Bagnaia Leads Factory Ducati 1-2 In French GP Qualifying
Calum Gill 14:19 14/05/2022
Francesco Bagnaia led a factory Ducati 1-2 in qualifying for the French Grand Prix at Le Mans, as local hero and reigning MotoGP champion Fabio Quartararo missed out on the front row.
The two protagonists of the preceding Spanish Grand Prix took control of the pole shoot-out from the get-go, Quartararo leading Bagnaia by just 0.011 seconds after the opening runs as they both sat nearly four tenths clear of the leading pack. But Bagnaia permitted his factory team-mate Jack Miller to follow him on his next run, with both jumping ahead of Quartararo and with Bagnaia 0.069 seconds ahead. The Italian’s 1:30.450 lap now stands as the new MotoGP lap record at the Le Mans Bugatti circuit, usurping Johann Zarco’s benchmark from earlier today.
Quartararo’s attempts to depose either of the Ducati men proved futile, and he would instead be relegated off the front row by Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaró. Ducati riders Enea Bastianini (Gresini) and Zarco (Pramac) completed the top six, ahead of the Suzuki duo of Joan Mir and Álex Rins. Zarco’s team-mate Jorge Martín, who had advanced from Q1 alongside Rins, was forced to settle for ninth. The fourth row for Sunday’s race - which is expected to be wet - will be fully occupied by the three Hondas that had participated in Q2, with Marc Márquez leading works team-mate Pol Espargaró and LCR rider Takaaki Nakagami.
VR46 Ducati rookie Marco Bezzecchi came 0.007 seconds short of denying Mir a spot in Q2, having to settle for the top spot on the fifth row ahead of Aprilia’s Maverick Viñales and team-mate Luca Marini. And it was a much-improved showing from Ducati’s other rookie - Gresini rider Fabio Di Giannantonio - to claim 16th, albeit he was half a second off Bezzecchi. For the third time this season, the whole KTM contingent was eliminated in Q1, this time led by Miguel Oliveira - who will start 17th. The next-best Yamaha behind Quartararo was factory team-mate Franco Morbidelli all the way down in 19th place.
