Bezzecchi’s podium is his third in a row, and one that keeps him P3 in the title race. Roberts was disappointed with P4 after crossing the line third, but it was a great ride from the American. Marcel Schrötter’s (Liqui Moly Intact GP) fifth place is his best finish of the year, rookies Ai Ogura (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia), Tony Arbolino (Liqui Moly Intact GP) and Cameron Beaubier (American Racing) – from 26th on the grid – claim fantastic results in P6, P7 and P8 respectively.
He returned in 2021 a rejuvenated rider, instantly cementing his place inside the top five during Free Practice on the opening day of the season in Qatar. He’d follow that form through to Sunday, with a career-first top ten finish. Two further point scoring finishes followed at the Doha and Portuguese Grands Prix before he claimed his career-best result of seventh at the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto.
Dupasquier was involved in a multi-rider incident between Turns 9 and 10, with the session Red Flagged thereafter. FIM Medical Intervention Vehicles arrived at the site immediately and the Swiss rider was attended to on track before being transferred by medical helicopter, in a stable state, to Careggi Hospital in Florence.
It was a typically tight lightweight class encounter at Mugello, with the top 15 riders locked together throughout the 20-lap race. Foggia looked strong for the entirety, his Leopard Honda a rocket down the 1.1km straight, and the Italian was able to hold firm on the final lap to win his home Grand Prix. Masia returned to the podium for the first time since the opening weekend of the season, with Rodrigo standing on the podium for the first time since the 2018 Catalan GP.
Polesitter Raul Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) continued to set the pace at the Gran Premio d’Italia Oakley in Moto2™ Warm Up, the Spanish rookie set a 1:51.152 to beat Sam Lowes (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) by 0.132s. World Championship leader Remy Gardner (Red Bull KTM Ajo) was third fastest as the Australian aims to keep his title lead intact this afternoon.
Understandably, CarXpert PrüstelGP have decided not to take part in today’s Moto3™ race at Mugello, with Jason Dupasquier’s condition still critical following yesterday’s qualifying incident. All our thoughts are with Jason, his family, friends, and the PrüstelGP team. Keep fighting Jason.
2021 FIM Superbike World Championship Round Two – Estoril
The first race of the Gaerne Estoril Round proved to be a thrilling spectacle that ebbed and flowed throughout between the leading trio at the Circuito Estoril as Scott Redding (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) claimed his second MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship win of the season with the top three separated by less than one second.
Redding and Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) both got a good start but it was the Ducati of Redding who got the jump on Rea on the opening lap before Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with BRIXX WorldSBK) was able to jump Rea into second place.
As Redding and Razgatlioglu broke away at the end of the opening lap, Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) was able to fight with Rea to pass him on Lap 2, although Rea responded the following lap to move back into the podium places. The trio battled it out throughout the race, with Rea on the SC0 tyre and both Redding and Razgatlioglu on the SCX tyre.
Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) got a good start on his SC0 tyres, one of only six riders to start on that tyre, to move from seventh into fifth on the opening lap before moving down the order as riders who had lost positions through Superpole times being deleted made progress; Mahias would eventually finish in 13th place.
Although the battle for the lead settled down in the middle stages of the race, Rea’s SC0 tyre appeared to hold on more throughout the 21-lap race as he put pressure on Razgatlioglu in the latter stages. Rea was able to get a run on Razgatlioglu on the start and finish straight, although the Turkish star was able to keep the position on the brakes into the right-hander of Turn 1.
It means Redding claimed his first back-to-back wins following his Race 2 victory at the Aragon Round last time out, while Rea stepped onto the podium for the 189th time in his WorldSBK career; while it’s Kawasaki’s first podium at Estoril since 1993.
Garrett Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) finished fourth after fighting back through the field after losing out at the start, including a battle with Rinaldi in fifth; Gerloff passing the Italian rider in the latter stages of the race to claim a top-four finish. Rinaldi was unable to keep his pace going throughout the race and dropped four seconds to Gerloff at the end of the race but was able to finish ahead of Chaz Davies (Team GoEleven) in sixth.
Dutch rider Michael van der Mark (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) battled from outside the top ten to claim a seventh place finish as the new BMW M 1000 RR showed strong pace yet again, ahead of Alvaro Bautista (Team HRC) after the Spanish rider started 18th following his Superpole time being deleted. Tito Rabat (Barni Racing Team) claimed his best WorldSBK result to date with ninth while Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha with BRIXX WorldSBK) secured a top ten finish after losing out in the early laps of the race.
Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing), the youngest rider on the grid, was another rider who had a Superpole time deleted but the Italian rider was able to come home in 11th place and take home his best WorldSBK result to date, five seconds clear of Leon Haslam (Team HRC). Mahias finished in 13th place with Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) in 14th despite the British rider moving up the order in the early stages before falling back down. Kohta Nozane (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) claimed the final point available in Race 1 with 15th place, finishing one second clear of Jonas Folger (Bonovo MGM Action).
