out. Zarco has rolled out of his lap and will not be advancing.
A minute left to go - final effort for Zarco, Miller and the likes to dislodge Nakagami from P2, or possibly even Dovizioso from the top spot.
Stopwatch
Dovi's quicker, 1m20.751s. Lots of riders seem to be improving a fair bit.
Zarco comes up half a tenth short of second-placed Dovizioso. Instead, Nakagami goes top, 1m20.963s!
Three minutes to go. Zarco's probably the biggest threat to the top two at the moment.
Smith on a good lap, but he loses time having to pass Bradl in the final sector.
Information
Q1 order with five minutes left: 1 A Espargaro; 2 Dovizioso; 3 Nakagami; 4 Zarco; 5 Smith; 6 Syahrin; 7 Miller; 8 Rabat; 9 P Espargaro; 10 Abraham; 11 Bradl; 12 Redding; 13 Luthi; 14 Simeon.
Bradlwatch: the former Moto2 champion, subbing for Franco Morbidelli at Marc VDS, is only 11th yet two places ahead of teammate Tom Luthi.
Dovizioso improves with his next effort, but he's two hundredths short still of the pace-setting Aprilia.
Stopwatch
And Aleix Espargaro immediately usurps him with an excellent 1m20.990s!
1m21.286s from Andrea Dovizioso, he goes top by only by 0.020s.
Nakagami pips Zarco by a quarter of a second to go quickest, but Zarco is back on top in just moments, posting a 1m21.306s. Still, that doesn't quite look like it will be enough.
By: Matt Beer
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