Losing a pole position is never fun for a Spanish driver at Jerez, especially when he is beaten by his own teammate. But the Hondas were ahead of their opponents so clearly this Saturday that Marc could envisage the race under the best auspices.
At the end of the three free practice sessions, the situation was not triumphant for Marquez, only fourth 0.391 behind Dani Pedrosa, the Ducati of Jorge Lorenzo and the Yamaha of Maverick Vinales.
But during FP4 in racing conditions he was ahead of all his opponents, preceding Johann Zarco, Jonas Folger and Jorge Lorenzo which normally should not worry him at the start of the race because they are less well placed than him on the starting grid. On the other hand, Dani Pedrosa only got the eighth fastest time, which could be a source of satisfaction for Marc.
During qualifying, he and his team adopted an original strategy with two stops. The trick was that during the third run he could place himself behind Dani Pedrosa, forcing him either to cut his effort or to take him to the finish line where he then intended to steal pole. The strategy was good, but Pedrosa was even better and beat Marc by 0.04. He will therefore start from the middle of the first row, 100% Honda as in the three categories of this Spanish Grand Prix.
To Marc Marquez, who are " Dani was very strong and fast today, and all weekend honestly. For this reason, I tried to follow him during the last qualifying rounds, to learn what he did differently! I was able to set a very good lap time and that was my target, to have a front row start because I had a bit of trouble with the fast lap.
“I'm happy because it seems like we're getting better and better. Today, in FP4, we were able to ride very well and we are very satisfied with that.
“Normally this circuit is not one of the best for our bike and for my riding style, but it seems our plans are working well. We are improving the areas we are working on, which is also important regarding the upcoming races at the other European tracks.
“Anyway, now we have to think about tomorrow. Race day is always different, but we will try to manage it well. »
Qualification results:
1. Dani Pedrosa ESP Repsol Honda Team (RC213V) 1m 38.249s
2. Marc Marquez ESP Repsol Honda Team (RC213V) 1m 38.298s +0.049s
3. Cal Crutchlow GBR LCR Honda (RC213V) 1m 38.453s +0.204s
4. Maverick Vinales ESP Movistar Yamaha MotoGP (YZR-M1) 1m 38.677s +0.428s
5. Andrea Iannone ITA Team Suzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR) 1m 38.744s +0.495s
6. Johann Zarco FRA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 (YZR-M1)* 1m 38.861s +0.612s
7. Valentino Rossi ITA Movistar Yamaha MotoGP (YZR-M1) 1m 38.908s +0.659s
8. Jorge Lorenzo ESP Ducati Team (Desmosedici GP17) 1m 38.910s +0.661s
9. Jonas Folger GER Monster Yamaha Tech 3 (YZR-M1)* 1m 39.108s +0.859s
10. Jack Miller AUS Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS (RC213V) 1m 39.125s +0.876s
11. Scott Redding GBR Octo Pramac Racing (Desmosedici GP16) 1m 39.152s +0.903s
12. Aleix Espargaro ESP Factory Aprilia Gresini (RS-GP) 1m 39.400s +1.151s
13. Danilo Petrucci ITA Octo Pramac Racing (Desmosedici GP17) 1m 39.090s
14. Andrea Dovizioso ITA Ducati Team (Desmosedici GP17) 1m 39.255s
15. Pol Espargaro ESP Red Bull KTM Factory Racing (RC16) 1m 39.282s
16. Bradley Smith GBR Red Bull KTM Factory Racing (RC16) 1m 39.321s
17. Alvaro Bautista ESP Pull&Bear Aspar Team (Desmosedici GP16) 1m 39.462s
18. Tito Rabat ESP Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS (RC213V) 1m 39.564s
19. Karel Abraham CZE Pull&Bear Aspar Team (Desmosedici GP15) 1m 39.678s
20. Loris Baz FRA Reale Avintia Racing (Desmosedici GP15) 1m 39.824s
21. Hector Barbera ESP Reale Avintia Racing (Desmosedici GP16) 1m 39.906s
22. Sam Lowes GBR Factory Aprilia Gresini (RS-GP)* 1m 40.213s
23. Takuya Tsuda JPN Team Suzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR) 1m 40.386s