Isaac Viñales (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) came home in 17th place on his first visit to Estoril on WorldSBK machinery, while Eugene Laverty (RC Squadra Corse), who had made progress from 13th on the grid to run in the top seven lost the front of his BMW M 1000 RR at Turn 4 when battling with van der Mark, forcing the Irishman to tumble down the order although he was able to rejoin the race. At around the same time on Lap 9, another rider who was making up ground, Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) crashed at Turn 7 as he also lost time after fighting from tenth. Like Laverty, he was able to rejoin the race to finish ahead of Loris Cresson (TPR Team Pedercini Racing).
Scott Redding – P1
“I felt pretty good. I wasn’t really confident before the race because I saw Toprak had quite good pace earlier in the weekend and the two Kawasakis were quite strong today, so I was not really confident. I just said ‘ok, get the start, go to the front and you’re going to have to muscle your way around a little bit’. I was quite good but a couple of small mistakes I was making into Turn 1 were costing me about two-tenths that I would gap and then lose it again. In general, quite happy. The tyre kind of worked okay. I went off the start and then I realised I choose the SCX. I was a little bit in panic for a little while, but it stayed quite stable and I think I was quite lucky because Torpak had the same tyre, only Jonathan with the SC0. It was good and it kind of paid off here because it was not so abrasive. We’ll see tomorrow, maybe we’ll try the SC0.”
Toprak Razgatlioglu – P2
“Today, I had a really good start in the race, but I tried to follow Redding because he was really fast, and his sector two times are incredibly fast but I tried in the race just to close the gap. On the last laps, my tyres had a big drop but I was fighting again for first place but not enough. On the last two laps, I see Jonny and I’m pushing again for second because I need these points, I need good points for the Championship. We are happy because again we’re on the podium, but we will see tomorrow because I like this track, I need the win.”
Jonathan Rea – P3
“Yesterday I thought that this race would be a little bit different. We made the bike much better today and winning Superpole helped to have track position in the first lap. But it is such a long start straight at Estoril I was just a gauge for other people making a holeshot to brake. I made a mistake and Rinaldi came past. When he did that I just lost grip a little bit and I had to work so hard to catch back up. I was getting there, and I felt my rhythm was the same as the leading guys at the end. I was just not really sure where I could pass. I am happy to be on the podium because I was terrible here last year. I never found a rhythm with the track. This morning I felt like I had a good rhythm and continued that today. It was quite clear to see where I was losing and it is very hard to rectify that right now. Step-by-step, we are improving.”
Garrett Gerloff – P4
“I had an excellent start in the race, but then, when braking into Turn 1, a rider got to my inside and I had to pick the bike back up and go wide. Four or five people ended up passing me, which was frustrating because I just wanted to have a clean first lap so that I could settle in and run a smooth race. It was a bad way to start, but then I put my head down and did the best I could to finish in the best possible position. We had a good pace, I made a couple mistakes here and there but still finished fourth and as the top independent rider. Not bad, but I definitely wanted to stand on the podium today. We will give it another go tomorrow.”
Michael Rinaldi – P5
“Today was a pretty positive race. We come from the difficult weekend in Aragon but both yesterday and this morning we did a great job with the team. This is the reason why I was competitive especially in the first part of the race. I am a bit disappointed for the last few laps because honestly, I think we could have done a bit better. We will work tonight to analyze the data and I’m sure we will find solutions to fix some details and be able to fight for the podium tomorrow”.
Michael van der Mark – P7
“We lost some valuable track time again this morning, so that was not how we wanted to start the day. But anyway, in Superpole I felt good; I improved my lap time and then in qualifying I had really good first three sectors, but then the tyre was gone so I could not gain any time in the last sector. That was a pity because that meant starting initially from P14, which was then P12. I had a really good start and the race was my first long run this weekend. I was surprised by the pace I had and with the consistency of the bike. I am happy with this position, but I am happier with the consistency we had and also when I changed some electronics during the race. We took a really good step forward. I am happy with P7 but even more about the whole pace.”
Alvaro Bautista – P8
“Our performance today in race 1 was significant, not so much for the result as we aim to do much more than eighth of course but for the feeling that I had with the bike after yesterday’s crashes. I was quite careful in the early stages, especially on the brakes, but although I started a long way back on the grid – which didn’t help – lap after lap, and pass after pass, my confidence increased, and in the second part of the race my pace was much faster than in practice. This means we can head into tomorrow’s races with a better feeling and can hopefully make another step forward. We do still have work to do on the bike if we want to continue improving. At Aragón we made some progress on the electronics side but here we’ve had some issues and the bike was moving a lot into the corners. If you struggle on entry, you lose time through every corner because you can’t exploit your corner speed and enjoy good traction. That’s one of the points we need to focus on generally. As for tomorrow, we’ll try and build on today’s performance”.
