Barcelona MotoGP: Pedrosa beats Lorenzo to pole as Marquez crashes
Dani Pedrosa beat Jorge Lorenzo in qualifying to take pole position for the Catalunya Grand Prix, as Honda MotoGP team-mate Marc Marquez crashed twice.

While Pedrosa secured his second pole of the season - his other coming at Jerez last month - Yamaha pair Maverick Vinales and Valentino Rossi could only manage ninth and 13th at Barcelona.
Marquez was in the thick of the action throughout, the reigning world champion crashing five minutes in, after losing the front end at Turn 3.
He was able to get his Honda restarted and rode it back to pitlane, but following a crash in practice four earlier - one of two in practice on Saturday - did not have a second bike to switch over to.
Mechanics quickly repaired the RC213V, including fitting a new footpeg and bending the right handlebar back into place, and he rejoined with five minutes left on the clock.
At the time, Lorenzo led the way with a 1m44.201s, until Pedrosa turned a 1m43.870s to go three tenths clear with three minutes remaining.
There was no change at the top thereafter, with Pedrosa taking his third pole position at Barcelona, while Lorenzo recorded his first front row start with Ducati.
Marquez jumped back onto the front row and into third behind Pedrosa and Lorenzo with his first flying lap after the repairs, completed with just over one minute left on the clock.

He was demoted to fourth but fastest of all through the first sector on his next lap, only to crash for a second time in the 15 minutes at Turn 5.
Fresh from his Mugello podium, Pramac Ducati's Danilo Petrucci claimed his maiden front-row start after demoting Marquez to fourth, while Aprilia's Aleix Espargaro and Avintia Ducati's Hector Barbera will start fifth and sixth.
Lorenzo's team-mate Andrea Dovizioso will line up start seventh, ahead of the two men who progressed to the main session from Q1, Tech3 Yamaha's Jonas Folger and Vinales.
Rossi will start 13th, after missing out on a Q2 berth by just 0.040s on his final lap, with Folger's team-mate Jonas Folger a further 0.020s adrift.
LCR Honda's Cal Crutchlow crashed at Turn 10 on his final run and the Briton will start 17th, while Aprilia rookie Sam Lowes encountered more mechanical problems.
His primary bike was unable to start when Q1 began due to a fuel-pump problem and Lowes qualified 21st on his second bike, having missed the bulk of the 15 minutes of Q1.
Suzuki rider Sylvain Guintoli missed qualifying due to illness, while KTM's Bradley Smith was also sidelined due to a finger injury sustained in a crash during fourth practice.
STARTING GRID:
Pos | Rider | Team | Time | Gap |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Dani Pedrosa | Honda | 1m43.870s | - |
2 | Jorge Lorenzo | Ducati | 1m44.201s | 0.331s |
3 | Danilo Petrucci | Pramac Ducati | 1m44.220s | 0.350s |
4 | Marc Marquez | Honda | 1m44.320s | 0.450s |
5 | Aleix Espargaro | Aprilia | 1m44.348s | 0.478s |
6 | Hector Barbera | Avintia Ducati | 1m44.381s | 0.511s |
7 | Andrea Dovizioso | Ducati | 1m44.451s | 0.581s |
8 | Jonas Folger | Tech3 Yamaha | 1m44.600s | 0.730s |
9 | Maverick Vinales | Yamaha | 1m44.620s | 0.750s |
10 | Alvaro Bautista | Aspar Ducati | 1m44.740s | 0.870s |
11 | Scott Redding | Pramac Ducati | 1m44.852s | 0.982s |
12 | Andrea Iannone | Suzuki | 1m44.928s | 1.058s |
13 | Valentino Rossi | Yamaha | 1m44.661s | 0.791s |
14 | Johann Zarco | Tech3 Yamaha | 1m44.681s | 0.811s |
15 | Jack Miller | MVDS Honda | 1m44.829s | 0.959s |
16 | Loris Baz | Avintia Ducati | 1m44.919s | 1.049s |
17 | Cal Crutchlow | LCR Honda | 1m45.162s | 1.292s |
18 | Karel Abraham | Aspar Ducati | 1m45.641s | 1.771s |
19 | Tito Rabat | MVDS Honda | 1m45.741s | 1.871s |
20 | Pol Espargaro | KTM | 1m45.887s | 2.017s |
21 | Sam Lowes | Aprilia | 1m48.803s | 4.933s |
22 | Sylvain Guintoli | Suzuki | 1m45.912s | 2.042s |
1001 | Bradley Smith | KTM | 1m46.853s | 2.983s |

