MotoGP: Vinales Secures Back-to-Back Poles in Misano Despite Friday Struggles

The MotoGP World Championship was in action yet again in Misano as qualifying for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix got underway for round seven of the 2020 season. Francesco Bagnaia entered qualifying as the fastest rider, while the likes of Jack Miller and Alex Rins were in need of strong performances in Q1 to be able to fight for the front four rows.

Also in Q1 was Andrea Dovizioso and although the World Championship leader left it late, he was able to make it through to Q2, along with Jack Miller who topped the first session. 

In Q2, the last lap of Francesco Bagnaia looked destined to be the first ever sub-1’31 lap time in Misano on a MotoGP bike until the Italian ran onto the green at the end of the kerb of the final corner. That saw his lap cancelled and allowed Maverick Vinales to take pole position for the second time in two weeks. Vinales’ pace also looks fantastic, but it did last week as well and yet he finished sixth. Similarly, Vinales struggled on Friday for race pace and consistency, prompting a change in working for the #12 side of the factory Yamaha garage which, according to Saturday’s results, would appear to have worked. The start will be important for the #12, but if he can get to the first corner first, from there perhaps he can impose his rhythm.

It will be a difficult situation off the line, though, for Vinales, who has Jack Miller alongside him on the more powerful Ducati. Miller was able to follow Valentino Rossi and Bagnaia in the second run of Q2, and dug in to take second on the grid which could be important for the Australian tomorrow, who has not displayed podium pace this weekend but could use the track position to his advantage. 

Unlike Miller, Fabio Quartararo has displayed podium pace this weekend. In fact, Quartararo’s pace in FP2 on Friday afternoon would have had his rivals worried, as he was able to lap in the low-1’32s for fun. In FP4, things evened out somewhat but should Quartararo make the start tomorrow his intense consistency could be hard to deny. 

The same could be said for Francesco Bagnaia who, despite having his final lap cancelled in Q2, will start from fifth on the grid. The Italian’s pace in FP4 was stunning, and of course even if Quartararo could go with Bagnaia in the race, the power of the Ducati would put the #63 at a significant advantage in a duel. 

But, in the same way the two Yamaha riders on the front row have some alarming company in the shape of Miller, Bagnaia has in the shape of the two Red Bull KTM Factory Racing riders, as a late lap from Pol Espargaro saw him take fourth place, and Brad Binder qualified a career-best sixth place. From there, the KTMs will hope they can show better pace than that of last weekend, when they were fighting to be in the top 10. Instead, Espargaro, and possibly Binder, could be in the fight for the podium. 

Podium contenders seem to be overflowing MotoGP, and tomorrow they will also come from row three as Valentino Rossi and Franco Morbidelli go from seventh and eighth, respectively. Rossi just missed out on the second row courtesy of Espargaro’s late lap, but in reality he probably could have made more of his tow from Bagnaia, as he lost three tenths in the final sector which points to a mistake, potentially in turn 14. Either way, Rossi made a step with his pace in FP4, and last week’s winner Morbidelli cannot be discounted, either. The VR46 duo will be joined on row three by their compatriot, Danilo Petrucci, who makes it an all-Italian row three.

The second factory Ducati of Andrea Dovizioso will start from the front of row four, in 10th, and it will be a tough race from there for the #04. But there are signs that Dovizioso is more comfortable with the bike this weekend than last, but either way holding onto the championship lead he picked up last weekend will be difficult from row four, where he will be joined by Joan Mir and Takaaki Nakagami – two more riders with podium potential who will find things hard after a difficult qualifying, especially for Nakagami who crashed hard in FP4 and Q2. 

Iker Lecuona was unfortunate to miss out on Q2, as his performance in Q1 was sublime. There was less than one tenth of a second between the rookie and Q2, but in the end it was only third-fastest in Q1 for the #27, so he will start from 13th. 

Johann Zarco’s Q1 efforts were impeded by a crash on his first flying lap on the second run. The fact the Frenchman was able to improve on the second hot lap of that run was impressive, and the #5 will sit in a Red Bull KTM Tech 3 sandwich on row five tomorrow, with Lecuona in front and Miguel Oliveira behind him, the Portuguese taking the fifth-fastest time in Q1. 

Sixth in Q1 was Aleix Espargaro who, like Zarco, had his chances limited by a crash at turn 14. Unlike Zarco, Espargaro did not have the chance to remount and go again, instead his best time was good enough for only 16th on the grid. The #41 will start alongside Alex Marquez and Alex Rins, who has been struggling for grip all weekend, on the sixth row. 

Row seven will be headed up by Bradley Smith, whilst Tito Rabat will start 20th and last on tomorrow’s depleted grid, as Stefan Bradl joins Cal Crutchlow on the side lines after an operation in the week to aid some numbness the #6 was suffering last weekend.