SPAIN: Jorge Martin took the pole at the MotoGP title decider at Valencia. Fabio Quartararo, who is nursing a broken finger, will start fourth on Sunday. His title championship rival, Francesco Bagnaia, qualified eighth.
Jorge Martin set the pace at the beginning of Q2 with a blistering 1m 29.612s. That lap itself was enough to ensure pole position for Martin, as no other rider could match his pace in the session.
MotoGP title contenders
Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo and Ducati’s Francesco Bagnaia endured a tough qualification session as both riders made critical errors during the 15-minute qualification session.
Bagnaia finished eighth after he ran off track on his final qualification lap, seconds after Johann Zarco of Pramac crashed at Turn 6. Bagnaia had posted a lap-time of 1m 30.049s.
Zarco’s crash triggered yellow flags, which almost caught out Fabio Quartararo. However, his lap time of 1m 29.900s was considered legal, enough to propel him up the order to fourth. In his final session run, Quartararo ran wide at the exit of Turn 1 and went off into the gravels at Turn 2.
For Fabio Quartararo to win the MotoGP title, he will need to win Sunday’s Valencia GP, and Bagnaia will have to finish below fifteenth in the race. If he wins the Valencia GP, Quartararo will retain his MotoGP crown.
Marc Marquez displays strong performance
Honda’s Marc Marquez will start from the second spot for the Valencia GP. Marquez set a stellar lap-time of 1m 29.826s. Jack Miller, who was fastest in FP3, will start third. Alex Rins qualified fifth as Suzuki geared up for the team’s final MotoGP race.
An official post-race test will be held at Valencia on Tuesday after the culmination of the 2022 season. Nine riders are expected to make their MotoGP debut with new teams for 2023.
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