Qualifying report

MotoGP Catalan GP

Barcelona MotoGP: Top 5 quotes after qualifying

Dani Pedrosa takes stunning pole at sunny Catalunya

Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda Team

Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda Team

Jorge Lorenzo, Ducati Team

Danilo Petrucci, Pramac Racing

Marc Marquez, Repsol Honda Team

Marc Marquez, Repsol Honda Team

Aleix Espargaro, Aprilia Racing Team Gresini

Cla	#	Driver	Bike	Laps	Time	Gap	km/h
1	26	Dani Pedrosa	Honda	7	1'43.870		163.831
“I’m very happy because taking pole is always very difficult, and doing it in front of your home fans is just amazing. Last year we struggled a lot in qualifying, while this season we’ve already earned two poles, so I wish to thank my team for the good work. We’ve worked really hard on this aspect, and we’re getting better and better. The conditions were quite difficult today, especially for the tyres as it was very hot and the grip wasn’t the best. We tried to manage the situation as well as possible, working a lot on the setup to improve tyre life. The tyres will be the key to the race tomorrow; it’d be great to have the same feeling from today, but we’ll wait and see. We’ll just remain focused and be prepared to do our best.”
2	99	Jorge Lorenzo	Ducati	7	1'44.201	0.331	163.311
“Today finally we were able to do a really good qualifying session and for the first time I start from the front row on a Ducati. Montmeló is a circuit that I like a lot, and above all it allows me to express myself to the maximum over one lap. In this afternoon’s free practice session we improved the bike a lot and we were able to make it more stable and keep up quite a fast pace. For tomorrow it will be very important to have good grip with the rear tyre in the last part of the race. I’m happy with today’s result and tomorrow morning in the warm-up we’ll try and make some final modifications to put us in a position to fight for a good result in the race.”
3	9	Danilo Petrucci	Ducati	7	1'44.220	0.350	163.281
"It was a very good qualifying, perhaps even unexpected because the asphalt is not in good conditions as it is very slippery. Since yesterday we have been very fast with soft tires. We will have to improve tomorrow on race distance. The second half of the race will really be very difficult. We will start from a better position than Mugello so I hope to manage to save the rubber at the beginning. I want to make a good start to try to stand in front. I'd like to end up in the top five"
4	93	Marc Marquez	Honda	5	1'44.320	0.450	163.125
“Fourth on the grid, four crashes—today was a bit challenging for us, but in reality we’re not so bad. We started the day very well; I felt very comfortable in FP3, but then I crashed in FP4 and everything followed from that. We were able to prepare the bike for the qualifying session, but the feeling wasn’t exactly the same; when the temperature gets so high, the front tyre moves a lot. But I was at my home GP, so I just gave it my all and tried 100%. I crashed, but in the end we’ll start from fourth, which isn’t that bad. I think if I’m able to keep calm and ride more smoothly, we’ll be okay. I look forward to having a great race tomorrow, and to fighting for the podium.”
5	41	Aleix Espargaro	Aprilia	7	1'44.348	0.478	163.081
"I am happy, especially with the feeling I have on the bike for the race. Qualifying was very tight. I had expected something more with the soft tyre, but on both flying laps I lost a few tenths in the first sector. In any case, fifth place is fantastic. It will definitely make life easier in the race. I have a good pace and on this track with such little grip, anything could happen. I am motivated and positive. I am expecting a good Sunday."

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