Spanish MotoGP Qualifying Results: Quartararo pole, big smash for Rins

Fabio Quartararo will start the Spanish MotoGP – round one of the 2020 MotoGP World Championship – from pole position after snatching the top spot with another lap record in qualifying at Jerez.

Already hot favourite for pole position after producing a new benchmark in FP3, Quartararo saved his best until last to pump in a 1m 36.705s, which was enough to sneak him ahead of Maverick Vinales in what is a repeat of his maiden pole at the same circuit just over a year ago.

Vinales in second meant Yamaha kicked off its year with a 1-2 on the grid, helped in part by being significantly quicker than any other team through the final sector.

Indeed, Marc Marquez seemed on course for pole as he stretched out a 0.250s advantage into the closing stages of his quickest lap, only to lose it all to leave him third.

Just missing out on what would have been a maiden front row start, Pecco Bagnaia will start an eye-catching fourth from team-mate Jack Miller as Pramac Racing humbled its sister factory Ducati team.

Miller might have stood to do better had he not crashed at Turn 11 on his final lap, though worse was to follow for Alex Rins after he got it wrong into the same turn and faced with a fast approaching Ducati laying on its side was forced to come off the Suzuki.

Though he avoided the bike ahead, Rins suffered a heavy fall and has since ben diagnosed with a fractured shoulder which could keep him out of the race.

Cal Crutchlow will start in sixth place, ahead of top KTM rider Pol Espargaro and Andrea Dovizioso – another rider to fall in the session – while the hapless Rins would start ninth if he can. Unable to match their Yamaha counterparts, Franco Morbidelli and Valentino Rossi get away from 10th and 11th with Joan Mir 12th.

Elsewhere, Brad Binder starts his maiden MotoGP race from 13th, faring significantly better than his rookie counterpart Alex Marquez who starts second to last on the Repsol Honda.

Spanish MotoGP Jerez – Qualifying Results