Jerez de la Frontera (Spain), Jul 18 (IANS): Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT) set another lap record to claim P1 on the grid at the Gran Premio Red Bull de España while Maverick Vinales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) finished P2 in Q2, 0.139 off Quartararos 1:36.705. Reigning World Champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) will launch from the outside of the front row.
Marquez was the first man to attack the 55-degree track temperatures, but his opening lap was marred by running wide at the Dani Pedrosa corner. Francesco Bagnaia (Pramac Racing) made no mistake on his first flyer though, the Italian going provisional P1 before Quartararo slammed in a 1:37.064. Spurred on by his opening lap mistake, the number 93 of Marquez wasn't hanging about on his second lap and snatched P1 from Quartararo with a 1:37.006, before Quartararo bit back immediately with the first sub 1:37 lap of Q2 – a 1:36.993.
Out before his rivals on run number two, Marquez was on song and posted a 1:36.877 to dispose Quartararo from P1 as the duo were toing and froing for pole. Another Yamaha was looking deadly too in the form of Vinales and despite being nearly two tenths shy of Marquez' time coming into the last split, the number 12 had a mega final sector and demoted Marquez.
Quartararo was setting red splits on his final run, but so was Bagnaia. In the meantime, there were fast crashes for Jack Miller (Pramac Racing) and Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) -- the fastest man in Q1 -- at Turn 11, with Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team), also going down at Turn 2.
Bagnaia took the chequered flag in P4 to improve his time but not position, before Quartararo showed he was the king of qualifying in Jerez for the second year in a row.
‘El Diablo' was 0.194 under through the third split and pretty much held it to the line to lay down the gauntlet. The maiden MotoGP pole position of 2020 went the way of the 21-year-old, with Vinales making it a Yamaha 1-2 -- just as it was last year with Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) in P2 -- ahead of Marquez.
All the action will be LIVE on Eurosport SD & HD from the Spanish GP Race Day on Sunday from 2:30 PM (IST).