WorldSBK Race One
Pos
Rider
Bike
Gap
1
S. Redding
Ducati
/
2
T. Razgatlioglu
Yamaha
+0.877
3
J. Rea
Kawasaki
+0.915
4
G. Gerloff
Yamaha
+9.518
5
M. Rinaldi
Ducati
+13.636
6
C. Davies
Ducati
+17.177
7
M. Van Der Mark
BMW
+19.316
8
A. Bautista
Honda
+20.185
9
T. Rabat
Ducati
+25.625
10
A. Locatelli
Yamaha
+27.772
11
A. Bassani
Ducati
+30.349
12
L. Haslam
Honda
+35.722
13
L. Mahias
Kawasaki
+35.885
14
T. Sykes
BMW
+36.887
15
K. Nozane
Yamaha
+45.434
16
J. Folger
BMW
+46.472
17
I. Vinales
Kawasaki
+51.132
18
E. Laverty
BMW
+1m09.888
19
A. Lowes
Kawasaki
+1m09.903
20
L. Cresson
Kawasaki
+1m06.686
Not Classified
RET
C. Ponsson
Yamaha
6 Laps
RET
S. Cavalieri
Kawasaki
14 Laps
WorldSBK Superpole
Pos
Rider
Bike
Time/Gap
1
J. Rea
Kawasaki
1m35.876
2
S. Redding
Ducati
+0.171
3
T. Razgatlioglu
Yamaha
+0.288
4
G. Gerloff
Yamaha
+0.474
5
T. Sykes
BMW
+0.493
6
M. Rinaldi
Ducati
+0.656
7
L. Mahias
Kawasaki
+0.987
8
T. Rabat
Ducati
+1.016
9
A. Locatelli
Yamaha
+1.155
10
A. Lowes
Kawasaki
+1.173
11
J. Folger
BMW
+1.252
12
M. Van Der Mark
BMW
+1.317
13
E. Laverty
BMW
+1.390
14
L. Haslam
Honda
+1.523
15
C. Davies
Ducati
+1.546
16
K. Nozane
Yamaha
+1.735
17
A. Bassani
Ducati
+1.781
18
A. Bautista
Honda
+1.855
19
I. Vinales
Kawasaki
+2.636
20
C. Ponsson
Yamaha
+2.978
21
L. Cresson
Kawasaki
+4.132
22
S. Cavalieri
Kawasaki
+4.412
WorldSBK Championship Standings
Pos
Rider
Points
1
Jonathan Rea
73
2
Scott Redding
65
3
Toprak Razgatlioglu
50
4
Alex Lowes
45
5
Garrett Gerloff
36
6
Michael Van Der Mark
30
7
Chaz Davies
27
8
Tom Sykes
25
9
Michael Ruben Rinaldi
20
10
Andrea Locatelli
19
11
Alvaro Bautista
16
12
Leon Haslam
12
13
Axel Bassani
11
14
Lucas Mahias
10
15
Jonas Folger
8
16
Kohta Nozane
8
17
Tito Rabat
7
18
Isaac Vinales
6
19
Christophe Ponsson
1
WorldSSP
The FIM Supersport World Championship’s racing started at the Gaerne Estoril Round in thrilling fashion as five riders battled it out for victory with just 1.023s covering the top five riders at the Circuito Estoril as Steven Odendaal (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team) secured his third win of 2021 after a stunning battle at the front of the field.
South African rider Odendaal got the jump on polesitter Federico Caricasulo (GMT94 Yamaha) at the start and immediately looked to build a gap ahead of the Italian who claimed his first pole position since returning to WorldSSP. Caricasulo was unable to hold on to second place as the race moved onto Lap 2 as Philipp Oettl (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) jumped the Italian at Turn 1 and started to close in on Odendaal.
Caricasulo was the first rider to have an incident when under pressure from teammate Jules Cluzel (GMT94 Yamaha) with the Italian losing the front of his Yamaha machine at Turn 4; promoting Cluzel into third place while Caricasulo tumbled down the order although he was able to rejoin the race.
Despite taking the lead of the race, Oettl was unable to pull away from Odendaal who kept the pressure on throughout the middle stage of the race as the South African kept the pressure on Oettl; the pair losing time to Cluzel as they went side-by-side onto the start and finish straight and into Turn 1.
Dominique Aegerter (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) and Manuel Gonzalez (Yamaha ParkinGo Team) also joined the lead battle with less than a second separating the top five on Lap 10 of the 18-lap race. As the race headed on to Lap 14, Cluzel and Aegerter battled it out for third place with Swiss rider Aegerter making the move at Turn 1 on Cluzel before the Frenchman responded on the same lap at Turn 4.
Oettl had kept the lead until Lap 16 when Odendaal made his move, taking advantage of extra pace heading into Turn 6 as the South African rider took the lead before Oettl responded at Turns 1 and 2 on Lap 17 to re-gain the lead of the race, but as the race entered the last lap, Odendaal and Aegerter made their move at Turn 1 although Cluzel moved back on Aegerter; the pair going on a drag race until the line with Cluzel claiming third by just 0.015s, behind Odendaal and Oettl. Gonzalez equalled his best result in WorldSSP with fifth place as he held on to the lead group throughout the race.
Italian Raffaele De Rosa (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) responded from a bad start to move into sixth place but was unable to take advantage of the battling ahead of him to latch onto the lead group, while Luca Bernardi (CM Racing) secured another top ten finish with seventh place. Estonian Hannes Soomer (Kallio Racing) claimed eighth place with 2019 Champion Randy Krummenacher (EAB Racing Team) in ninth place.
