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Reigning double world champion Marc Marquez of Repsol Honda team finished Qualifying at the British MotoGP in 1st, and will start tomorrow’s race in pole position. He was followed by Movistar Yamaha MotoGP rider Jorge Lorenzo in second, and the first row was rounded up by Marquez’s Repsol Honda teammate Dani Pedrosa.
Marquez broke his own record at Silverstone, and nearly managed to set a sub-two-minute lap, missing out to finish it in 2:00.234.
It was an all-Spain first row, as 6-time world champion and MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi of Movistar Yamaha MotoGP finished stronger than usual in qualifying, which is notoriously his Achilles heel. He will begin the second row, starting the race in 4th position. He was followed by the Spanish-British Monster Yamaha Tech team of Pol Espargaro and Bradley Smith who round up Row 2.
Pol’s brother Aleix of team Suzuki Ecstar began the qualifying session very strongly, looking to get a step up on other racers with teammate Maverick Vinales. The pair each set paces in the 2:03 region, but following a lightning-fast lap from Octo Pramac’s Yonny Hernandez in Q1, Espargaro had initially lost out. The pair are both on Row 4.
Marquez has recently enjoyed a strong comeback following a racing lull earlier in the season, and will look to capitalise on this. He finished second at the recent Czech MotoGP, which was won by Lorenzo starting from pole position.
Lorenzo has himself been having a blinder of a season as the Spaniard has won a staggering 5 races this year, 4 of them on the trot. He will also have significant momentum from his win at the Czech MotoGP, a victory which took him to a joint top at the MotoGP riders’ standings with teammate Rossi. The Movistar Yamaha MotoGP teammates are at 211 points apiece, with Marquez 52 points behind with 159. Andrea Iannone, who follows Marquez in the standings and won his career first pole at the Italian MotoGP this year, will start this race in 9th.
