Rookie standout Quartararo stuns with Jerez MotoGP pole

News 5 May 2019

Rookie standout Quartararo stuns with Jerez MotoGP pole

Miller 15th on premier class grid as Gardner’s set to start from P4 in Moto2.

Image: Supplied.

Petronas Yamaha SRT’s Fabio Quartararo has become the youngest ever MotoGP pole-sitter after a historic day in the Red Bull Grand Prix of Spain.

The Frenchman broke both the lap record and the pole position age record in Jerez. At 20 years and 14 days old he’s younger than Marc Marquez’s (Repsol Honda Team) previous record at COTA set in 2013.

And with a 1m36.880s, he’s well inside the previous fastest ever lap of the track. Teammate Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) was close behind though, just 0.082s in arrears for his front row start in the premier class, and the two became the first to take a 1-2 for an Independent Team since Valencia 2005.

Reigning champion Marquez completes the top three and he says he’ll try and ensure his record as the youngest winner in the MotoGP class won’t go the same way as the pole record when the lights go out on Sunday.

Behind Quartararo on the grid is championship leader Andrea Dovizioso (Mission Winnow Ducati), on the hunt for his first premier class podium at the last venue on the calendar where he’s yet to achieve one, with Q1 graduate Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) alongside him in fifth after a solid recovery from a tough morning.

Last year’s pole-setter is in sixth, as Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Crutchlow) bounced back from a crash in FP3 to complete the second row. Danilo Petrucci (Mission Winnow Ducati), Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) and COTA winner Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) and Francesco Bagnaia (Pramac Racing) were the top 10.

Further down the order, Jorge Lorenzo (Repsol Honda Team) lines up in P11, Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) 13th and Jack Miller (Pramac Racing) in P15.

In Moto2, Jorge Navarro (HDR Heidrun Speed Up) converted practice pace to pole on Saturday, taking his first ever pole position in the intermediate class ahead of Alex Marquez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) and Augusto Fernandez (Flexbox HP 40). Heading up row two is ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team rider Remy Gardner in fourth.

The Moto3 class saw Lorenzo Dalla Porta (Leopard Racing) take his first ever pole position from Tatsuki Suzuki (SIC58 Squadra Corse) and impressive rookie Celestino Vietti (Sky Racing Team VR46), who joins them on the front row after his best qualifying yet as well.