Stunning Jorge Martin takes maiden Pole Position in Doha
Qualifying for the Doha MotoGP Grand Prix sees rookie Jorge Martin produce a sensational final lap to take his maiden pole position for Pramac Ducati.
The Spanish rider was fastest after the first runs in Q2, and after Maverick Vinales and Johann Zarco both jumped to the top on their final lap, a brilliant final sector resulted in Martin regaining first place.
Martin has gone from strength to strength in only his second MotoGP Grand Prix weekend, and topped off a perfect day for the Pramac team with a one-two for tomorrow’s race.
Starting third will be Qatar race one winner Vinales ahead of factory Ducati Jack Miller.
Fabio Quartararo will start the race from fifth, which is where he finished last Sunday’s race, while pole sitter from a week ago Francesco Bagnaia will line up sixth.
The third row consists of Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro in seventh and the two Suzuki's of Alex Rins and Joan Mir in eighth and ninth.
Looking for improvements during qualifying compared to round one, Mir made his way through a tense Q1 session with Miguel Oliveria joining him, but the world champion could only manage one place higher than his position from the opening round.
Rounding out the final row of the Q2 session was Franco Morbidelli for Petronas Yamaha, with Stefan Bradl and Oliveira 11th and 12th respectively.
Although he did not advance through Q1, it was an impressive day for Luca Marini who narrowly missed out on his first Q2 appearance and will instead start 13th.
It was not a good qualifying for the likes of Pol Espargaro, Takaaki Nakagami and Valentino Rossi, who all started inside the top twelve last week.
Espargaro was 15th and just ahead of the Japanese rider, while Rossi was 21st with only Lorenzo Savadori behind the nine-time world champion.
