Qatar Grand Prix Moto2 Qualifying: Schrötter’s first

Le Moto2 is the category that prepares riders to join MotoGP. This season, this mission was affirmed with the arrival of a more powerful Triumph engine with electronics. But future champions will also be able to practice elite procedures. Indeed, from this year on, qualifying for the discipline will resemble those at the top of the Grand Prix food chain. A two-step procedure is now validated with a Q1 and a Q2. The first qualifying session following this sequence will take place this evening in Qatar. Suffice it to say that the author of the pole position at Losail will go down in history…  

Who will have this great honor? Before answering this question, here is the table to help you remember.

Moto2™ Losail Qatar	2018 (600cc)	2019 (765cc)
FP1	2'01.601 Lorenzo Baldassarri	1'59.591 Marcel Schrötter
FP2	2'00.932 Alex Marquez	1'58.635 Lorenzo Baldassarri
FP3	2'01.928 Alex Marquez	1'59.596 Jorge Martin
QP1	XXX	1'59.154 Luca Marini
QP2	2'00.299 Alex Marquez
Warm Up	2'01.287 Alex Marquez
Course	Bagnaia, Baldassarri, Marquez
Records	1'59.052 Jonas Folger 2016	1'58.439 Sam Lowes

17° in the air and 19° on the track, with still this insistent wind, these are the conditions for a Q1 preliminary to Q2. We note that this contingent is notably composed of Marini, one of the favorites designated for the title. He will have to finish among the first four of this contest to then go away tempted to obtain a pole position.

He is precisely the brother of Valentino Rossi which signs the first reference in 1'59.415 in front Nagashima et lecuona. His teammate Open up is in the leading square and first in 2'00. But he gets his politeness grilled by Courses. Marini then brings his advantage to 1'59.154. Nagashima is still second, but Open up settles in third as the last five minutes begin.

The rookie even goes second to a tenth of his leader… The fourth and last qualifying place for Q2 is disputed between By Giannantonio et lecuona. He is the first to continue the adventure with his Speed ​​Up… Before losing his best time for having driven beyond the limits of the track. But lecuona sees himself betrayed by his motorcycle! Will he still be able to take advantage of his due?

Here we go for the last quarter of an hour. In 1'59.082, Schrötter announces the color, in front Virgin et Binder. Lüthi leads the rest of the peloton. Virgin did better in 1'58.731. Schrötter clings to 18 thousandths. Marini enters the leading trio gathered in 73 thousandths… Gardner et Binder close the top 5. Martin crash at turn 2. He was eleventh.

The last five minutes have begun. The moment chosen by Sam Lowes to claim the top 5. Which is held in 147 thousandths… Schrötter signs a 1'58.703, or 28 thousandths better than Virgin. lecuona returns to the track, finding a repaired machine. Marini crash at turn 2. He was fourth.

Schrötter slams a 1'58.585. Sufficient ? Even! Baldassarri, discreet until then, takes third place at the start of the last minute. But the German kept his best time and took his first career pole position.Virgin, Baldassarri will also be on the first line. Followed by Marini, Gardner, Lowes et Lüthi. Tie upr is eighth and first KTM ahead of a disappointing Alex Marquez. Fernandez closes the top 10. lecuona will start sixteenth.

Qatar Moto2 Grand Prix Qualifying: times

1	23	Marcel SCHROTTER	Kalex	1'58.585
2	97	Xavi VIRGIN	Kalex	1'58.731	0.146	0.146
3	7	Lorenzo BALDASSARRI	Kalex	1'58.784	0.199	0.053
4	10	Luca MARINI	Kalex	1'58.804	0.219	0.020
5	87	Remy GARDNER	Kalex	1'58.819	0.234	0.015
6	22	Sam LOWES	Kalex	1'58.845	0.260	0.026
7	12	Thomas LUTHI	Kalex	1'59.004	0.419	0.159
8	41	Brad BINDER	KTM	1'59.038	0.453	0.034
9	73	Alex MARQUEZ	Kalex	1'59.062	0.477	0.024
10	40	Augusto FERNANDEZ	Kalex	1'59.213	0.628	0.151
11	88	Jorge MARTIN	KTM	1'59.278	0.693	0.065
12	9	Jorge NAVARRO	Speed ​​Up	1'59.325	0.740	0.047
13	33	Enea BASTIANINI	Kalex	1'59.387	0.802	0.062
14	45	Tetsuit NAGASHIMA	Kalex	1'59.397	0.812	0.010
15	11	Nicholas BULEGA	Kalex	1'59.460	0.875	0.063
16	27	Iker LECUONA	KTM	1'59.681	1.096	0.221
17	5	Andrea LOCATELLI	Kalex	1'59.708	1.123	0.027
18	64	Bo BENDSNEYDER	NTS	1'59.837	1.252	0.129
		Q1 Results:
Q2	10	Luca MARINI	Kalex	1'59.154
Q2	11	Nicholas BULEGA	Kalex	1'59.303	0.149	0.149
Q2	45	Tetsuit NAGASHIMA	Kalex	1'59.442	0.288	0.139
Q2	27	Iker LECUONA	KTM	1'59.709	0.555	0.267
19	21	Fabio DI GIANNANTONIO	Speed ​​Up	1'59.754	0.600	0.045
20	2	Jesko RAFFIN	NTS	1'59.786	0.632	0.032
21	89	Khairul Idham PAWI	Kalex	1'59.931	0.777	0.145
22	24	Simone COURSES	Kalex	2'00.024	0.870	0.093
23	16	Joe ROBERTS	KTM	2'00.506	1.352	0.482
24	77	Dominique AEGERTER	MV Agusta	2'00.518	1.364	0.012
25	3	Lukas TULOVIC	KTM	2'00.836	1.682	0.318
26	62	Stefano MANZI	MV Agusta	2'00.861	1.707	0.025
27	35	Somkiat CHANTRA	Kalex	2'00.872	1.718	0.011
28	72	Marco BEZZECCHI	KTM	2'00.880	1.726	0.008
29	65	Philipp OETTL	KTM	2'00.929	1.775	0.049
30	96	Jake DIXON	KTM	2'00.951	1.797	0.022
31	20	Dimas EKKY PRATAMA	Kalex	2'01.291	2.137	0.340
32	18	Xavi CARDELUS	KTM	2'02.863	3.709	1.572