2020 MotoGP Round Two – Jerez
Gran Premio Red Bull de Andalucía

MotoGP riders reflect on Qualifying

Fabio Quartararo – P1

“Today was a really good day for us! FP4 was really positive with the ten laps that we did in a row at a really good pace, which is something important that we needed to do. I was actually surprised to make pole position!  I thought the lap I did would put me on the front row, which was our goal for today, but it was actually a pole position lap! The conditions were strange because in FP4 it was really good but in qualifying it was starting to get windy. I’m of course happy with another pole position and I know that we also have a really good pace for tomorrow. I expect a really good race but we have a few riders who could pose a real challenge. We’ll be trying our best to stay in front, stay focused, manage the pace and just do the best we can tomorrow.”

Maverick Vinales – P2

“My best lap time got cancelled, but I‘m happy anyway. The target was to do a 1‘36s in qualifying, and wow! I felt so good on the bike and, honestly, I felt that I touched the green in Turn 7, but I wasn‘t sure if it was with all the tyre or not, but you know, it was still a fantastic feeling. It was a shame that on the first lap on my second tyre I found Pol Espargaró on the ground and couldn‘t make that lap. I think our potential was very strong today, but anyway I‘m so happy and so pleased, because the bike is working so well. I can‘t wait for tomorrow and be in the race.”

Pecco Bagnaia – P3

“I was missing this feeling. My first time in first row in MotoGP is something very beautiful for all of us. We did a further step forward; I feel ready for the race and we focused about the last part of the race and I think that this time we can manage front tires wear. I will try to be fast and constant since the start because I know that we have the race pace to stay with the head group. I want to thanks my team and Ducati because they deserve it for trusting and I think that a first row today can be a very important goal for us.”

Valentino Rossi – P4

“Today we continued to work on the bike. We have a different setting and I feel better. I‘m not too bad in the morning, in the afternoon I suffer a little bit more, but it looks like it‘s difficult for everybody. This afternoon was also hotter than before, and tomorrow will be another step: I think that tomorrow will be the hottest MotoGP race that I‘ve ever seen. Now the situation starts to be really at the limit, so I think that riding 25 laps will be a great challenge for everybody. I will start from a good position, and my pace is also not so bad in the afternoon, but we still have to improve something, in some places we lose a bit. So we still have work to do, but it will be important to start towards the front.”

Miguel Oliveira – P5

“It was a positive qualifying because it’s our best starting position and something that we wanted to improve from last weekend, so we are happy. But of course, we are conscious that the job is not done yet. We still need to finish the race tomorrow with a lot of points, so we will keep on working, fine-tune the last details and keep a strong mentality for the race.”

Franco Morbidelli – P6

It was a difficult Saturday. We didn’t start the day in the best way because we tried something new and we couldn’t change it back during the session, so I had to get the maximum out of it. Unfortunately I didn’t get into Q2 directly but I was able to progress from Q1 and eventually finish with a second row for tomorrow. I’m happy with this result, as our aim was for at least the second row. Ahead of tomorrow we’ll tweak a few things and see what we can do. I think it will be tough tomorrow as there are a lot of strong riders, but we know our potential and we’ll be trying our best to achieve this, hopefully it will be a podium! This is what I’m aiming for.

Jack Miller – P7

“Happy enough with today, we would have liked to have been a little more up the grid but I’ll take it! I didn’t really get to do a clean lap, the first tyre I had took a bit to get going and didn’t really work on the first 2 and a half laps and I ended up doing 3 laps. The pit stop was a little bit of a rush to get the tires over, and then got caught over by the new yellow flag rule and had to roll out of my first run lap and then on my second one I had a couple of mistake and then had to literally ride with my eyes shut in the last 3 sectors to make up time and improve. Hopefully we can spring up a few positions.”

Takaaki Nakagami – P8

“It’s quite positive for us after the second day here. We are working on the Sunday race set-up and the bike is much more comfortable and consistent which is good. In qualifying on the last lap at the last corner I was trying to give 100 percent, but before the last corner I felt some shaking and I wasn’t able to stop the bike. I lost control but there was no crash which was good, but I was off the track and that was game over. Up until then we were going faster and faster and were in P4 or P5, but we finished in P8 so that was a bit disappointing, but the team has done a great job this weekend. I feel positive for tomorrow, we have good pace and I think we can have a strong race.”

