Zarco Takes Silverstone Pole Over Viñales
Calum Gill 15:26 06/08/2022
Pramac's Johann Zarco will start MotoGP’s British Grand Prix from pole position after topping a qualifying session where Aleix Espargaró bounced back from a practice crash to qualify sixth.
Espargaró suffered a frightening crash at Farm curve during FP4 less than an hour before the start of Q2 and had to be stretchered away from the track. He was left with “contusions on both ankles” but no fractures, meaning he was allowed to take part in qualifying. Therefore, he hobbled back onto his bike in Q2 and after a steady first run on used tyres, Espargaró smashed the lap record with his final flying lap, setting the first sub-1 minute 58 seconds lap of the Silverstone weekend. That put him on provisional pole, but he was eventually shuffled down to the end of the second row in sixth place. Zarco was the fastest of the five riders to beat him as he earned his second pole position of the season and the eighth of his so far winless top-flight career. He was 0.098 seconds ahead of Maverick Viñales, who achieved his best qualifying result since joining Aprilia last year.
The front row will be completed by Jack Miller, who edged championship leader Fabio Quartararo by just 0.007 seconds. Yamaha’s Quartararo, who will have to take a long-lap penalty on Sunday, looked visibly frustrated after the session. He’ll start alongside Dutch TT winner Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) and his closest championship rival Espargaró. Marco Bezzecchi, who earned his first premier class podium at Assen, progressed through Q1 and then claimed seventh on the grid in Q2 for the VR46 Ducati squad. He’ll share the third row with fellow Q1 graduate Enea Bastianini and Zarco’s team-mate Jorge Martín, whose pole challenge faded after strong early Q2 pace. Luca Marini made it two VR46 riders in the top 10 and he’ll be joined on the fourth row by Suzuki riders Álex Rins and 2020 world champion Joan Mir.
None of the KTM or Honda riders managed to make it to Q2 with factory KTM riders Miguel Oliveira and Brad Binder the closest in 13th and 14th. They were followed by Bastianini’s Gresini Ducati team-mate Fabio Di Giannantonio, Tech3 KTM rider Remy Gardner and Álex Márquez, who crashed coming into the Turn 8/9 Vale chicane. LCR Honda’s Márquez appeared angered by Bezzecchi following the crash after the two jostled for track position before Márquez misjudged the braking for the chicane and ended up in the gravel. Márquez managed to get back on track and he qualified as Honda’s top rider in 17th place ahead of factory riders Stefan Bradl and Pol Espargaró.
Quartararo’s Yamaha team-mate Franco Morbidelli suffered his 10th straight Q1 exit as he struggled to 20th ahead of the second LCR Honda of under-pressure Takaaki Nakagami who crashed in FP4. Raúl Fernández suffered engine issues in FP4 and qualified eight tenths adrift of team-mate Gardner in 22nd place. He will be joined on the back row of the grid by RNF Yahama duo Darryn Binder and Andrea Dovizioso, who will retire from MotoGP racing after the San Marino Grand Prix, to be replaced by Cal Crutchlow for the final 6 rounds.
