On the Misano circuit (Emilia-Romagna), Ducati rider Francesco Bagnaia, who has further improved the lap record of the Italian circuit after having already done so the day before during qualifying, will start on the front row ahead of the championship leader, the Spaniard Jorge Martin (Ducati-Pramac). “We are starting in the best possible position to try to win this afternoon,” said the reigning Italian champion, on the eve of his 100th start in a GP in the elite.
Overall, only seven points separate Martin from Bagnaia. With up to 37 points to be distributed over the weekend, the two-time defending Italian champion can hope to overtake his Spanish rival by Sunday evening.
Jorge Martin back on the grid
“In terms of pace, I think Pecco (Bagnaia’s nickname, editor’s note) and I are very close, so it will be a very difficult race, but I will try to do my best and get on the podium,” said Martin. The reigning runner-up had not started from the front row since the Austrian GP in mid-August.
The other factory Ducati, that of the Italian Enea Bastianini, will start 3e on the starting grid of the sprint race at 3 p.m. local time on Saturday, and on the starting grid of the GP on Sunday (1 p.m.).
Six-time MotoGP world champion Marc Marquez will only be seventh. The Spaniard, who crashed in qualifying, currently occupies third place in the provisional world championship standings, 53 points behind Martin.
The French left behind
Frenchman Fabio Quartararo will start ninth, his best qualifying result since the French GP in May, when he started eighth. The 2021 world champion, who is only 14th overall, appears to be benefiting from the improvements made to his Yamaha, as his team looks to reduce the gap to the top of the field.
Riding his Honda-LCR, the other Frenchman entered in MotoGP, Johann Zarco, will only be 17e.
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