Brad Binder – P9

“Today has been good. The main target was to make it through to Q2 because that’s what we didn’t do last week. I must be happy because we made some steady progress. We are heading in a good direction. It’s looking positive for tomorrow and I think I can do a good job: what position that will be I have no idea! In general, the pace is decent. To qualify 9th in my second grand prix is fantastic.”

Joan Mir – P10

“I’m struggling a bit when it comes to a fast lap, the heat makes everything hard because with the higher temperatures I couldn’t capture the same feeling. But I’m improving and I’ve cut down the gap between myself and the fastest riders, and I’m confident in my race pace. I plan to make up positions and defend myself tomorrow, I hope that I can make a much better start than last week and work my way through as the race goes on.”

Danilo Petrucci – P11

“I’m not particularly happy with the result I got in qualifying today. This morning in FP3, I managed to set a good time, while this afternoon in both FP4 and Q2 I couldn’t find the right conditions to be able to do a strong lap again. For sure, the eleventh position wasn’t what I expected. Tomorrow it will be important to start well to be able to do a good race”.

Pol Espargaro – P12

“It was a good day up until the qualifying. I locked the front in the second corner and couldn’t even set a lap-time. It has put us in a critical position on the grid, but tomorrow is when the points come. We have to make extra effort tomorrow to be where we want to be. I would say our pace is one of the best, the bike felt nice and smooth and I could make the race pace on a used tire very easily. I really want to start and push right away when the tire is fresh and try to overtake as soon as possible.”

Cal Crutchlow – P13

“Obviously today was going to be a difficult day trying to qualify for the grid in the MotoGP race, but I want to thank the LCR Honda Castrol team and Honda for giving me a good enough bike to try and do some good laps today. In the free practices I didn’t feel fantastic with the bike and also in qualifying, but I think that was also me riding the bike with some hesitation. But hopefully we can start the race tomorrow and have a good ride. It’s important to see our position in the race and manage it well as 25 laps round here is not going to be easy, but we’ll try our best for our team, sponsors and manufacturer.”

Andrea Dovizioso – P14

“These two days have been rather strange. We worked hard based on the data collected last weekend, and this allowed us to improve a lot the feeling with the bike and be more consistent as a race pace. Unfortunately, we are still not fast enough, and today we were not able to get into Q2. Starting from the back of the grid could be a limit for tomorrow’s race, but with a strong start we can still aim for a good result to try and get as many points as possible for the championship”.

Aleix Espargaro – P16

“This morning, I tried everything I could to get Aprilia into the top 10 and we really came very close. Unfortunately, on the flying lap we are still not perfectly at ease, whereas it’s a different story if we look at our race pace. I felt pretty good during FP4. I think that battling for a top-ten position is within our potential. The temperatures already went up today and tomorrow it will be even hotter. It will be a very demanding race.”

Iker Lecuona – P17

“I had a fall this morning and therefore it took me some time to regain my feeling this afternoon but in qualifying I finally managed to improve my lap time compared to last week. I felt good with the bike and I can enjoy riding, so I’m really happy. I want to thank my team and also Miguel’s crew because they helped us a lot to prepare my bike.”

Bradley Smith – P19

“We tried a lot of setups to improve the areas where we have the greatest limitations, but we still haven’t found the right path. In these situations, you can choose not to change too much on the bike and not take a risk, or you can try different geometries and settings. To be honest, I prefer the second option. Unfortunately, when we improve one aspect, we make another worse, and that is complicating our weekend a bit. We have to set reasonable goals for ourselves and what we need to do tomorrow is try to improve compared to last week’s race.”

Alex Rins – P20

“It was positive to jump on the bike again but honestly speaking I’m feeling exhausted after the qualifying. It is so hot on the bike, and with the injury I also have to ride more physically to compensate, this uses up more energy and I get tired after a few laps. The injury is taking it out of me and it’s very painful, but I knew it would be hard. I managed to work on settings and tyres and also my rhythm. Let’s try to recover a bit for tomorrow, take some rest, and see what the situation is after the warm up.”

Alex Marquez – P21

“It was a very positive FP4 and I was feeling very good with used tyres but then I struggled more on new tyres. I made a lot of mistakes during Qualifying and I’m not able to really make the most of the initial grip, this is certainly something I have to work on because qualifying in MotoGP is so important. Even so, our race pace is looking better, and I am pleased with this. I also had a small crash, my arm is OK after some initial pain because the crash was quite fast, but it will be fine for tomorrow and the plan is to go forward tomorrow.”

