Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP‘s Fabio Quartararo is known to enjoy qualifying, and he delighted the fans on his first run by putting in a strong bid for pole. Unable to improve on his time on his second run due to cruising riders, he ended the session in second place.
Quartararo allowed the other Q2 riders to go out ahead of him so he could deliver a pole-position-worthy performance with clear track ahead of him. He used his 1‘24.785s benchmark lap to get into the flow and then put the hammer down, clocking a superb 1‘22.677s. It was at the time a new All Time Lap Record in Spielberg, with a 0.360s advantage over the rest of the field. His next 1‘22.794s lap would also have earned him provisional pole and set the All Time Lap Record, but it didn’t improve his best time. Eager to have another go, he quickly returned to the pits.
With four minutes remaining, the Frenchman started his second run. He had to tread carefully as some riders were looking for a tow. With already a very strong time on the board, El Diablo didn‘t want to risk giving his rivals an advantage. Due to this, he didn‘t improve his time any further. It looked like his earlier hot lap was going to keep him in the top spot, but when the flag came out he was pipped to the post by just 0.034s. Still, Quartararo is satisfied with today‘s result, securing him his tenth front-row start out of eleven GPs.
