On Saturday, just before the sixth race of the 2024 MotoGP season, Espargaro took his first pole position of the season. He set a new lap record of 1 minute and 38.190 seconds in a thrilling Q2 session.
Initially, it seemed like Francesco Bagnaia, the reigning world champion riding for Ducati, would secure pole position. He had the fastest time after the first runs in Q2.
However, Espargaro managed a lightning-fast final lap, beating Bagnaia’s time by just 0.031 seconds. Raul Fernandez from Trackhouse Racing claimed the third spot.
Unfortunately for championship leader Jorge Martin, he crashed his Pramac Ducati late in the session and ended up in seventh place.
Meanwhile, Marc Marquez from Gresini couldn’t make it past Q1 for the second time in a row, forcing him to start from 14th position for the weekend’s sprint and grand prix.
During the Q2 session, Enea Bastianini of Ducati set the benchmark time at the beginning with 1 minute and 40.335 seconds. However, Fabio Di Giannantonio had already broken the lap record in the earlier Q1 session with 1 minute and 38.208 seconds, knocking Marquez out of contention.
Martin initially took the lead with a time of 1 minute and 38.401 seconds, but Pedro Acosta surpassed him with 1 minute and 38.369 seconds.
Shortly after, Bagnaia clocked in at 1 minute and 38.221 seconds, taking control of the session with about nine minutes remaining.
A crash by Martin at Turn 2 gave Bagnaia some breathing room, but Espargaro managed to secure the second position before setting the best first sector time on his final lap.
Espargaro maintained his pace throughout the sectors, ultimately posting a time of 1 minute and 39.190 seconds, securing pole position. Fernandez, who advanced from Q1, secured third place after initially having his lap canceled due to yellow flags.
The starting grid for the race will see Martin in seventh, followed by Alex Rins from Yamaha and Jack Miller from KTM. The top 12 is completed by Morbidelli, Bastianini, and Maverick Vinales from Aprilia.
In Q1, Alex Marquez outperformed his brother Marc Marquez, finishing in 13th position. Fabio Quartararo struggled, securing only 17th place on his Yamaha, while Johann Zarco topped the Honda riders despite a crash at the end of Q1.