Christoffer Bergman (Wojcik Racing Team), who had shown strong pace in the early stages of the Estoril Round, finished in tenth place with Niki Tuuli (MV Agusta Corse Clienti) in 11th despite starting the race in the pit lane following the crash with Cluzel at the Aragon Round. Caricasulo responded from his crash to claim 12th place, ahead of Marc Alcoba (Yamaha MS Racing), Stephane Frossard (Moto Team Jura Vitesse) and Davide Pizzoli (VFT Racing) completing the points; the latter being penalized by one position for track limits infringements while defending from Frossard. Swiss rider Frossard was the highest place WorldSSP Challenge competitor.
Michel Fabrizio (G.A.P. MOTOZOO by Puccetti Racing) finishing just three tenths away from a point scoring result at Estoril, finishing two seconds clear of Leonardo Taccini (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) in 17th place while Vertti Takala (Kallio Racing) in 18th; Takala demoted one place at the end of the race.
Maria Herrera (Biblion Iberica Yamaha Motoxracing) finished in 19th place ahead of Galang Hendra Pratama (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha). Luigi Montella (Chiodo Moto Racing) was 21st, 19 seconds away from Indonesian rider Pratama. Eugene McManus (WRP Wepol Racing) was 22nd on his first start of the season, finishing clear of Pawel Szkopek (Yamaha MS Racing) and Shogo Kawasaki (G.A.P MOTOZOO by Puccetti Racing).
Kevin Manfredi (Altogo Racing Team), Can Öncü (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) and Federico Fuligni (VFT Racing) all retired from Race 1.
Steven Odendaal – P1
“I couldn’t have imaged to start this way especially with injury. I’m carrying with the shoulder but honestly I’m so happy with this victory because it was really difficult, and I had to really think a lot to win this race. I was really battling in the changes of direction. I’m so happy, thanks so much to the team because they did a fantastic job and also, once again, thanks to everyone supporting me”
Philipp Oettl – P2
“I’m happy with 20 points, it’s a good result for us as a team and the team did an amazing job yesterday and especially today. In Superpole, we had a really quick pace and I tried to control the race from the front because, to be honest, it’s a little bit easier and nicer. It was a good race, I tried to block Steven but… I’ll try tomorrow!”.
Jules Cluzel – P3
“I was looking for a little bit better, but third today was the best I could do. Actually, the last lap was really hard, with Aegerter. He passed me on the first turn, but he missed the apex, I tried go back but then I lose a little bit of time. Then I came back, I passed him, he passed me again, and then I just waited until the last turn and the last straight to pass him. It’s a good race for me. Hopefully we will make some improvements for tomorrow and the target is to get at least a podium and, if possible, a little bit better.”
Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) put in a stunner for pole position at the Gran Premio d’Italia Oakley, the Frenchman reporting it was one of his best ever laps as he broke the all-time lap record at Mugello with a 1:45.187.
Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) was his closest challenger on the final push but was forced to settle for second, with Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) taking third in a last lunge; once again top Independent Team rider.
That means it’s the Championship top three on the front row on Sunday… with back to-back winner Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) looking for a good launch from fifth.
Fabio Quartararo – P1
“This was probably the best lap I have ever done in my life. This is the type of track where you can really feel the adrenaline. I was on the limit everywhere. In the first sector, I was moving all the time, but I just said ’I‘m going to send it‘. I really wanted to do the fastest lap today, and it worked. I‘m actually really looking forward to seeing the onboard lap, because for sure it will look amazing. Today was a good day. I really wanted this pole position, because I know it‘s important for us for the race. I enjoyed that lap. I want to dedicate this pole to Jason Dupasquier, who had a really bad crash earlier today. I hope that he‘s okay. I‘m praying for him and his family.”
Francesco Bagnaia – P2
“It’s been a very positive day, so I’m happy. Traffic hindered me in qualifying, but luckily, I set my best time towards the end of the session. Finally, we will start at the front: in FP4, I was able to keep a consistent and fast pace, so I’m expecting to have a good race tomorrow”.
Johann Zarco – P3
“I am very happy, to begin on the front row is always an advantage. The feeling has improved compared to yesterday, but I believe that tomorrow in the rave we will see the potential.”
Aleix Espargaro – P4
“This was a demanding day for me. We missed going straight through to Q2 this morning due to a problem and that forced me to do an extra session, which is certainly not ideal for the situation with my arm. Then, the bad accident in Moto3 shook me up. I am a father and certain things strike me particularly hard. In any case, I was able to refocus well enough to go through Q1 and do two great laps in Q2 as well. Taking the Aprilia this high here in Mugello is a source of great satisfaction for me. I am extremely satisfied with my performance in all conditions. It will be a difficult race tomorrow. I’ll most probably have to grit my teeth and we’ll have to manage rear tyre wear. But I won’t rule out any result.”
Jack Miller – P5
“I’m happy with today’s result. Starting from the second row, we know we can fight at the front if we get a good start. For sure, we could have done better today, but on my good lap, I made a few mistakes in the third sector, which seems to be my Achilles heel at the moment. Anyway, I’m satisfied with how things went: we have a good pace, and I feel comfortable with the race tyre, so I’m confident for tomorrow”.
