Qatar GP: Top Gun Secures Top Spot Ahead Of Season Opener

Maverick Vinales caught the paddock completely off guard by claiming the first pole position of the season, under the lights in Qatar. The Movistar Yamaha rider set a scorching time (1’53.546) to claim top spot, and give him team a much needed – albeit brief – distraction from their testing and practice troubles.

Unusually cold temperatures (Air: 17oC, Track: 16oC) greeted the competitors under the floodlit Losail International Circuit. Throw in regular gusts depositing sand at various points on the track and qualifying was truly unpredictable. A fan’s delight – a rider’s nightmare.

Vinales’ pole position success temporarily masks a serious problem for Yamaha, in particular the factory team. They look all at sea when it comes to race pace. Over a single lap they (and the Petronas Yamaha team) are very solid – as proved by three Yamaha riders securing starting grid positions on the front four rows – but they are seriously struggling against their rivals over long runs. The bulk of the problem lies in their lack of straight line speed. They are around 16kph (10mph) slower than the front running teams. Around the Losail circuit with its 1.1km main straight they are sitting ducks, and it is not unreasonable to expect to see the bikes being swamped by their rivals. Tomorrow is therefore expected to be extremely difficult for the team.

Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda) produced a strong performance to wrestle his RC213V onto the front row in P3. There is a big question mark over the reigning world champion over tomorrow’s race – he hasn’t been able to attempt any long stints in winter testing / practice. The most likely strategy (if not the only one) for him tomorrow will be to get to the front, set 3 or 4 blistering laps then try and hold off enough of the field to bring home points. Much like his compatriot Vinales, tomorrow is simply about damage limitation. The same cannot be said for Jorge Lorenzo (Repsol Honda) who failed to progress from Q1, and will start tomorrow down in P15.

Ducati and Suzuki have looked consistently the best of the field over long runs. On the basis of the practice sessions, there is no reason to expect anything other than a comfortable win for Ducati tomorrow. Andrea Dovizioso (P2) has been happily ticking all weekend. Constantly focused on setting the bike up for Sunday’s 22-lap race, and never outside the top 10 at any point so far since Friday. Content enough with his starting position knowing he has the bike and the fitness to outlast his two front row rivals. Danilo Petrucci (P7) will be disappointed at having to settle for a third row start. He complained after qualifying that Marquez had blocked him, but in all honesty the pair had been tripping over each other throughout Q2, and the Italian could easily have backed off and allowed himself some space.

Suzuki will have a bit more work to do than expected after enduring a difficult qualifying session. Alex Rins (P10) will be looking to make a point after failing to convert a solid Friday into a representative qualifying time. Although it must be mentioned that he did endure a heavy trip to the gravel at Turn 2 in the free practice session. Tomorrow is when it counts most, both he and Joan Mir (P11) will be looking to cut through the field quickly and make challenge for the podium.

Aprilia look to have made a step forward from testing. Both Aleix Espargaro (P12) and Andrea Iannone (P19) have shown solid pace over long runs all weekend, so it is not unreasonable to expect points finishes from both riders in the race tomorrow. Iannone will no doubt be annoyed at himself for not producing a clean lap in Q1 as – whilst qualifying for Q2 may have been impossible – a top 15 grid slot was certainly achievable. Watch out for him flying through the midfield when the red lights go out.

For KTM. The bike is simply uncompetitive. Johann Zarco (P21) has taken time to adapt to the new team over the winter, whilst having both test riders (Mika Kallio and Dani Pedrosa) out injured has also been a hindrance. Fortunately for the team, Pol Espargaro gritted his teeth, chewed the bar grips, and dragged his machine to P16 on the grid. Lacking in pace, stability and struggling for grip under acceleration – A world of pain looks set to await the team in the race tomorrow.

MotoGP Qualifying Top 10

1: Maverick Vinales (Monster Yamaha)

2: Andrea Dovizioso (Team Winnow Ducati)

3: Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda)

4: Jack Miller (Pramac Ducati)

5: Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha)

6: Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda)

7: Danilo Petrucci (Pramac Ducati)

8: Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha)

9: Taka Nakagami (LCR Honda)

10: Alex Rins (Team Ecstar Suzuki)