Grand Prix of The Americas Q Results | Martin edges Miller, Ducati 1-2-3-4-5

Jorge Martin denies Jack Miller to take pole position for Round 4 of the 2022 MotoGP World Championship at COTA as Ducati fills top five spots on the grid

Jorge Martin - Pramac Ducati

Jorge Martin has secured his second pole position of the 2022 MotoGP World Championship season as he headed up a historic all-Ducati top five on the grid at Circuit of The Americas.

A timely turn around of fortunes for the Italian manufacturer after an indifferent start to the season, pole position looked to be heading the way of Jack Miller after the Australian unseated team-mate Pecco Bagnaia in the closing moments of Q2.

However, his hopes of a second career pole position - some four years after his one and only top spot achieved at the 2018 Argentina MotoGP - would be scuppered by a rampant Martin, who overturned a deficit coming into the final sector to edge his stablemate by 0.003s.

Emphasising his reputation as MotoGP’s qualifying specialist, Martin came through Q1 initially  before using the momentum to claim a sixth career pole in only his 18th MotoGP start.

His efforts gave him the honour of leading a landmark result for Ducati as it became the first manufacturer to lock out first to fifth on the grid with Martin and Miller being joined by Pecco Bagnaia - winner at COTA in 2021 - on the front row.

Johann Zarco headed up row two on the second of the Pramac Ducati bikes, with Enea Bastianini shrugging off a slip off early on in Q2 to recover to fifth on the grid aboard the Gresini Desmo.

Putting Ducati in an enviable position coming into Sunday’s race, Fabio Quartararo might have penetrated the stronghold had he not lost the front of the Yamaha while on a hot lap mid-way through the session. Returning to track before the end of the session, the defending champion recovered to sixth on the grid.

Joan Mir and Alex Rins head up row three, with the returning Marc Marquez leading the Honda challenge in ninth place from Takaaki Nakagami, VR46 Racing’s Luca Marini and Pol Espargaro.

A week on from the joy of celebrating both his first pole position and victory in MotoGP, new championship leader Aleix Espargaro was literally brought back down to earth with a bump with an off at Turn 8 that scuppered his hopes of breaking out of Q1.

The Spaniard gets underway from 13th with Aprilia team-mate Maverick Vinales alongside him in 14th, while Andrea Dovizioso goes from a season’s best 15th on the RNF Yamaha to out-qualify factory Yamaha rider Franco Morbidelli, the Italian struggling in 19th.

Elsewhere, a dismal afternoon for KTM sees Brad Binder head up its challenge in a lowly 17th, with Miguel Oliveira, Raul Fernandez and Remy Gardner - who together with Darry Binder were among those to crash - 20th, 21st and 22nd respctively. 

2022 Grand Prix of the Americas | Circuit of The Americas | Qualifying Results

2022 Grand Prix of the Americas | Circuit of The Americas | Qualifying Results | Round 4 / 21
PosRiderNat.MotoGP TeamMotoGP BikeTiming
1Jorge MartinESPPramac RacingDucati GP222m 02.039
2Jack MillerAUSDucati Lenovo TeamDucati GP222m 02.042
3Francesco BagnaiaITADucati Lenovo TeamDucati GP222m 02.167
4Johann ZarcoFRAPramac RacingDucati GP222m 02.570
5Enea BastianiniITAGresini RacingDucati GP212m 02.578
6Fabio QuartararoFRAMonster Energy Yamaha Yamaha YZF-M12m 02.634
7Alex RinsESPTeam Suzuki EcstarSuzuki GSX-RR2m 02.694
8Joan MirESPTeam Suzuki EcstarSuzuki GSX-RR2m 02.947
9Marc MarquezESPRepsol Honda TeamHonda RC213V2m 03.038
10Takaaki NakagamiJPNLCR Honda Honda RC213V2m 03.054
11Luca MariniITAVR46 RacingDucati GP212m 03.059
12Pol EspargaroESPRepsol Honda TeamHonda RC213V2m 03.096
13Aleix EspargaroESPAprilia Racing Team GresiniAprilia RS-GP2m 02.922
14Maverick VinalesESPAprilia Racing Team GresiniAprila RS-GP2m 03.121
15Andrea DoviziosoITAWithU RNF Racing YamahaYamaha YZF-M12m 03.133
16Marco BezzecchiITAVR46 RacingDucati GP212m 03.328
17Brad BinderRSARed Bull KTM RacingKTM RC162m 03.467
18Fabio di GiannantonioITAGresini RacingDucati GP212m 03.576
19Franco MorbidelliITAMonster Energy Yamaha Yamaha YZF-M12m 03.579
20Miguel OliveiraPORRed Bull KTM RacingKTM RC162m 03.983
21Raul FernandezESPTech3 KTM RacingKTM RC162m 04.140
22Remy GardnerAUSTech3 KTM RacingKTM RC162m 04.185
23Alex MarquezESPLCR Honda Honda RC213V2m 04.229
24Darryn BinderRSAWithU RNF Racing YamahaYamaha YZF-M12m 04.646