Brad Binder – P6
“I felt fast and I’m really happy to qualify 6th. I’ve been missing a decent qualification this season so far. The weekend has been going well and when I put in a soft tire I always seem to be able to find a decent lap-time. I couldn’t quite make the perfect lap today but I’m excited with the speed I have and to see what we can do in the race.”
Miguel Oliveira – P7
“Our best qualification of 2021 so far and although I missed the second row by fractions of a second I have to be happy. Together with the team we have put together a very solid weekend up until this point so I’m looking forward to tomorrow’s race.”
Alex Rins – P8
“I’ve been feeling strong with the bike all weekend, so I hoped I might be higher up the grid, but anyway I think it’s OK starting from 8th. The FP3 and FP4 sessions were really good but qualifying was harder. My target tomorrow will be to get a good start and get involved in the front pack. I think my one lap pace is good, and so is my race pace, but there are a lot of strong riders out there and I think it could be a very intense race. We might lose out a bit on the straight, but around the corners we will be strong.”
Joan Mir – P9
“I gave 100% today and overall my pace was good, so I feel quite positive. We tried something different with the settings in FP4 and it didn’t make as much of a difference as I’d hoped, so we still have margin to improve. But the third row and 9th isn’t a bad position to start tomorrow’s GP, and I was glad to get direct passage to Q2. For sure it will be a great fight here at Mugello and I will give my best, so let’s see where we are when the chequered flag comes out.”
Franco Morbidelli – P10
“Today I couldn’t be on top, we tried our best but ultimately it was not possible. This morning we had good speed, but we were not able to replicate it in the afternoon. We need to check why because I thought we would be able to do what we had done in FP3, or maybe even improve. We didn’t manage it and I am tenth, which is not the best. We knew that the race here would be tough, but now it is going to be that bit harder. We will regroup tonight, try to find some more speed and then see what we can do in the race. It is tough in MotoGP at the moment and you need to nail everything to be on top.”
Marc Marquez – P11
“This morning I felt quite good and I was able to ride well but in the afternoon I started to struggle more with my physical condition. In Q1 I knew I had to follow someone because this was the only chance I had to do some quick laps and I was not expecting to make it into Q2 but the lap was good. I saw Viñales after the session and we spoke about it and I apologised. The stress and effort of these laps meant I couldn’t ride how I wanted to in Q2, but it was still a good day overall. I know I won’t be able to ride the race how I want but we will do what we can. But the main point of today is that hopefully Jason in Moto3 is alright, we are all thinking about him.”
Pol Espargaro – P12
“Today was better than Friday but it is not what we are looking for. We were able to improve our rear grip a lot, which is very good because this is one area we have been working to improve. But I made a wrong decision with the front tyre, and it made the change of directions very tough in Qualifying. I was happy with the medium front in the morning, but I chose the hard because of the temperature and in hindsight I should have followed what we had done before but it’s my mistake. Maybe with a perfect lap we could have gained another row. Tomorrow is the race and it’s time to put everything out on track. My best wishes go out to Jason, I hope that he can come back soon.”
Maverick Vinales – P13
“We need to try to understand our situation and build it up step by step. We have lost our way a bit since Qatar. We had a shiny moment in Le Mans, but because of the rain we couldn’t shine enough. We will try to do better tomorrow. We have to build up the bike again. We had a good bike in Qatar, and we need to accomplish that again. There I was strong, and I understood my strong points. Basically, here I struggle a lot with the front tyre, and we still need to work on it. During Q1 I wanted to go out alone, because I think that’s when we are at our fastest. But they just kept following me. It is the way it is. We just need to focus on tomorrow and be stronger.”
Enea Bastianini – P14
“This morning, in the third free practice we were fast enough, but then we made life a little bit difficult for ourselves. In the fourth practice we came back from the base of how we started this morning, and we were strong, so I was happy. In qualifying I could have done much better, but unfortunately, I caught another rider on my fastest lap and then I didn’t have time to do another lap. Anyway, we are close, and we will be able to fight. The goal will be to fight for the TOP-5.”
Takaaki Nakagami – P15
“We are a little bit disappointed about our qualifying today because we definitely had good speed and good potential to have got through to Q2, but I had a small mistake in the last minutes and I was not able to put everything together. I’m sorry for my team, but the good thing in FP4 was that we had such good pace and the feeling on the bike was very good. Of course, we start from P15 which is not the best position, but we have good pace and a good bike. I’ll do my best. The most important thing is to try and make a good start. The beginning of the race will be the key point for me, so let’s do it and try to overtake as much as possible.”
Michele Pirro – P16
“I am disappointed because we had higher potential than what we showed. It’s a shame because we were only needed slightly more, but tomorrow we will try to do as well as possible.”
Luca Marini – P17
“I’m not happy at all with today’s qualifying, I expected to be faster and be ahead. For sure we were missing something, compared to yesterday we didn’t make many changes to the bike and I was struggling especially with the rear grip. We are studying the data and we are still working to find something for the warm up. For the race I’m still evaluating which tire to use, in FP4 I tried the hard front, but I had some problems. We will probably opt for the M/M tire, although we will have to manage the tires life in long runs.”
