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MotoGP: Martin has Malaysian GP pole as disaster for contenders

  • Darshan Chokhani
    • MotoGP, Malaysian GP

    Jorge Martin takes another MotoGP pole in Malaysian GP from Enea Bastianini and Marc Marquez as disaster strikes title contenders.

    Q1:

    It was a tensed first part of MotoGP qualifying in Malaysian GP at Sepang circuit with points leader Francesco Bagnaia in there to find a place in Q2 on his Ducati. He had his teammate Jack Miller too in the session as they sat 1-2 after their first runs.

    Despite the places, the team had meetings in between the session as they needed the help of Miller. The pressure got to the Australian who crashed on his final attempt but with lack of huge improvements allowed Bagnaia (1m58.645s) to set the pace and make it in Q2.

    Miller had second but his crash dropped him to fourth as Honda’s Marc Marquez displaced him to make it in Q2 in second, with KTM’s Brad Binder ending up third to start 13th. The Australian slotted in fourth from RNF Yamaha’s Cal Crutchlow in the Top 15.

    Gresini Ducati’s Fabio di Giannantonio was 16th from the other Honda of Pol Espargaro, with Pramac Ducati’s Johann Zarco 18th, KTM’s Miguel Oliveira 19th, Tech 3 KTM’s Remy Gardner 20th and LCR Honda’s Alex Marquez 21st.

    The Spaniard had a fall in the final part of the session, but managed to beat substitute teammate Tetsuta Nagashima in 23rd where Tech 3’s Raul Fernandez 22nd and RNF’s Darryn Binder in 24th.

    Q2:

    The second part in MotoGP qualifying in Malaysian GP saw a very different looking Top 3 after the first run where Pramac’s Jorge Martin set the pace with a 1m58.021s lap as he led Gresini’s Enea Bastianini and VR46 Ducati’s Luca Marini.

    MotoGP points leader Bagnaia was sixth while title contender Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo in 11th before their final runs. But it didn’t start well for the Italian as he crashed out at Turn 4 but for the Frenchman as well it wasn’t the run he hoped for.

    A mistake at Turn 8 left him no time to improve, as Martin further improved to not just break the lap record set by Quartararo, but take MotoGP pole with a 1m57.790s in Malaysian GP as Bastianini was second from Marquez in the Top 3.

    VR46’s Marco Bezzecchi was fourth from Suzuki’s Alex Rins with Marini in sixth from Yamaha’s Fanco Morbidelli who is to serve two Long Gap Penalty in the grand prix. Aprilia’s Maverick Vinales was eighth with Bagnaia only ninth in the end.

    Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro was only 10th after his late crash, with Suzuku’s Joan Mir in 11th from Quartararo in 12th.