Valencia MotoGP qualifying
By: Matt Beer
Summary
Status: Stopped
That was certainly entertaining. Can Dovizioso overcome his unlikely odds – and an eight-place starting deficit to Marquez – and snatch the MotoGP title tomorrow? Join us to find out. Our commentary will begin shortly before the race starts at 1pm UK time.
Thanks for joining us and we'll see you tomorrow. For now, here's our qualifying report:
Thanks for joining us and we'll see you tomorrow. For now, here's our qualifying report:
Marquez: "I was angry. I was in the box speaking with Santi my chief engineer and I say my first lap I don't feel ready at Turn 4. But I say maybe this time will be ready – I try, it's not ready!"
"The most important thing is we're on the pole position with good pace. I'll keep the same mentality and try to be faster and faster."
"The most important thing is we're on the pole position with good pace. I'll keep the same mentality and try to be faster and faster."
Zarco says he didn't expect pole position – says he's pretty happy with his lap time and he probably couldn't have gone better with his experience.
"I think the pace can be good – let's see if I can stay with the top guys, fighting for the victory. It would be the best way to finish the season."
"I think the pace can be good – let's see if I can stay with the top guys, fighting for the victory. It would be the best way to finish the season."
That's 27 crashes for the year for Marquez...but will he care? Probably not. Pole position and his title rival down in ninth. Not bad.
Here's how qualifying ended up, then:
1. Marquez
2. Zarco
3. Iannone
4. Lorenzo
5. Pedrosa
6. Pirro
7. Rossi
8. A Espargaro
9. Dovizioso
10. Rins
11. P Espargaro*
12. Miller
13. Vinales
14. Rabat
15. Petrucci
16. Crutchlow
17. Smith
18. Abraham
19. Kallio
20. Barbera
21. Bautista
22. Redding
23. Baz
24. Lowes
25. Van der Mark
* Will start from the pitlane
1. Marquez
2. Zarco
3. Iannone
4. Lorenzo
5. Pedrosa
6. Pirro
7. Rossi
8. A Espargaro
9. Dovizioso
10. Rins
11. P Espargaro*
12. Miller
13. Vinales
14. Rabat
15. Petrucci
16. Crutchlow
17. Smith
18. Abraham
19. Kallio
20. Barbera
21. Bautista
22. Redding
23. Baz
24. Lowes
25. Van der Mark
* Will start from the pitlane
Lorenzo, Pedrosa and Pirro make up the second row. Dovizioso clings to the outside of row three, behind Rossi and Aleix Espargaro, who has crashed at the end of the session.
Dovizioso fails to improve in the first sector but finds time in the second. It's a personal best in sector three, and he ends the lap improving to eighth on a 1m30.961s.
Here's the order so far heading into the final runs:
1 Marquez
2 Lorenzo
3 Zarco
4 Pedrosa
5 A Espargaro
6 Iannone
7 Pirro
8 Rins
9 P Espargaro
10 Rossi
11 Miller
12 Dovizioso
1 Marquez
2 Lorenzo
3 Zarco
4 Pedrosa
5 A Espargaro
6 Iannone
7 Pirro
8 Rins
9 P Espargaro
10 Rossi
11 Miller
12 Dovizioso
Replays show just how dramatic Lorenzo's shunt was, and how lucky he is to have walked away. Just dropped the front and slid rapidly across the gravel at the final corner.
Marquez is more than half a second clear of anyone. Huge advantage. Although before Lorenzo's shunt, the Ducati was on a better lap.
Big crash for Lorenzo. He was on a personal best that featured two fastest sectors of the session. The Ducati rider shunted at Turn 13.
Marquez, Lorenzo, Pirro, Rins, Pedrosa, Zarco, Miller, Aleix Espargaro, Dovizioso, Iannone, Pol Espargaro and Rossi the order after the first flying laps.
A 1m31.1s was the fastest FP4 time from Marquez but the Q1 runners got into the 1m30s. So it'll be interesting to see what's enough for pole here.
Dovizioso giving away time in the first two sectors on this lap so it's not going to be stunning out of the blocks from the title outsider.
Right, that's a long enough break don't you think? Come on. Let's have the proper part of qualifying now please.
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