Barcelona [Spain], November 16 : Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) secured the final pole position of the year after an intense Q2 session at the Grand Prix of Barcelona. Q2 went down to the wire, with Bagnaia clocking an impressive 1:38.641 on his final run, setting the stage perfectly for Saturday.
Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) will join the Italian on the front row. The no.41 worked hard throughout the session, completing several laps with Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing). Espargaro starts second on the grid, while Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP) claimed P3 with a stunning time in Q2.
The MotoGP 2024 Motul Solidarity Grand Prix of Barcelona Main Race will be broadcast live on Eurosport from 15:15 Hrs (03:15 pm IST) on Sunday.
Bagnaia Delivers a Stunning Lap
FP2 offered the MotoGP stars a final opportunity to fine-tune their setups. Maverick Vinales (Aprilia Racing) took top honours, with Bagnaia finishing ahead of Martin in a competitive start to Saturday. In Q1, Franco Morbidelli (Prima Pramac Racing) set a blistering pace in his opening laps, briefly topping the timesheets. As the clock wound down, Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) suffered a late crash at Turn 5, paving the way for Morbidelli and Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) to secure their spots in Q2 ahead of the final battle for pole.
Q2 was set up as a tactical showdown. Bagnaia went fastest in the initial flying laps, with Martin in third as Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP) suffered an early crash. The final five minutes saw intense action, with Bagnaia improving his time and Morbidelli pushing Martin off the front row. The championship leader clocked a 1:38.849, securing fourth on the grid.
Martin Starts from the Second Row
Jorge Martin (#89) will start from the second row after qualifying fourth. He faces a challenging task to secure the title in the Tissot Sprint, having outqualified teammate Morbidelli. The Italian rounded out the top five in Q2, while Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) finished sixth as the top Pierer Mobility rider.
Vinales leads the third row, ending Q2 just 0.351s behind Bagnaia's benchmark. Joining him will be Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team) and Marco Bezzecchi (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team), who qualified ninth.
Further back, Joan Mir (Repsol Honda Team) narrowly missed a Q2 spot by just 0.028s and will start 13th. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) also missed out on Q2 and will start from P18, alongside his teammate Miller.