Jorge Lorenzo rose above dauntingly difficult mixed conditions to take his second pole position of the year for tomorrow’s British Grand Prix at a weather-hit Silverstone, with the longest track of the year sprawling across more than one weather zone, and other riders’ gambles going wrong.
With second factory Ducati rider Andrea Dovizioso alongside in pole position, it was independent-team Monster Yamaha rider Johan Zarco who completed the front row; with a slithering Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda) in the middle of row two, in between independent LCR Honda rider Cal Crutchlow and yet another Ducati, of Alma Pramac rider Danilo Petrucci.
One loser was Jack Miller (Alma Pramac Ducati), the only rider to gamble on slicks on the half-dry track, hoping to repeat his classic mixed-conditions pole at the Argentine GP. But he had done enough to place ninth, on row three. Andrea Iannone (Ecstar Suzuki) was seventh; and Red Bull KTM’s Bradley Smith eighth, after coming through from Q1.
More disappointed: factory Movistar Yamaha riders Maverick Vinales and Valentino Rossi, placed 11th and 12th respectively, behind second Q1 escapee Alex Rins (Ecstar Suzuki).
The Yamahas had been looking stronger in earlier sessions, but Rossi’s problem was mainly one of timing … he was just too late out of the pits to complete a long lap for one last run at the end of the session.
Lorenzo spoke of difficulty of getting the rain tyres to cool down for his last run, and said: “I made a couple of mistakes in braking that cost a couple of tenths. But I was very smooth in the last section, and the Ducati is very good on rain tyres,!
For Dovizioso, with three quarters of the track dry it was also a balancing act. “The front row is important, and we are competitive if it is dry. If it rains tomorrow, we will see.”
Zarco said his absolute best had been denied by getting mixed up with Marquez on his fast lap. “He passed me and I passed him, so I lost my chance of pole.”
Franco Morbidelli (EG-VDS Honda) was best of the rest, ahead of Scott Redding (Aprilia) and his VDS team-mate Thomas Luthi. Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda) was 16th, after earlier having led Q1.
The Q2 session was delayed by almost an hour, firstly by the weather, and secondly because of waiting for the return of the med-evac helicopter taking Tito Rabat to hospital after an incident at the close of GP4 (see News story).
This left a metaphorical as well as literal dark cloud over the event, with the threat of heavy rain tomorrow threatening postponement or even cancellation. Many riders pointed out that poor drainage on the new surface, causing the crashes in FP4, would mean racing was impossible should it recur on Sunday.
Moto2
The track dried for Moto2 qualifying at the end of the afternoon, and once again times were as close as paint in spite of the long track, the top 15 inside one second of points leader Pecco Bagnaia’s 2m 8.153s.
Bagnaia only got it at the finish, the SKY VR46 Kalex rider displacing Tech 3’s Remy Gardner from a career-first pole by a couple of tenths.
Alex Marquez (EG-VDS Kalex) completes the front row; with free practice leader Marcel Schrotter (Dynavolt Kalex) heading row two from second SKY rider Luca Marini and Speed Up’s Fabio Quartararo.
The usual suspects were close: Mattia Pasini’s Kalex heading the KTMs of Iker Lecuona and home boy Sam Lowes on row three; rookie Romano Fenati, Xavi Vierge and Lorenzo Baldassari (all Kalex) on the fourth.
But the closeness of the times left hot rookie Joan Mir (EG-VDS Kalex) languishing in 14th, although less than nine tenths off pole; while erstwhile title leader Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM) was a troubled 25th, 1.8 seconds off. His team-mate Brad Binder was 16th-fastest.
Moto3
The rain havoc had begun in the first qualifying session after lunch: Moto3. It was all going well until it rained with some 15 minutes to go. Everyone pulled in, and Fabio di Giannantonio was celebrating a career second pole.
Then the changeable conditions changed. Sun came out, track dried out, and the pack went out again for a final gallop.
By the end of it, Di Giannantonio was fifth, with his Del Conca Honda team-mate Jorge Martin on his seventh pole of the season, one narrow thousandth ahead of teen Jaume Masia (Bester Capital KTM), with Lorenzo Dalla Porta (Leopard Honda) not much slower to complete the front row.
Le Mans winner Albert Arenas (Angel Nieto KTM) also slipped ahead of Di Giannantonio to lead row two; with SIC58 Honda rider Tatsuki Suzuki on the far end of row two.
Gabriel Rodrigo (RBA KTM) had been second, but he slipped off unhurt in the final flurry and failed to improve, placing seventh to lead row three from Leopard Honda’s Enea Bastianini and SKY KTM’s Nicolo Bulega.
Championship leader Marco Bezzecchi (Redox KTM) was 11th, in the middle of row four.
By Michael Scott