Marc Marquez – Withdrawn

“It has been a difficult week and a lot has happened since last Sunday when certainly I would not have said ‘I will try to race next week’. But when you have a passion for something and you devote yourself to achieving something, you have to at least try so your conscience is calm. After the operation I saw I had mobility in the elbow and good strength and I was able to do some push-ups, of course there was pain there but it was manageable. I then spoke with Honda about all of the options and we agreed to try on Saturday, to see what was possible at least. Throughout I have listened to the doctors and my body, in the morning today I was feeling good and we were happy with our progress. But then when it came time to do the Time Attack, when it is less about being consistent and more about being aggressive, the arm was without strength. I don’t know if it was from the swelling or from the heat but I knew I needed to listen to my body. Throughout this process I have spoken with my Repsol Honda Team and with HRC and I want to say thank you to them for always respecting my decisions. I also want to thank the doctors, physios and those close to me for helping me to try and chase this dream. Sadly, we cannot race tomorrow but I will continue to do everything I can to be back on track in Brno and to fight for the championship.”

Alberto Puig – Repsol Honda Team Manager

“This morning the objective was to make first contact with the bike and we saw that Marc could still be fast. In the afternoon the plan was to do a longer run. Either due to the heat or fatigue from the morning, he experienced more problems and found it more difficult. Obviously we have understood that it was better not to take more risks. We have followed the plan, which was to miss Friday and see how Marc felt today. Now we have analyzed the situation and made the decision not to participate in tomorrow’s race. We have followed the plan, always checking the physical condition of the rider. Marc has tried to listen to his body, to see how he responded. When he saw that he could not, we have all decided not to race tomorrow. Marc is very strong. He wanted to try, and we wanted to give him the opportunity to do it, we have supported him at all times. I think we have made the right decision at all times. A champion cannot stay at home if he thinks he has the option or a slight chance. Now he has a lot of inflammation, but it will pass. There are many races ahead and the goal is to arrive in Brno in the best way.”

Massimo Meregalli – Yamaha Team Director

“We came close to pole, but honestly, we’re very pleased with today‘s results. Maverick is on the front row, which was his goal. He has been looking very comfortable with his bike so far this weekend and also his race pace is competitive, so this front-row start will be a key element for him to wrap this GP weekend up with a top result. Valentino has improved his pace in the hotter afternoon conditions, and it showed in qualifying. Starting from the second row will allow him to get in the midst of the action at the front. We‘ve done a lot of work today. We’re still weighing our options for what tyres we will use for tomorrow, there are several combinations that could work for us. Tomorrow we will make our final decision, but in any case, we’re really looking forward to starting the race.”

Davide Brivio – Suzuki Team Manager

“It was a tricky qualifying. Joan did well this morning to get into the Top 10 and Q2 but during qualifying he struggled a bit. But anyway, 10th on the grid isn’t bad and he’ll aim to keep a good pace tomorrow and gain positions. Alex tried hard despite the pain, and we knew it would be hard for him to improve his lap time. On his last flying lap there was yellow flag and he had to slow down so he lost one lap. The goal will be just to try and finish as best he can and get some points. It will be hard and let’s see tomorrow what we can do.”

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MotoGP Qualifying Report

Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT) has claimed back-to-back pole positions at the Circuito de Jerez-Angel Nieto thanks to a 1:37.007 at the Gran Premio Red Bull de Andalucia, beating Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) to the honour as the number 12 had his fastest effort cancelled for exceeding track limits. The last minute slice of drama makes it three poles in a row at the venue for Quartararo after his rookie heroics in last year’s Spanish GP, and his fourth pole in a row stretching back to Sepang 2019. Completing the top three was an impressive performance from Francesco Bagnaia (Pramac Racing), with the Italian taking his first premier class front row start and doing it as top Ducati to boot.

The session was set up for a duel from the off, and that’s what we got. Quartararo was hitting first and ultimately it all came down to Viñales: the gauntlet was thrown, a 1:37.007, but could the Spaniard hit back? The answer appeared to be yes and it was advantage Viñales, but not long after he crossed the line, the drama hit and the lap suddenly disappeared off the timing screens. Where he had seemed a tenth clear, the Spaniard was pushed down to second and the replay showed why: track limits. A small infraction but a clear one, the pole was handed to ‘El Diablo’.

Behind that, Bagnaia’s impressive pace from last weekend has only been increasing and the Italian made another step forward with a landmark first premier class front row, and less than a tenth off Viñales. He was also a nice little chunk of time clear of mentor of sorts Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP), with the ‘Doctor’ bumped down to head the second row.