Danilo Petrucci – P18
“I have to admit, that I’m not happy about this Qualifying. I couldn’t really use all the potential of the bike, but I’m quite satisfied with my pace in Free Practice 4. As there was a huge accident before our session, I think it’s not the right time to speak too much about results.”
Valentino Rossi – P19
“We hoped that we could be stronger for qualifying, like we saw at Le Mans, but it was not to be. I improved my pace, the feeling on the bike was better and the time attack this morning was not too bad, but the problem now is that everyone in MotoGP is very fast and the times are very close, which means that with my lap I am 19th on the grid. The race is going to be a difficult one for us, we know that Mugello can be a really tough track, so we need to try between now and then to find some more tenths around here. We will still be looking to have the best race possible tomorrow.”
Iker Lecuona – P20
“It was a very difficult day. I’m still struggling a lot. We tried many things with the base setting and I tried to improve my riding style, I think I improved, especially with my lines. Yet, we are still facing a difficult time. I’m fighting, and I stay optimistic that we can come back tomorrow in the race and at least fight for some points. But for the moment, we need to work hard.”
Lorenzo Savadori – P21
“I’m happy with the way the day went, but at the same time, I was disappointed by the qualifiers, especially because my fastest lap was cancelled and, quite honestly, I couldn’t say why. The positive side is that, on a track I had never tackled on a MotoGP bike, I was still able to reduce the gap behind the leaders, and we’re talking about riders who are going extremely fast. Including my teammate, Alex, who was extraordinary again today, which gives me the confidence that I can still improve astride the RS-GP.”
Álex Márquez – P22
“It wasn’t a good day because of the position but the feeling with the bike improved. In the qualifying, we weren’t able to put together a good lap, I made two mistakes and I wasn’t fast enough. The positive thing is that in FP4 we were not bad and with a used tyre I was able to make a 47.5, so that was good. We need to keep working and looking forward altogether as a team to build up good confidence.”
MotoGP Q1 Report
After a crash in the latter stages of FP3, Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) found himself down in Q1 and early on, the Spaniard showed his frustration to Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) as the two ended up on the same bit of track and the Spaniard on a fast lap. Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) then tried to follow the number 12 for a tow despite Viñales’ remonstrations, and it worked as Viñales improved and Marquez even more so tucked in behind.
That put Marquez as the rider leading the way, and Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) managed to push Viñales down to third and outside the graduation zone. The Yamaha rider was then on course to top the session on his final lap, but he rolled out of it despite red sectors and that leaves him down in P13 on the grid as Marc Marquez and Aleix Espargaro moved through.
MotoGP Q2 Report
Q2 fired up not long after and Quartararo was the man to beat by seven minutes in, the Frenchman on top after the first runs. Heading back out for their final shot at pole, it was again the number 20 setting the timing screens alight too. Nearly half a second clear after his final lap, the Championship leader then had to wait it out to see if anyone could better his best…
Aleix Espargaro was second at the time, with Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) in third as KTM continued to impress. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) kept that rolling too as he then split the two for a provisional third.
There was more to come. With Yamaha having been mighty through most the track but Ducati often enjoying the edge in the final sector, Bagnaia, Zarco and Miller seemed on course to challenge Quartararo half way round each of their laps. But at the next timing point it seemed the polesitter was set as Bagnaia dropped some tenths, then Miller and then Zarco, with too much left to make up on the Frenchman over the latter half of the lap. Still, given Quartararo’s advantage, the front row remained very much up for grabs and Bagnaia was first to take it, moving into second and cutting the advantage to only a couple of tenths.
What could Miller do? It was a solid effort but not enough to challenge his teammate, and the Austrlian could only manage fifth as he crossed the line. Zarco was tucked in right behind him, however, and the Pramac Racing rider shot from last in the session to third.
The Grid
Quartararo therefore starts the Gran Premio d’Italia Oakley from pole, with Bagnaia and Zarco alongside. Aleix Espargaro improved on his final effort but just misses out on the front row and will instead head the second for Aprilia on home turf.
Miller joins him there in the middle of Row 2, and with the Ducatis’ starts so far this season could still be in with a chance at the holeshot, even from there. Binder wasn’t able to quite improve on his final effort but he completes the second row in more fantastic form from KTM, who also equalled the all-time top speed record in MotoGP on Saturday morning with Binder. The South African has also never ridden in MotoGP before at this track, as the last visit was in 2019.
KTM teammate Oliveira also impressed as he takes seventh to head up Row 3, with both Suzukis alongside. Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) is eighth and teammate and reigning Champion Joan Mir in ninth, the former showing good speed all weekend and the latter making it into Q2 directly for only the second time in 2021 – so it’s a little less work to do on race day.
Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) takes tenth, ahead of Marc Marquez and the his Respol Honda teammate Pol Espargaro.
Viñales is next up in P13, ahead of an impressive step forward on Saturday for top rookie Enea Bastianini (Avintia Esponsorama) in 14th. He pipped Takaaki Nakagami as the Japanese rider lost out in Q1, set to start 15th.
Valentino Rossi (Petronas Yamaha SRT) had a tough qualifying, the ‘Doctor’ set to start P19.
