Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT) has done it again, following up going fastest on Friday by taking his second pole position in the premier class at the Catalan grand prix.

It was close between the two men at the top in qualifying, however, and the number 20 only just beat reigning champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) to pole by 0.015s.

Maverick Vinales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) was third fastest as Saturday proved a top day for Yamaha, but the number 12 subsequently received a three-place grid penalty and will be bumped back to the second row.

An infinitesimal 0.001s advantage for Vinales means Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) just missed out on a place in the fastest trio, but the Italian was impressive and will start from the front row after the Spaniard’s penalty.

A huge crash in the morning prefaced a trip through Q1, but the number 21 bounced back in qualifying and just got the better of compatriot Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) in Q2, who was the fifth fastest but now heads the second row. Rossi’s 1m39.753s was the lap that meant all four Yamahas were inside the fastest five in qualifying for the first time since Brno 2012 after a phenomenal showing from the Iwata marque.

Andrea Dovizioso (Mission Winnow Ducati) continues the Italian invasion near the front as he was sixth quickest and now starts fifth after improving on his second run and gaining a place as Vinales takes his penalty. ‘DesmoDovi’ was the fastest Ducati in qualifying, and although teammate Danilo Petrucci (Mission Winnow Ducati) wasn’t far behind, Viñales will now split the two on the grid. Petrucci suffered a crash in Q2, as did the man just behind him: Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar).

Rins was on a hot lap when he went down and with only two minutes left on the clock, the Spaniard didn’t have chance to improve. So it’s P8 for him and he needs another stellar first few laps like Mugello, where he picked his way through to perfection from 13th on the grid. Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) starts alongside the Suzuki rider, but a few tenths in arrears.

Jorge Lorenzo (Repsol Honda Team) finished just 0.048s off Crutchlow to line up tenth for his home grand prix, with the five-time world champion having gone straight through to Q2. Q1 graduate and rookie Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) took 11th place, with Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Pol Espargaro launching from P12 at a true home race for the rider born only kilometers from the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

One name missing from the normal Q2 mix was Australian Jack Miller (Pramac Racing), who faces a fight back from P14, and he’ll be one of many to watch when the lights go out.

Augusto Fernandez (Flexbox HP 40) has been impressive so far in 2019 and qualifying for Moto2 was no exception. The Spaniard took his first ever pole position from veteran intermediate class campaigner Tom Luthi (Dynavolt Intact GP) in Barcelona by just 0.021s, with the front row covered by just 0.029s in total as Sam Lowes (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) took P3. Australian Remy Gardner (SAG Racing Team) qualified 11th.

Another day, another record broken in Moto3 – Gabriel Rodrigo (Kömmerling Gresini Moto3) became the seventh different polesitter in the opening seven races of the season, taking his fourth career pole position by just 0.021s ahead of a stunning session for Japanese rookie Ai Ogura (Honda Team Asia) andTony Arbolino (VNE Snipers), who completes the front row.

Detailed results