Aleix Espargaró got the pole position for his home GP in Catalonia. The rider from Granollers set a new circuit record which will allow him to start the race from first tomorrow, next to his teammate in Suzuki, Maverick Viñales. Lorenzo was 3rd ahead of Márquez.
It might have been unexpected, but riders such as Dani Pedrosa or Andrea Iannone had to participate in Q1. They topped the time-sheets from the beginning and were able to make it to the next round. The knockout zone from 13th to 25th was occupied by Barberà, Redding, Bradl, Petrucci, Di Meglio, Hayden, Baz, Bautista, Miller, Laverty, De Angelis, Melandri and Abraham.
Q2 showed what we were expecting, Aleix Espargaró dominating with Jorge Lorenzo very close to him, although Márquez got the circuit record on his second try. In the last 5 minutes, Lorenzo got 1st while Yohanny Hernández blocked Dani Pedrosa during his lap. The Suzuki led with 2 minutes to go and Pol Espargaró fell, just as Cal Cruthlow would do shortly after.
Finally, pole position for Aleix Espargaró, his second and first with Suzuki, with the laptime record of the circuit. Last pole for Suzuki was back in 2007 with Vermulen. It’s been a tough comeback for Suzuki, but it’s starting to pay off.