Barcelona MotoGP: Marquez fastest as Yamaha pair miss Q2 spots
MotoGP rookie Sam Lowes unhappy with the respect inside Aprilia

Latest news
Pol Espargaro doesn’t think Honda is reacting to MotoGP woes
Pol Espargaro isn’t sure the problems Honda is facing at races in MotoGP this season are being relayed back to Japan as “we’re not getting the material we need”.
Marc Marquez to return to MotoGP paddock at Austrian GP for Honda progress update
Marc Marquez will return to the MotoGP paddock at the Austrian Grand Prix to check up on Honda’s progress as he continues his own rehabilitation.
Rins “destroyed” after “not normal” grip issues end Silverstone MotoGP win hopes
Suzuki’s Alex Rins says he was “destroyed” after a “not normal” drop in grip shuffled him from the lead of the MotoGP British Grand Prix to seventh by the end.
Espargaro diagnosed with heel fracture after 115mph Silverstone MotoGP crash
Aprilia has confirmed Aleix Espargaro, following further medical checks on Monday, has been diagnosed with a heel fracture following his violent 115mph Silverstone MotoGP crash.
The signs Quartararo’s 2022 MotoGP title is slipping away from him
Prior to the summer break, the 2022 MotoGP title looked like it was Fabio Quartararo’s to lose. But a crash at Assen and the consequential penalty he had to serve last weekend at Silverstone stopped him from capitalising on a main rival’s injury woes, while a resurgence from another, plus the rise of a former team-mate, look set to conspire against the Yamaha rider
Why Marquez’s toughest MotoGP foe is stopping at the right time
On the eve of the British Grand Prix, Andrea Dovizioso announced that he will be retiring from MotoGP after September’s San Marino GP. The timing of his departure raised eyebrows, but his reasoning remains sensible and what has happened this year should not diminish a hard-built legacy
Why a Suzuki refugee feels he deserves MotoGP's toughest challenge
Alex Rins’ MotoGP future was plunged into sudden doubt when Suzuki elected to quit the series at the end of 2022. Securing a deal with Honda to join LCR, he will now tread a path that many have fallen off from. But it was a move he felt his status deserved, and it’s a challenge – he tells Autosport - he faces with his eyes wide open…
How Formula 1 has driven MotoGP's changing nature
The hiring of technicians from Formula 1 has clearly contributed to a recent change in the MotoGP landscape, with the role of engineers gaining greater significance relative to the riders. Here's how this shift has come about
The revolution behind Aprilia's rise from MotoGP tail-ender to pack-leader
Coinciding with the arrival of Massimo Rivola as head of its MotoGP division, Aprilia has undergone an internal revolution that has spurred it from occupying last place in the team standings to leading the table in the space of just two years. Those entrenched in the project reveal how the ex-Ferrari F1 chief has achieved the dramatic turnaround
The battle Yamaha's wayward son is fighting to be fast again in MotoGP
Franco Morbidelli was long overdue a promotion to factory machinery when it finally came late last year, having finished runner-up in the 2020 standings on an old Yamaha package. But since then the Italian has been a shadow of his former self as he toils to adapt to the 2022 M1, and recognises that he needs to change his style to be quick on it
Why Honda and Yamaha have been left behind in MotoGP's new era
The once all-conquering Japanese manufacturers are going through a difficult period in MotoGP this season. With Suzuki quitting, Honda struggling to get near the podium and Yamaha only enjoying success courtesy of Fabio Quartararo, Japanese manufacturers have been left in the dust by their European counterparts. Key paddock figures explain why.
Who is Valentino Rossi’s newest MotoGP star?
Valentino Rossi’s protégés stole the show at Assen as Francesco Bagnaia stormed to victory to arrest a recent barren run. But it was the rider in second, on Bagnaia’s old bike, who had all eyes on him. Securing his and the VR46 team’s first MotoGP podium, Marco Bezzecchi has all the characteristics that made his mentor special