Valencia MotoGP: Martin on pole for finale, Bagnaia only eighth

Neither Quartararo nor Bagnaia featured in the battle for pole as both riders made crucial errors late on in the final Q2 shootout session of the season, ending up fourth and eighth respectively on the grid.

Martin set the benchmark pace at the start of the 15-minute Q2 with a 1m29.621s, which would ultimately carry him to pole as no one toppled the Spaniard.

At the end of the first run, Yamaha’s Quartararo sat in fourth with Bagnaia only 11th as he pitted immediately after his first flying lap.

On their second runs, Bagnaia jumped up to seventh, but would run off track on his final lap just seconds after Pramac’s Johann Zarco crashed at Turn 6.

At the same time, Quartararo was on a lap that was threatened to be caught out by the waved yellow flags for his countryman’s accident.

But Quartararo’s 1m29.900s was deemed legal and pushed him up the order to fourth, with the Yamaha rider having enough time to put in one final effort.

However, having run wide exiting Turn 1 as he pushed – which would have cancelled the lap time regardless - Quartararo outbraked himself and ran into the gravel at Turn 2.

Bagnaia, though, could do no more to improve on a 1m30.049s to advance on eighth spot.

Quartararo must win Sunday’s Valencia GP and hope Bagnaia is no higher than 15th if the Yamaha rider is to retain his crown.

Martin came close to improving on his 1m29.621s, but came up just shy with a 1m29.7s – though Honda’s Marc Marquez used the Pramac rider as a reference to lift himself up to second with a 1m29.826s.

Despite a crash late on, Jack Miller completed the front on his factory Ducati ahead of Quartararo, with Alex Rins qualifying fifth for Suzuki’s final grand prix start.

Maverick Vinales came through Q1 with Rins to put his Aprilia sixth on the grid ahead of KTM’s Brad Binder and Bagnaia.

Zarco was left in ninth after his late tumble, while Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro rounded out the top 10 ahead of VR46 Ducati rider Luca Marini and the second Suzuki of Joan Mir.

A crash late on in Q1 meant Gresini Ducati rider Enea Bastianini could not advance in Q2 and will start the race from 13th ahead of KTM’s Miguel Oliveira and LCR Honda’s Alex Marquez – who had his session hindered by a technical issue on his bike.

Franco Morbidelli was 16th on the second of the factory Yamahas from RNF Racing’s Cal Crutchlow and VR46’s Marco Bezzecchi.

Fabio Di Giannantonio was 19th on the Gresini Ducati ahead of Tech 3’s Remy Gardner, LCR Honda’s Takaaki Nakagami, Honda’s Pol Espargaro – who crashed in Q1 – Raul Fernandez (Tech3) and RNF’s Darryn Binder.

Valencia GP - Qualifying results:

Cla	Rider		Bike	Time	Gap
1	Jorge Martin		Ducati	1'29.621
2	Marc Marquez		Honda	1'29.826	0.205
3	Jack Miller		Ducati	1'29.834	0.213
4	Fabio Quartararo		Yamaha	1'29.900	0.279
5	Alex Rins		Suzuki	1'29.940	0.319
6	Maverick Viñales		Aprilia	1'29.955	0.334
7	Brad Binder		KTM	1'30.039	0.418
8	Francesco Bagnaia		Ducati	1'30.049	0.428
9	Johann Zarco		Ducati	1'30.102	0.481
10	Aleix Espargaro		Aprilia	1'30.124	0.503
11	Luca Marini		Ducati	1'30.143	0.522
12	Joan Mir		Suzuki	1'30.241	0.620
13	Enea Bastianini		Ducati	1'30.193	0.572
14	Miguel Oliveira		KTM	1'30.236	0.615
15	Alex Marquez		Honda	1'30.453	0.832
16	Franco Morbidelli		Yamaha	1'30.504	0.883
17	Cal Crutchlow		Yamaha	1'30.548	0.927
18	Marco Bezzecchi		Ducati	1'30.588	0.967
19	Fabio Di Giannantonio		Ducati	1'30.695	1.074
20	Remy Gardner		KTM	1'30.804	1.183
21	Takaaki Nakagami		Honda	1'30.830	1.209
22	Pol Espargaro		Honda	1'30.936	1.315
23	Raúl Fernández		KTM	1'31.676	2.055
24	Darryn Binder		Yamaha	1'31.989	2.368
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