Moto3: Fernandez Secures Emilia Romagna Pole, McPhee Out in Q1

The Moto3 World Championship was in action yet again in Misano as qualifying for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix got underway for round eight of the 2020 season. 

One of the major talking points coming into qualifying was that last week’s San Marino Grand Prix winner, John McPhee, did not qualify directly to Q2 from free practice, and therefore had to go through Q1. It was a dented rear wheel that cost the #17 in FP3 on Saturday morning and the afternoon was not much better for him, setting only the eighth-fastest time in Q1. But it was Deniz Oncu who topped the session from Tony Arbolino, Kaito Toba and Filip Salac, and those were the four who would move through to Q2. 

Q2 saw many riders in the frame for pole position. Celestino Vietti, Tatsuki Suzuki and Tony Arbolino were all in the picture for much of the session, but Suzuki’s challenge came to an end a couple of minutes from the end of the session as he suffered a vicious high side on the exit of turn four. In the end, though, it was Raul Fernandez who claimed pole position, his third of the season. The Spaniard had displayed good pace all weekend in the San Marino round, but a crash in the first lap with Sergio Garcia and Vietti meant he couldn’t show it when it counted. Now, though, the #25 has the perfect opportunity to stamp his authority on the second Misano race.

Joining Fernandez on the front row will be Tony Arbolino, whose search for a first pole position since Silverstone last year continues, and Andrea Migno whose target for this weekend is to be stronger and more aggressive in the fight.

On row two, Albert Arenas will start from fourth as he looks to respond to his crash in last week’s race. With his two main rivals, McPhee and Ai Ogura, behind him on the grid, he has at least done all he can on Saturday. Celestino Vietti, still in with an outside shot of a championship challenge, will start fifth tomorrow, whilst Romano Fenati will start from a season-best sixth place. 

Kaito Toba had one of his best showings on the KTM, as he qualified seventh. The Japanese rider will be hoping to convert this one-lap speed into a decent race result tomorrow, and starting alongside him will be compatriot Tatsuki Suzuki, providing he is fit after his crash, whilst Jaume Masia will round out the third row in ninth. 

The top 10 on the grid will be completed tomorrow by Jeremy Alcoba who took a career-best finish of fourth place last weekend and will no doubt be hunting for the first podium tomorrow. The #52 will be joined on the fourth row by Dennis Foggia and Ai Ogura who will have work to do from 12th to continue his positive momentum in the championship. 

Deniz Oncu will occupy the 13th grid slot tomorrow, starting from the head of the fifth row alongside Filip Salac and Stefano Nepa; whilst Ayumu Sasaki heads up the sixth row from Barry Baltus and Sergio Garcia who was the slowest of the Q2 runners in 18th.

Gabriel Rodrigo, who led for so much of last weekend’s race, was the top rider to miss out on Q2, the Argentinian qualifying 19th. He will be joined by Niccolo Antonelli and Alonso Lopez on the seventh row, the #21 unable to repeat his Q2 appearance of one week ago. 

Behind, McPhee will head up row eight in 22nd, alongside Darryn Binder and Riccardo Rossi; whilst Ryusei Yamanaka will start from the front of row nine in 25th and will  be joined by Khairul Idham Pawi and Yuki Kunii on that ninth row; and row 10 will see Maximilian Kofler line up alongside Carlos Tatay and Jason Dupasquier. Davide Pizzoli qualified last and will start alone on the 11th row from 31st.