MotoGP: Ducati lock-out Valencia front row as Martin halts Bagnaia’s pole streak

The 2021 MotoGP World Championship approaches its final round this weekend in Valencia. Despite struggling on Friday, Aprilia and Aleix Espargaro topped FP3 on Saturday morning, and the Spaniard headed into qualifying as the fastest rider.

Alex Rins and Brad Binder faced pressure from the likes of Andrea Dovizioso and Danilo Petrucci for a spot in the top two places in Q1. They held on, though, and moved through to the all-important Q2 with sufficient improvements in their respective second runs. 

It was once again a Ducati domination in Q2, with Jack Miller topping the times after the first runs, before Francesco Bagnaia and then Jorge Martin took pole position away from the Australian. For Martin, it is his fourth pole position of his rookie year, and should put him in prime position to secure the Rookie of the Year title, ahead of Enea Bastianini. 

Martin’s pole also held the run of consecutive pole positions for Bagnaia to five, as the Italian crashed on his final lap, meaning he could do no more than second. 

Jack Miller’s fastest lap remained enough for the front row despite his own crash at turn 11, meaning that, for the second time in three races, Ducati have a front row lockout in MotoGP.

Johann Zarco almost secured an all-Ducati top four for the final grid of the season, but for Joan Mir, who was the only rider to upset the Ducati superiority with his lap that was good enough for fourth-fastest.

The second row will be completed by Alex Rins tomorrow, meaning Zarco sits as the Pramac Ducati meat in a Suzuki sandwich; while Brad Binder will head up row three from 2021 World Champion Fabio Quartararo, and Takaaki Nakagami. 

Valentino Rossi will start his final MotoGP race from 10th place, with the original member of the formalised VR46 Rider Academy, Franco Morbidelli, alongside him in 11th, while Aleix Espargaro will start from 12th after being thwarted by yellow flags at the end.

Andrea Dovizioso has impressed this weekend on the 2019 Yamaha. He was in the top 10 after Friday, and finished third in Q1. A reminder that the motorcycle he is riding won at Valencia last year, but also that Valencia is just Dovizioso’s fifth race on the YZR-M1, after eight seasons on basically the opposite motorcycle: Ducati’s Desmosedici. Overall, an impressive performance from the Italian, who will be joined tomorrow by Maverick Vinales and Iker Lecuona – in what will be, for now at least, the #27’s last MotoGP race – on row five.

Row six will be headed up by Danilo Petrucci, who will start his final MotoGP race from 16th before he heads off to the desert to prepare the 2022 Dakar rally. Petrucci will have Luca Marini and Enea Bastianini alongside him on row six tomorrow, as the #23 looks to hunt down Martin for the Rookie of the Year title. 

Alex Maquez would have been hoping for more in Valencia after his podium challenge in Portimao, but the Spaniard will have to start from 19th tomorrow after a crash in Q1 limited his chances. Miguel Oliveira was the only rider slower than Marquez, as the Portuguese continues to struggle for form.

Pol Espargaro was the only rider to not set a time in Q1, having crashed heavily at turn 13 in FP3 on Saturday morning. The Spaniard was taken to hospital, and it currently remains unclear whether the #44 will be present on the grid for tomorrow’s Valencian Grand Prix.