MotoGP Combined Qualifying
Pos
Rider
Bike
Q
Time/Gap
1
Fabio QUARTARARO
YAMAHA
Q2
145.187
2
Francesco BAGNAIA
DUCATI
Q2
+0.230
3
Johann ZARCO
DUCATI
Q2
+0.245
4
Aleix ESPARGARO
APRILIA
Q2
+0.351
5
Jack MILLER
DUCATI
Q2
+0.411
6
Brad BINDER
KTM
Q2
+0.556
7
Miguel OLIVEIRA
KTM
Q2
+0.558
8
Alex RINS
SUZUKI
Q2
+0.809
9
Joan MIR
SUZUKI
Q2
+0.889
10
Franco MORBIDELLI
YAMAHA
Q2
+0.897
11
Marc MARQUEZ
HONDA
Q2
+0.938
12
Pol ESPARGARO
HONDA
Q2
+1.206
13
Maverick VIÑALES
YAMAHA
Q1
(*) 0.121
14
Enea BASTIANINI
DUCATI
Q1
(*) 0.205
15
Takaaki NAKAGAMI
HONDA
Q1
(*) 0.271
16
Michele PIRRO
DUCATI
Q1
(*) 0.378
17
Luca MARINI
DUCATI
Q1
(* )0.557
18
Danilo PETRUCCI
KTM
Q1
(*) 0.624
19
Valentino ROSSI
YAMAHA
Q1
(*) 0.846
20
Iker LECUONA
KTM
Q1
(*) 1.160
21
Lorenzo SAVADORI
APRILIA
Q1
(*) 1.222
22
Alex MARQUEZ
HONDA
Q1
(*) 1.292
MotoGP Championship
Pos
Rider
Bike
Points
1
Fabio QUARTARARO
Yamaha
80
2
Francesco BAGNAIA
Ducati
79
3
Johann ZARCO
Ducati
68
4
Jack MILLER
Ducati
64
5
Maverick VIÑALES
Yamaha
56
Moto2
After taking his maiden pole at Le Mans, Moto2 rookie Raul Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) has done it again and with a new lap record at Mugello, despite rain threatening for the intermediate class. A few drops fell here and there but Fernandez nevertheless bettered the previous best, with Sam Lowes (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) in second and Jorge Navarro (MB Conveyors Speed Up), just like on Friday, the closest challenger to the two title contenders.
Q1
The star of Q1 was most definitely Fermin Aldeguer (MB Conveyors Speed Up) and not just because he was fastest, but because it’s his first weekend on a Triumph-powered Moto2 machine, his first race weekend at Mugello and his first World Championship appearance. The 16-year-old moved through to Q2 on first asking, and was joined by Somkiat Chantra (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia), Marcos Ramirez (American Racing) and Bo Bendsneyder (Pertamina Mandalika SAG Team).
Q2
Despite drops of rain coming down at parts of the track, the stage remained set, somehow, for Fernandez to shine. Joe Roberts (Italtrans Racing Team) was the first fastest rider out there, but it only lasted seconds as Fernandez hit back. From there Marco Bezzecchi (Sky Racing Team VR46) and Championship leader Remy Gardner (Red Bull KTM Ajo) had brief stints fastest, but Lowes was the man able to depose and hold onto provisional pole the longest.
Not until the end of the session, however. Fernandez was on a roll and the rookie then slammed in his new lap record, looking to go even faster after that. But the raindrops saw some laps slip away, and it’s his 1:50.723 that becomes the fastest ever Moto2 lap of Mugello. Lowes takes second as he and the Spaniard continue their duel this weekend, with Navarro, once again, the closest on the chase.
The Moto2 Grid
Fernandez and Lowes launch from P1 and P2 respectively, with Navarro locking out the front row in a near mirror of the Friday timesheets. Gardner heads Row 2 ahead of home hero Fabio Di Giannantonio (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2), with Tony Arbolino’s (Liqui Moly Intact GP) form going nowhere as the rookie takes sixth.
Marco Bezzecchi will want more from Sunday as he heads up the third row of the grid in P7, ahead of Xavi Vierge (Petronas Sprinta Racing) and Marcel Schrötter (Liqui Moly Intact GP). Joe Roberts will be another who expected more from Saturday as he’ll start 10th.
Roberts’ teammate Lorenzo Dalla Porta takes an impressive step forward to 11th, ahead of Ai Ogura (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia), Augusto Fernandez (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team), Ramirez and Aldeguer, who starts his first ever Moto2 World Championship race from 15th.