That second row is nevertheless a big leap forward for the nine-time World Champion after a tougher time out in the Spanish GP at times, and he beat a stunning performance from Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Tech 3) to keep the Portuguese rider in fifth by only a couple of thousandths. It’s Oliveira’s best, however, and he’s top KTM after a slightly tougher Saturday afternoon for the Austria factory than promised. Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) completes the second row.

Jack Miller (Pramac Racing) will be looking for revenge against his less experienced teammate Bagnaia from P7, and the Australian having only narrowly missed out on a podium last week so he’ll want a good launch off the line with, which his machinery may help. Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) had another impressive session to join Miller on Row 3, with Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) locking that out in P9. The South African didn’t quite replicate his searing Friday, but he seems one to watch once the lights go out, with serious speed. He has also won from the back at Jerez in Moto3 – a stat that becomes even more impressive considering no one has ever won from pole in the class…

Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) leads the Suzuki charge in tenth, with Hamamatsu factory teammate Alex Rins on the superhuman comeback from injury and starting 20th after managing a few more laps on Saturday. 11th went the way of Danilo Petrucci (Ducati Team), with P12 filled by Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) after a heartbreakingly-timed crash in Q2. Rider ok, and ready to light it up again on Sunday as KTM’s pace continues to impress.

Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) put in a mammoth effort to go from surgery on a broken scaphoid only a few days ago to almost getting through from Q1, and he’ll start P13, ahead of a difficult day at the office for Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team), who’ll be looking to launch forward. Johann Zarco (Hublot Reale Avintia Racing) starts P15.

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MotoGP Qualifying Results

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Moto2

Marco Bezzecchi (Sky Racing Team VR46) took his first Moto2 pole position on Saturday in the Gran Premio Red Bull de Andalucia, ending Q2 0.037 ahead of Sam Lowes (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) to take the honour and show more top pace in 2020. Behind Lowes, who has won at the venue before, it’s Enea Bastianini (Italtrans Racing Team) who completes the front row – and after coming through Q1.

Under the scorching Andalucian sun, it was Bezzecchi and Sky Racing Team VR46 teammate Luca Marini who were at the summit from the off, with the Italians working well in tandem once again, but Jorge Navarro (Beta Tools Speed Up) then hit back to get in the mix. Bezzecchi wouldn’t be denied though and the Italian put in another stunner to take back the provisional pole, with Bastianini then shooting up to P2. Lowes looked like the last man to threaten but ultimately just fell hundredths short and takes second.

Navarro starts fourth and will be hoping his luck will change after his Turn 1, opening lap crash at the Spanish GP last week. He’s joined by Spanish GP winner Marini, who couldn’t improve on his last run, and last weekend’s polesitter Jorge Martin (Red Bull KTM Ajo) on the second row.

Aron Canet (Openbank Aspar Team Moto2) had another strong showing in P7, with the impressive rookie set to lead the more experienced Nicolo Bulega (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) and Tom Lüthi (Liqui Moly Intact GP) away from the third row. Lüthi’s teammate Marcel Schrötter rounds out the top 10 having had an off-track excursion at Turn 1 in Q2.

Championship leader Tetsuta Nagashima (Red Bull KTM Ajo) had to settle for P15 in Q2, and he’ll be one looking for some points and progress on Sunday. The Japanese rider is on the comeback from a heavy FP3 crash, and may be set on damage control in the Sunday heat.

Marco Bezzecchi

“It’s important to be here, especially for me, because I had a difficult season last year and the injury, so a tough period, but today I was very strong. I’m very happy for this because the team worked really well, and this this pole is for the Sky Racing Team, they saved me. I’m very happy so I want to thank the team, the academy, Vale, everyone. And now I’m focused for tomorrow because it will be difficult with the hot conditions and my foot, but for the moment I’ll enjoy it and I’m very happy!”

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Moto2 Qualifying Results

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Moto3

Tatsuki Suzuki (SIC58 Squadra Corse) showed three is very much a magic number for the number 24 in 2020, taking a third consecutive pole position in the Gran Premio Red Bull de Andalucia in style. The Japanese rider also had an even bigger gap than last week as he got the better of compatriot Ai Ogura (Honda Team Asia) by 0.285, with Gabriel Rodrigo (Kömmerling Gresini Moto3) completing the third row, just a further 0.011 in arrears.

Hot temperatures and clear skies were once again the name of the game, and once again Suzuki came out on top and stamped some authority on Saturday. The gap back from the front row to the second was nearly two tenths too, with Raul Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) putting that in for fourth. He’s joined on Row 2 by Spanish GP podium finisher Tony Arbolino (Rivacold Snipers Team), only thousandths off, with Championship leader Albert Arenas (Solunion Aspar Team Moto3) in sixth just 0.002 off Arbolino.

