Bagnaia Sets New Lap Record To Take Misano Pole
Calum Gill 14:17 18/09/2021
Ducati's Francesco Bagnaia set a new lap record to make it back to back Ducati 1-2's at Misano, as championship leader Fabio Quartararo crashed out of pole contention.
Quartararo held a clear lead after the opening runs, but was deposed by the two factory Ducatis of Bagnaia and Miller ahead of his final lap - with Bagnaia recording a 1:31.065 to become the lap record holder. Quartararo then immediately slid off at Turn 1, resigning himself to third place - with Pramac duo Jorge Martín and Johann Zarco making it four Ducati bikes in the top five. Marc Márquez, who was resigned to contesting Q1 after a fall in FP3, narrowly made it through the first segment and followed Miller to record a solid banker lap on the opening run of the pole shoot-out.
Yet having picked Bagnaia as his reference the second time by, Márquez crashed at Turn 9 while trying to follow the Desmosedici, and ended up seventh in the session, one place behind fellow Honda factory rider Pol Espargaró. Aleix Espargaró (Aprilia) crashed while following Bagnaia but was still a couple of tenth up on new squadmate Maverick Viñales, with the pair split by Suzuki’s Álex Rins. The other Suzuki, that of reigning champion Joan Mir, had a troubled session and wound up 11th.
Avintia Ducati rookie Enea Bastianini, who had topped Q1 but then fell on the in-lap, completed the Q2 order, but did have a time good enough for 10th deleted for track limits. LCR Honda rider Takaaki Nakagami was quickest of those eliminated in Q1, having tumbled at the Turn 9 right-hander when on course to post a Q2-worthy time. Red Bull KTM’s Brad Binder fell just moments prior, while chasing a trio of Hondas - with wildcard Stefan Bradl towing along Marquez and young brother Álex Márquez (LCR Honda) - through Turn 2. Despite this, he was the quickest of the four KTMs in 17th, with the South African and Nakagami split by Ducati wildcard Michele Pirro, VR46 Ducati rider Luca Marini and new factory Yamaha rider Franco Morbidelli.
Valentino Rossi, who already had a crash earlier on Saturday in practice, had his Yamaha slip away from under him while tipping into the fast Turn 15 left-hander. Rossi ultimately returned before the chequered flag, but could only outpace one rider - his new Petronas Yamaha team-mate Andrea Dovizioso, 0.131 seconds off Rossi and 1.222 seconds off Q1 pace-setter Bastianini in the first qualifying of his MotoGP comeback.
