Stunning Q2: Eight drivers break Marco Marquez’s old lap record as Aleix Espargaro rescues second row after FP4 epic crash
Johann Zarka (Prima Pramac Racing) will start from pole position for the Monster Energy British Grand Prix after setting a new all-time lap record at Silverstone. With a superb 1:57.767, the Frenchman was 0.098s clear of second-placed Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing), while Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) took the front row in P3. And after a huge crash in FP4, Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) salvaged a heroic P6 to finish just 0.199s from pole – sensational for the Spaniard.
In the battle for pole position, Alex Marquez (LCR Honda Castrol) saw early drama unfold when the Spaniard crashed at the Vale chicane. Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) was fastest and went faster again on his final flying lap to seal 1st place, while Ducati teammate Marco Bececki (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) snatched 2nd place from Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) on his final lap to advance to Q2.
Stunning 2nd block in Silverstone
After a huge climb at Turn 12 in FP4, a bruised Aleix Espargaro returned to the track after medicals confirmed he had no fractures. Meanwhile, after the first few flying laps, Martin produced a quality early banker to edge out team-mate Zarc by less than a tenth – 1:58.377 was the time to take the win.
Quartarara then improved his time by 0.118s, while Miller moved up to P2, 0.001s behind the Frenchman. Espargar’s first attempt was 1.6 seconds off the pace of Quartararo, but it was just a practice run to see how he felt. New tires were fitted and the number 41 was brought back to see how far it could go up the grid – just being there was impressive enough.
Silverstone CCTV cameras show the full effect of A. Espargar’s FP4 crash
It was Espargaro’s team-mate Viñales who held a tentative third place until the last five minutes of the session, Martin and Zarca were shuffled into 4th and 5th, while Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) moved ahead of seventh-placed Francesco Bagnaia (Team Ducati Lenovo Team). ).
The focus then turned to Alejandro Espargar. Three red sectors were set and, incredibly, a new all-time lap record of 1:57.966 was set. A phenomenal effort, but not enough for pole position as a flurry of fast times awaited. Quartararo was briefly back on top before Miller won the star Yamaha. However, Zarc’s stunning shot put the Frenchman in first place, only to be beaten by Banya, who finished fourth ahead of Espargaro.
The last rider to cross the line on the flying lap was Viñales – and it was a belt. Top Gun’s 1:57.865 was enough to lift him into second place, giving the Spaniard his best qualifying result with Aprilia and his first front row since taking pole at the 2021 Dutch TT.
In the end, Zarc’s new all-time lap record gives him third place in the World Championship pursuit, his second pole position of the season. Quartarara will be praying for a great escape from 4th as he faces a much talked about long lap penalty on Sunday afternoon with the three main title contenders lining up on the second row. Banya starts P5, Aleix Espargaro starts P6.
Passing Q1, Bacecki starts seventh, ahead of fellow Q1 graduate Bastianini – surprisingly both Ducati riders were just short of Marco Marquez’s (Repsol Honda Team) old record at Silverstone. Here’s how competitive MotoGP™ is in 2022.
Martin had to settle for 9th despite being half a second short of pole position as Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing Team), Rins and Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) finished 2nd in 10 , 11 and 12 respectively.
All of which means we’re set for a magical Sunday at Silverstone. Don’t miss the decisive battle for the title at 13:00 local time (GMT+1)!
Top 10:
1. Johan Zarka (Prima Pramac Racing) — 1:57.767
2. Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) +0.098
3. Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) +0.164
4. Fabio Quartarara (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) + 0.171
5. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) +0.194
6. Alejandro Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) +0.199
7. Marco Bacecki (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) +0.334
8. Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) + 0.339
9. Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) +0.407
10. Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) +0.550
Zarka breaks the Silverstone circuit record on pole
Source link Zarka breaks the Silverstone circuit record on pole