Qatar MotoGP: Martin smashes new lap record to take pole

Jorge Martin had put on his Speedy Gonzales suit as the Pramac Ducati rider smashed the lap record at the Lusail International Circuit in Qatar. Martin bagged the season opener pole position and set 1 minute 50.789 seconds lap time which put him 0.083 seconds ahead of Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro. Ducati’s Enea Bastianini took the third position. It was the perfect smash-and-grab session for Martin, who qualified fifth last year and finished a disappointing tenth on race day. 

Qatar MotoGP: What about Bagnaia and Marc Marquez?

It wasn’t a flying start for the defending champion Francesco ‘Pecco’ Bagnaia who will start fifth on race day and was 0.139 seconds off Martin’s pace. The Ducati rider had the momentum on his side and was a serious challenger for pole position but he miscalculated Turn 15 and went wide. If Pecco thought that the main challenge on Sunday would be to catch up with Martin then he has another thing coming as he has Gresini Racing’s latest recruit, a certain Marc Marquez. The eight-time world champion had shown shades of brilliance during both the Free Practice and Qualifiers and now will be rearing for a podium finish, if not win the race. 

Qatar MotoGP: Aleix Espargaro and Binder crash Ducati’s party

As the Q2 session was inching to an end, the Ducati-powered motorcycles and the factory team locked the top five positions. How many times have seen plans and strategies fall apart in MotoGP? Espargaro did what he does best and disrupted the Ducati lineup and took second place.

To add insult to injury, KTM’s Brad Binder rolled the dice and took his chances and it paid off as he elbowed out Bagnaia and Marc Marquez to take fourth place. It was a qualifier round to never forget for debutant Pedro Acosta from GasGas Tech 3, who showcased his competitive spirit and took eighth.