MotoGP: Espargaro takes European GP pole position as Quartararo, Dovizioso slump to row four

Qualifying for the 12th round of the 2020 MotoGP World Championship took place in a gloomy Valencia, at the Ricardo Tormo circuit for the first of two races at the Spanish track. After a wet qualifying for Moto3, the sun was out for MotoGP’s FP4 session, but the track would be wet for the start of qualifying. 

By the time Q1 started, the clouds had returned even if rain seemed unlikely. There was some in the middle of the session but nothing that affected track conditions too significantly. It was Miguel Oliveira who topped the session, improving his times steadily throughout the session, while Johann Zarco would join the Portuguese in moving through to Q2. 

Q2 saw an immense battle for pole position with Pol Espargaro eventually coming out on top. But also in the fight were Alex Rins, Takaaki Nakagami, Johann Zarco, Joan Mir, Aleix Espargaro and Jack Miller. 

Espargaro’s triumph gave him his second MotoGP pole after his Saturday triumph in Styria earlier this year. That pole position led to the Spaniard’s first dry weather MotoGP podium, and so at the track where Espargaro claimed his and KTM’s first MotoGP podium, can the #44 convert it to a maiden win?

He will likely have to deal with Alex Rins to do so, the #42 starting from second place alongside his compatriot after coming close to taking his first MotoGP pole position, his first in any class since Texas 2016 in Moto2 and Suzuki’s first since Aleix Espargaro and Maverick Vinales were 1-2 in Barcelona, 2015, back when Suzuki’s concessions granted them softer tyres than their non-concession rivals. In reality, though, Rins was 0.041 seconds shy of the mark laid down by Espargaro, but is nonetheless right in the mix for tomorrow’s race which could see him close in further in the championship. 

Completing the front row will be Takaaki Nakagami, despite a crash towards the end of the session, the Japanese rider having clearly gotten over the disappointment of Teruel. Nakagami is once again in the frame for a victory which, after almost no dry weather track time so far this weekend, is almost impossible to call.

Also in that fight could be Johann Zarco, who qualified fourth thanks to showing superb pace in the first three sectors, although in sector four he lost out significantly. Joining the Frenchman on the second row will be championship leader Joan Mir and Aleix Espargaro after an impressive qualifying performance from the Aprilia rider, and a calm enough ride from the #36 to keep himself somewhat out of trouble and definitely in the mix off the start tomorrow. 

Jack Miller will be disappointed to have missed out on pole position in conditions that were almost made for him. The Australian is the master at finding confidence and grip in sketchy conditions, rivalled in that department by only the continually absent Marc Marquez. And yet, the #43 was unable to take a position on the front two rows for the European Grand Prix, instead qualifying seventh. On row three, Miller will be joined by Miguel Oliveira and Franco Morbidelli, the top Yamaha rider, once again proving the YZR-M1’s issues when the conditions are neither fully wet nor fully dry. 

Further confirming those issues was Fabio Quartararo, who qualified 11th after struggling in the wet all weekend. The Frenchman is flanked on the fourth row by two men at the opposite ends of their respective careers, with the rookie Brad Binder ahead of the #20 in 10th place, and the seemingly retiring Andrea Dovizioso who could only manage 12th in Q2. 

Stefan Bradl was challenging for Q2 for much of Q1 but was just beaten by Zarco. The German will start from 13th tomorrow, alongside his Repsol Honda teammate, Alex Marquez, and Cal Crutchlow who is promoted to 15th thanks to the pit lane start penalty for Maverick Vinales following the Spaniard’s opening of a sixth engine for the season. 

Francesco Bagnaia’s seventh place in Q1 means a 16th-placed grid slot for the race, therefore, as well, with the Italian being joined by the returning Valentino Rossi and Danilo Petrucci, the Le Mans winner making it an all-Italian sixth row.

The seventh and final row will see Lorenzo Savadori start his first MotoGP race from 19th, alongside Tito Rabat in 20th and, thanks the absence of the unlucky Iker Lecuona, last on the grid.