MotoGP Catalunya Grand Prix qualifying - Start time, how to watch & more

The French rider edged Petronas SRT Yamaha’s Franco Morbidelli by just 0.021s at the end of the second practice session to claim top spot, as MotoGP world championship leader Fabio Quartararo on the factory Yamaha secured third place on the times. 

Fresh from signing a new KTM contract, Brad Binder grabbed fourth place in the second session for the Austrian manufacturer ahead of Ducati’s Francesco Bagnaia.

Maverick Vinales, working with new crew chief Silvano Galbusera for the first time since splitting with Esteban Garcia earlier this week, took sixth place on his factory Yamaha, while Jack Miller – traditionally fast on a Friday – could only manage seventh place for Ducati. 

Enea Bastianini impressed on his two-year-old Avintia Ducati to take eighth place, responding strongly after his strange pre-race crash at the Italian Grand Prix last weekend, as FP1’s timesheet-topper Aleix Espargaro ended the afternoon session in ninth place for Aprilia.

With Pol Espargaro completing the top 10 and the provisional automatic Q2 spots for Repsol Honda, it meant key frontrunners including Marc Marquez and Joan Mir will need to find gains in FP3, while Valentino Rossi’s woes continued for Petronas SRT Yamaha down in 19^th place.

Alex Rins will miss the Catalunya MotoGP round for Suzuki after suffering a broken arm on Thursday during a training incident. 

Aleix Espargaro, Aprilia Racing Team Gresini

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

What time does qualifying start for the Catalunya MotoGP?

Qualifying for the Catalunya MotoGP is set to start at 1:10pm BST (2:10pm local time), using the regular Q1 and Q2 sessions format. Qualifying takes place directly after the 30-minute FP4 session which is set to start at 12:30pm BST (1:30pm local time).

The fastest 10 MotoGP riders on the FP1-2-3 combined timesheet automatically head into Q2, with the rest of the riders entering Q1 of qualifying. The two riders who are fastest in the 15-minute Q1 session will progress into Q2 to compete with the top 10 from practice. Q2, which also lasts 15 minutes, decides who gets pole position and the qualifying order for the front four rows of the grid.

• Date: Saturday 5^th June 2021
• Start time: 1:10pm BST (2:10pm local time)

How can I watch Catalunya MotoGP qualifying?

In the United Kingdom every MotoGP practice, qualifying and race is broadcast live on BT Sport.

Catalunya MotoGP qualifying will be broadcast on BT Sport 2, with the programme starting at 11am BST to also cover qualifying for the Moto3, Moto2 and MotoE classes.

MotoGP qualifying and the race will take place after Moto3 but before Moto2 and MotoE this weekend.

• TV Channel: BT Sport 2
• Start time: 11:00am BST

MotoGP also offers its own live online video streaming service which is available to stream in the UK.

What's the weather forecast for qualifying at Barcelona?

Sunny and cloudy weather conditions are forecast for qualifying at Barcelona on Saturday afternoon, but with a small chance of rain, and a high of 25 degrees Celsius – the same temperature as qualifying for the Italian GP last time out.

FP2 Results

Cla	Rider	Bike	Time	Gap
1	Johann Zarco	Ducati	1'39.235
2	Franco Morbidelli	Yamaha	1'39.256	0.021
3	Fabio Quartararo	Yamaha	1'39.401	0.166
4	Brad Binder	KTM	1'39.662	0.427
5	Francesco Bagnaia	Ducati	1'39.760	0.525
6	Maverick Viñales	Yamaha	1'39.821	0.586
7	Jack Miller	Ducati	1'39.914	0.679
8	Enea Bastianini	Ducati	1'39.977	0.742
9	Aleix Espargaro	Aprilia	1'39.983	0.748
10	Pol Espargaro	Honda	1'39.983	0.748
11	Takaaki Nakagami	Honda	1'40.032	0.797
12	Danilo Petrucci	KTM	1'40.060	0.825
13	Luca Marini	Ducati	1'40.094	0.859
14	Miguel Oliveira	KTM	1'40.096	0.861
15	Marc Marquez	Honda	1'40.120	0.885
16	Joan Mir	Suzuki	1'40.150	0.915
17	Iker Lecuona	KTM	1'40.251	1.016
18	Alex Marquez	Honda	1'40.690	1.455
19	Valentino Rossi	Yamaha	1'40.836	1.601
20	Lorenzo Savadori	Aprilia	1'40.981	1.746
21	Jorge Martin	Ducati	1'41.243	2.008
View full results