Moto2 Combined Quallifying
Pos
Rider
Bike
Q
Time/Gap
1
Raul FERNANDEZ
KALEX
Q2
1m50.723
2
Sam LOWES
KALEX
Q2
+0.267
3
Jorge NAVARRO
BOSCOSCURO
Q2
+0.374
4
Remy GARDNER
KALEX
Q2
+0.583
5
Fabio DI GIANNANTONI
KALEX
Q2
+0.632
6
Tony ARBOLINO
KALEX
Q2
+0.725
7
Marco BEZZECCHI
KALEX
Q2
+0.739
8
Xavi VIERGE
KALEX
Q2
+0.774
9
Marcel SCHROTTER
KALEX
Q2
+0.781
10
Joe ROBERTS
KALEX
Q2
+0.818
11
Lorenzo DALLA PORTA
KALEX
Q2
+1.070
12
Ai OGURA
KALEX
Q2
+1.161
13
Augusto FERNANDEZ
KALEX
Q2
+1.194
14
Marcos RAMIREZ
KALEX
Q2
+1.343
15
Fermín ALDEGUER
BOSCOSCURO
Q2
+1.468
16
Bo BENDSNEYDER
KALEX
Q2
+1.757
17
Aron CANET
BOSCOSCURO
Q2
+2.214
18
Somkiat CHANTRA
KALEX
Q2
+2.804
19
Hector GARZO
KALEX
Q1
(*) 0.450
20
Hafizh SYAHRIN
NTS
Q1
(*) 0.577
21
Simone CORSI
MV AGUSTA
Q1
(*) 0.593
22
Jake DIXON
KALEX
Q1
(*) 0.658
23
Stefano MANZI
KALEX
Q1
(*) 0.672
24
Nicolò BULEGA
KALEX
Q1
(*) 0.745
25
Lorenzo BALDASSARRI
MV AGUSTA
Q1
(*) 1.153
26
Cameron BEAUBIER
KALEX
Q1
(*) 1.298
27
Celestino VIETTI
KALEX
Q1
(*) 1.401
28
Thomas LUTHI
KALEX
Q1
(*) 1.420
29
Barry BALTUS
NTS
Q1
(*) 1.854
30
Albert ARENAS
BOSCOSCURO
Q1
(*) 2.856
31
Tommaso MARCON
MV AGUSTA
Q1
(*) 2.939
Moto2 Championship
Pos
Rider
Bike
Points
1
Remy GARDNER
Kalex
89
2
Raul FERNANDEZ
Kalex
88
3
Marco BEZZECCHI
Kalex
72
4
Sam LOWES
Kalex
66
5
Fabio DI GIANNANTONIO
Kalex
60
Moto3
Tatsuki Suzuki (SIC58 Squadra Corse) went from Q1 to pole in qualifying at the Gran Premio d’Italia Oakley, pulling out more than half a second ahead of Championship leader and rookie Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo), Nevertheless that’s Acosta’s first front row after he also came through Q1, with Gabriel Rodrigo (Indonesian Racing Gresini Moto3) third fastest.
Q1
Suzuki was fastest after the first runs and beat his own best to top the session, with Kaito Toba (CIP Green Power) taking second in the session and Acosta getting more to grips with Mugello to take third. Veteran Italian Niccolo Antonelli (Avintia Esponsorama Moto3) was fourth, moving through to fight for pole.
Q2
Acosta led the way early before Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Tech3) took over, and Jeremy Alcoba (Indonesian Racing Gresini Moto3) was the next man on top. Rodrigo came to the fore with some more impressive one-lap pace and held provisional pole before the final push, but as the clock ticked down there remained some fast riders about to play their cards.
Together on track, both Acosta and Suzuki were on to take over. And over the line, the Spaniard briefly – very briefly – flashed up to first, but as Suzuki slammed over the line the goalposts changed. Over half a second clear, he was a single thousandth off the 1:55s.
The session the concluded with a serious incident involving Jason Dupasquier (CarXpert PrüstelGP), Ayumu Sasaki (Red Bull KTM Tech 3) and Jeremy Alcoba. Dupasquier was attended to on track before being airlifted to hospital in Florence. Sasaki and Alcoba are both ok.
The Moto3 Grid
Suzuki lines up from pole with Championship leader Acosta alongside, the Spaniard looking to extend his already record-breaking points advantage even further. Rodrigo will be aiming for his second podium with his second front row start of the year.
Dennis Foggia’s (Leopard Racing) Mugello form continues as he heads up Row 2, with Jaume Masia (Red Bull KTM Ajo) and Alcoba joining him on the second row in fifth and sixth respectively. A veteran third row sees Romano Fenati (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team), Antonelli and John McPhee (Petronas Sprinta Racing) in seventh, eighth and ninth, with Sasaki completing the top ten.
Le Mans winner Sergio Garcia (Valresa GASGAS Aspar Team) was 14th quickest ahead of Darryn Binder (Petronas Sprinta Racing) and 2019 winner at Mugello Andrea Migno (Rivacold Snipers Team), all of whom will be looking to move forward on Sunday.
Yesterday I thought that this race would be a little bit different. We made the bike much better today and winning Superpole helped to have track position in the first lap. But it is such a long start straight at Estoril I was just a gauge for other people making a holeshot to brake. I made a mistake and Rinaldi came past. When he did that I just lost the group a little bit and I had to work so hard to catch back up. I was getting there, and I felt my rhythm was the same as the leading guys at the end. I was just not really sure where I could pass. I am happy to be on the podium because I was terrible here last year. I never found a rhythm with the track. This morning I felt like I had a good rhythm and continued that today. It was quite clear to see where I was losing and it is very hard to rectify that right now. Step-by-step, we are improving
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