MotoGP Italian Grand Prix qualifying - Start time, how to watch & more
Francesco Bagnaia topped Friday practice for Ducati at the MotoGP Italian Grand Prix at Mugello. Here’s how and when to watch qualifying.
The Italian’s late FP2 lap of 1m46.147s saw him set the fastest time on Friday by just 0.071 seconds, having narrowly edged out Suzuki’s Alex Rins at the top of the timesheet.
Franco Morbidelli impressed on the older-spec Yamaha M1 to take third place for Petronas SRT and push former team-mate and MotoGP world championship leader Fabio Quartararo into fourth place – but the French rider had his final run disturbed by traffic on the racing line.
KTM demonstrated a resurgence with Brad Binder and Miguel Oliveira taking fifth and sixth respectively at the end of FP2, with the Austrian manufacturer running with a new chassis which was tested at Jerez earlier this month.
Takaaki Nakagami led the Honda charge for LCR in seventh place, with factory Honda duo Marc Marquez in 12th and team-mate Pol Espargaro in 13th on the FP2 times.
Aleix Espargaro slotted his Aprilia into eighth in the afternoon session just ahead of back-to-back race winner Jack Miller on the factory Ducati, as Pramac’s Johann Zarco rounded out the top 10 just ahead of defending MotoGP world champion Joan Mir in 11th.
It was another tough day for Valentino Rossi, who endured two off-track moments in FP2, and ended the session down in 21st place for Petronas SRT.
Maverick Vinales, Yamaha Factory Racing
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
What time does qualifying start for the Italian MotoGP?
Qualifying for the Italian 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 29th May 2021
Start time: 1:10pm BST (2:10pm local time)
How can I watch qualifying?
In the United Kingdom every MotoGP practice, qualifying and race is broadcast live on BT Sport.
Italian MotoGP qualifying will be broadcast on BT Sport 2, with the programme starting at 11am BST to also cover qualifying for the Moto3 and Moto2 classes.
MotoGP qualifying and the race will take place after Moto3 but before Moto2 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.
Joan Mir, Team Suzuki MotoGP
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
What's the weather forecast for qualifying at Mugello?
Sunny and cloudy weather conditions are forecast for qualifying at Mugello on Saturday afternoon, but with a low chance of rain, with a high of 25 degrees Celsius – nine degrees warmer than qualifying for the French GP last time out.
MotoGP Italian GP free practice 2 results
| Cla | Rider | Bike | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Francesco Bagnaia |
Ducati | 1'46.147 | |
| 2 |  Alex Rins |
Suzuki | 1'46.218 | 0.071 |
| 3 | Franco Morbidelli |
Yamaha | 1'46.331 | 0.184 |
| 4 |  Fabio Quartararo |
Yamaha | 1'46.372 | 0.225 |
| 5 |  Brad Binder |
KTM | 1'46.436 | 0.289 |
| 6 |  Miguel Oliveira |
KTM | 1'46.584 | 0.437 |
| 7 |  Takaaki Nakagami |
Honda | 1'46.593 | 0.446 |
| 8 | Aleix Espargaro |
Aprilia | 1'46.655 | 0.508 |
| 9 |  Jack Miller |
Ducati | 1'46.688 | 0.541 |
| 10 | Johann Zarco |
Ducati | 1'46.840 | 0.693 |
| View full results | ||||
MotoGP Italian GP free practice 1 results
| Cla | Rider | Bike | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maverick Viñales |
Yamaha | 1'46.593 | |
| 2 | Johann Zarco |
Ducati | 1'46.802 | 0.209 |
| 3 | Alex Rins |
Suzuki | 1'46.952 | 0.359 |
| 4 | Joan Mir |
Suzuki | 1'47.176 | 0.583 |
| 5 | Franco Morbidelli |
Yamaha | 1'47.184 | 0.591 |
| 6 | Francesco Bagnaia |
Ducati | 1'47.186 | 0.593 |
| 7 | Michele Pirro |
Honda | 1'47.555 | 0.962 |
| 8 | Fabio Quartararo |
Yamaha | 1'47.566 | 0.973 |
| 9 | Jack Miller |
Ducati | 1'47.716 | 1.123 |
| 10 | Miguel Oliveira |
KTM | 1'47.748 | 1.155 |
| View full results | ||||
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