Reigning FIM Moto3™ Junior World Champion Jeremy Alcoba (Kömmerling Gresini Moto3) took seventh and got the better of veteran John McPhee (Petronas Sprinta Racing), with Celestino Vietti (Sky Racing Team VR46) making a big move forward on Saturday to take ninth. Jaume Masia (Leopard Racing) completes the top ten.

Andrea Migno (Sky Racing Team VR46) was one crasher in the session, and the Italian paid the price as he starts 18th. Two more riders to likely look out for on Sunday coming from a little further back will be previous Jerez winner Niccolo Antonelli (SIC58 Squadra Corse), who just missed out on moving into Q2 after he sat out the final couple of minutes of Q1 and starts 20th, and Darryn Binder (CIP Green Power), who’s in 25th but stormed through the pack last week. Can they get back in the mix?

Tatsuki Suzuki

“I don’t know how I took this pole position. You know, usually I’m fast on Saturday and struggle a bit on Sunday in the race, so this weekend we concentrated on race distance and I’m very surprised about this lap-time, especially in the hot conditions. The lap-time makes me more confident, tomorrow I hope I’ll fight for the podium and stay as far forward as possible.”

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Moto3 Qualifying Results

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MotoE

Dominique Aegerter (Dynavolt Intact GP) converted his Free Practice form into his maiden FIM Enel MotoE World Cup E-Pole in Round 2, with the Swiss rider back on top for the first time since taking pole for the 2014 German Moto2 Grand Prix. He beat second fastest Matteo Ferrari (Trentino Gresini MotoE) by 0.267. and two rookies will line-up on the front row once again as Lukas Tulovic (Tech3 E-Racing) set a 1:48.525 and mastered the final sector to sit third.

Track temperatures for the MotoE riders sat at a sizzling 60+ degrees on Saturday afternoon as Cup standings leader Eric Granado (Avintia Esponsorama Racing) went in search of his second pole in seven days. After Jakub Kornfeil (WithU Motorsport), Maria Herrera (Openbank Aspar Team) – the Spaniard having her lap time cancelled for exceeding track limits – and Alessandro Zaccone (Trentino Gresini MotoE) had completed their laps, Josh Hook (Octo Pramac MotoE) fired in a low 1:49 so set the other riders which a good benchmark time to beat.

Next thought it was a disaster for Tommaso Marcon (Tech3 E-Racing) as the Italian left pitlane too late, seeing the rookie getting a black flag in his second E-Pole session. There were no such errors for Tulovic though as the German slammed in a stunning lap time, his aforementioned 1:48.525 a tenth faster than Granado’s E-Pole time at the Spanish GP – and that time was going to take some beating.

Jordi Torres (Pons Racing 40) and Alejandro Medina (Openbank Aspar Team) slotted in behind Tulovic’s time despite their best effort, but Ferrari was able to knock the German off his perch to nick provisional pole by a tenth. Then came Granado, with all eyes on the Brazilian. Could the runaway Spanish GP winner put another chink in his opponents’ armour by taking pole? The number 51 had two moments on his flying lap – most notably the back getting squirmy out of Turn 6 – and that would ultimately cost him pole position as he slotted into P3, with Aegerter still to go

The former Moto2 winner made no mistakes on his run to grab pole position by over two tenths, demoting Ferrari to second and Granado off the front row. Torres and Medina will start 5th and 6th on the second row, with the experienced Alex de Angelis (Octo Pramac MotoE) heading row three. Mattia Casadei (SIC58 Squadra Corse), Niccolo Canepa (LCR E-Team) and Hook complete the top 10

Dominique Aegerter

“For me I’m very happy to start as poleman, we did a great job, we worked very hard this week, we were checking the data from last weekend, the team was working very hard to improve, and me to get more used to the bike! They did a greatjob, it was very hot working in the E-paddock! And as a rider on the track it’s very hot as well. The E-pole is very special, you cannot risk too much and you need to pay attention to track limits, so you need to push and we made a perfect lap. This will be a good chance for me tomorrow to start better than last weekend. I’m looking forward to it.”

Josh Hook – P10

“Today we made a step, the lap time was quite good. We are doing better than last week, and I will start in a better position tomorrow so we will be able to fight for the top 6. I’m very positive and I cannot wait to race.”

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MotoE Qualifying Results

Source: MCNews.com.au