Rossi beats Lorenzo to Mugello pole position
Full MotoGP qualifying results from Mugello
Valentino Rossi has claimed his first MotoGP pole position since 2016 after edging out Jorge Lorenzo at Mugello ahead of the Italian Grand Prix.
Full MotoGP qualifying results from Mugello
Valentino Rossi has claimed his first MotoGP pole position since 2016 after edging out Jorge Lorenzo at Mugello ahead of the Italian Grand Prix.
The Movistar Yamaha rider pulled out a surprise final flying lap to take a new outright lap record with a 1m 46.208s to take provisional pole position with two minutes remaining in qualifying.
Rossi’s former teammate Lorenzo went closest to taking pole off the Italian but missed out by just 0.035s on the Ducati to see the 39-year-old secure his first MotoGP pole since Motegi in 2016.
In a frantic session where the old lap record was continually beaten before Rossi’s storming lap, Maverick Vinales, who needed to progress from Q1, ensured both Movistar Yamahas will start on the front row with third place thanks to his final lap - with the top three split by less than one-tenth of a second.
Andrea Iannone, on the weekend he confirmed he would be leaving Suzuki, converted his impressive Friday practice pace to head up the second row just ahead of Pramac Ducati’s Danilo Petrucci.
Marc Marquez, who initially broke the lap record in FP3, struggled to replicate the same pace with his Repsol Honda and slipped down to sixth place at the chequered flag after being forced to bail out of his final lap after another miraculous save on his elbow at Turn 15.
Ducati’s Andrea Dovizioso, Mugello race winner from 12 months ago, was another to just miss out and will start his home MotoGP race in seventh place, joined on the third row by LCR Honda’s Cal Crutchlow and Tech3 Yamaha’s Johann Zarco.
Alex Rins heads up the fourth row for Suzuki in 10th place ahead of Q1 graduate Jack Miller in 11th for Pramac Ducati and standout rookie Franco Morbidelli in 12th place for Marc VDS Honda.
Tito Rabat was the unlucky rider in 13th place having just missed out making it into Q2 for Avintia Ducati ahead of Hafizh Syahrin on the Tech3 Yamaha.
Pol Espargaro continues to lead the Red Bull KTM charge in 15th place with Alvaro Bautista (Angel Nieto Ducati) splitting him from teammate Bradley Smith.
Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa endured a nightmare qualifying in Italy down in 20th having struggled in Q1 and starts behind LCR Honda’s Takaaki Nakagami and Marc VDS Honda’s Thomas Luthi.
It was also a miserable session for Aprilia with Aleix Espargaro in 21st and teammate Scott Redding in 23rd.
