Mugello MotoGP qualifying

16:04 That's a wrap for us today, as Marquez beats Quartararo to pole in a pretty awesome Mugello qualifying session.

The reigning champion is in imperious form, but he is a bit under the weather - and thus questions remain over his fitness for the full race distance. So, in theory, tomorrow's race is anyone's game.

See you then.

Mugello MotoGP: Marquez pips Quartararo to pole, Rossi 18th

Marc Marquez secured his fourth pole position of the 2019 MotoGP season after edging out Fabio Quartararo by 0.214s at the end of a frenetic qualifying session for the Italian Grand Prix.

16:02 Marquez: "Was a difficult qualifying practice, because was a little bit difficult to find a way to be fast. With the first tyre I feel ready to go, and I attack, but then Dovi slowed down, I overtook him and I lost the time there.

"With the second tyre I say okay, now is time to play our strategy. I find a good space, a good slipstream in the end, I calculate so well the space between me and Dovi.

"The pole position is important, but the most important is the front row and try to be ready tomorrow for the race because the Yamaha riders are riding in a very good way."

16:00 Quartararo: "It's incredible. We know that there is a few tracks where for a rider to make the front row is amazing, and this is one of those places.

"Really happy to be in second position behind Marc. Our pace is good, I can't wait for tomorrow's race."

15:59 Petrucci: "Very very difficult. Because this morning [in FP3] the laptime was very good but the situation was a little bit better, there was much cooler asphalt. This afternoon my target was 45.8, I reach the target, the problem was the other two that were just a little bit faster.

"Anyway, the target was the first row. For tomorrow will be tough, because I am not fully fit, I have a cold and flu and I'm not so powerful, but I will try everything to stand here tomorrow too."

15:56 Marquez is now one ahead of Rossi, and just two behind Mick Doohan, in all-time premier-class pole positions rankings.

He's 26.

15:54 Dovizioso might just rue not rolling out of that final lap. He'll only be ninth on the grid, but without him main title rival Marquez will probably not have been on pole.

15:53 Q2 results: 1 Marquez, 2 Quartararo, 3 Petrucci, 4 Morbidelli, 5 Miller, 6 Crutchlow, 7 Vinales, 8 Bagnaia, 9 Dovizioso, 10 Nakagami, 11 P Espargaro, 12 Pirro.

15:52 Marquez takes pole position at Mugello, with Quartararo and Petrucci joining him on the front row.

15:52 Quartararo can't get it back! He improves too, but comes up two tenths short, missing out on a crucial tow.

15:51 Marquez, who spends the last two sectors right in Dovizioso's wheeltracks, goes quickest - 1m45.519s!

15:51 Quartararo is up too! This is going to go down to the wire.

15:50 The chequered flag is out. Marquez is two tenths up at the halfway point of the lap.

15:50 Marquez - who has been shuffled down to sixth - is being towed by Dovizioso on his final lap. Vinales is a corner or so behind, and is towing Pirro.

15:49 A minute left on the clock. Provisional poleman Quartararo is alone on track, as team-mate Franco Morbidelli joins him and Petrucci in the top three,

15:48 Petrucci virtually mirrors the lap of his rival for the 2020 Ducati ride. He goes second, 0.036s off - they can't quite live with Quartararo in S3.

15:47 Miller loses all of his margin over Quartararo and then some in the third sector. He's 0.184s slower over the start-finish line.

15:47

15:47 Miller is sublime through the first two sectors, heading Quartararo by seven hundredths.

15:46 Miller starts the second series of runs in Q2. All 12 bikes back out now.

15:45

15:43 Current order: 1 Quartararo, 2 Vinales, 3 Marquez, 4 Crutchlow, 5 Miller, 6 Petrucci, 7 Pirro, 8 Morbidelli, 9 Nakagami, 10 P Espargaro, 11 Bagnaia, 12 Dovizioso.

15:43 Vinales moves up to second ahead of Marquez, Crutchlow and MIller, as the first runs conclude.

15:42 Quartararo, running pretty much alone on track (a corner or so ahead of Morbidelli and Vinales), fires in an even better 1m45.845s this time by.

15:41 Bagnaia re-passes Marquez on this lap, meaning the reigning champion won't be improving this time by - even though he gets back ahead of the rookie a few corners later. What a wacky session!

15:40 It immediately isn't enough, because Quartararo, who is running just ahead of two fellow Yamahas, goes quicker instantly with a 1m45.992s.

15:39 Marquez is the initial pace-setter with a 1m46.291s. That's actually very good for a lap that featured two overtakes - but it won't be enough.

15:39 Dovizioso slows up and Marquez is forced to make another overtake - a rather aggressive one on that - on his push lap.

15:39 Petrucci sits up and rolls out of his first push lap, rightly uninterested in towing Dovizioso and Marquez along.

15:38 The first flying laps are underway, and it's a proper pack race now, Petrucci heading Dovizioso, Marquez and Bagnaia. Marquez throws it down the inside of Bagnaia at Turn 1!

15:36 Pirro and Marquez head out as soon as the session gets going. But Bagnaia is now ahead of both on track.

15:35 The 15-minute second qualifying segment is underway.

15:35 That's five Ducatis, three Yamahas, three Hondas and the lone KTM of Pol Espargaro, who - hopefully not to jinx him - has been having an absolutely storming weekend.

15:34 Q2 roster: Dovizioso, Petrucci, Vinales, Quartararo, Morbidelli, Nakagami, Crutchlow, Miller, P Espargaro, Pirro, Bagnaia, Marquez.

15:33 Social media chatter is suggesting this is Rossi's worst qualifying since 2006. Qualifying has never been his strong suit, really, but this really is an unmitigated disaster, considering the other three Yamaha M1s will be contesting Q2 now.

15:30 Replays show Rossi having a massive moment at Turn 5 on his final run - but he should've still had enough time for a last-gasp effort, and yet he missed out.

15:29 A shout-out to Syahrin, who's been having a pretty wretched season so far, but has at least beaten team-mate Oliveira (by 0,013s) - as well as Iannone - in qualifying here.

15:28 Q1 results: 1 Dovizioso, 2 Pirro, 3 Rins, 4 Rabat, 5 A Espargaro, 6 Abraham, 7 Lorenzo, 8 Rossi, 9 Zarco, 10 Mir, 11 Syahrin, 12 Oliveira, 13 Iannone.

15:27 Zarco's off at Correntaio, and looks rather shaken up by it. His leg got briefly caught on the seat as the bike headed for the gravel, but ultimately the Frenchman appears to be unhurt.

15:26 Rins comes up short and will start 13th, ahead of Rabat and Aleix Espargaro. Rossi will be 18th on the grid.

15:25 Dovizioso goes quickest, 1m46.278s. He will progress from Q2 alongside Pirro.