Subscribe

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Motorsport prime

Discover premium content
Subscribe

Edition

Australia
Qualifying report

Le Mans MotoGP: Vinales leads all-Yamaha front row

Maverick Vinales led Yamaha MotoGP teammate Valentino Rossi in qualifying for the French Grand Prix at Le Mans.

Qualifying top three: polesitter Maverick Viñales, Yamaha Factory Racing, second place Valentino Rossi, Yamaha Factory Racing, third place Johann Zarco, Monster Yamaha Tech 3

Qualifying top three: polesitter Maverick Viñales, Yamaha Factory Racing, second place Valentino Rossi, Yamaha Factory Racing, third place Johann Zarco, Monster Yamaha Tech 3

Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Maverick Viñales, Yamaha Factory Racing
Valentino Rossi, Yamaha Factory Racing
Maverick Viñales, Yamaha Factory Racing
Maverick Viñales, Yamaha Factory Racing
Valentino Rossi, Yamaha Factory Racing
Valentino Rossi, Yamaha Factory Racing
Johann Zarco, Monster Yamaha Tech 3
Johann Zarco, Monster Yamaha Tech 3

Just one tenth of a second split the pair at the end of the 15-minute session with Tech 3 rookie Johann Zarco snatching third after the chequered flag to complete an all-Yamaha front row.

Vinales set the early pace with a 1m33.134s that was nearly one second clear of the pack initially and served as the fastest time until Cal Crutchlow turned a 1m32.644s and then 1m32.414s.

As riders started their final laps, Crutchlow was still on provisional pole until Vinales lowered the benchmark to 1m32.146s with two minutes remaining.

The Spaniard had more to come and then set a 1m31.994s to top MotoGP qualifying for the first time in his career, his maiden pole in Qatar earlier this year based on practice times after a washout.

Championship leader Rossi was a threat throughout the session, and ultimately finished 0.106 seconds shy of his team-mate.

Zarco stayed out for all of the first phase of qualifying on the same soft tyres, and he led the way for the bulk of the 15 minutes in front of his local fans.

However, he was then demoted to third by Andrea Dovizioso and Dani Pedrosa at the very end and looked set to miss out on progressing to Q2, but bounced back after the chequered flag to displace Pedrosa by 0.069s.

That means Pedrosa will start 13th, three places ahead of Jorge Lorenzo, who also failed to progress and finished half-a-second behind teammate Dovizioso in Q1.

Zarco was in the thick of the late drama again in the main session, turning a 1m32.229s after the chequered flag to bump Crutchlow off the front row of the grid and eclipse his previous-best MotoGP qualifying position of fourth.

LCR Honda rider Crutchlow will start fourth ahead of stablemate Marc Marquez, who had a low-speed crash at Turn 3 in his first run and ultimately finished 0.449s off the pace set by Vinales.

Dovizioso will round out the second row of the grid, while practice pacesetter Scott Redding was seventh after crashing late in the session on his Pramac Ducati.

Having made Q2 for the first time in KTM’s short MotoGP history based on their efforts in the drying third practice session, Pol Espargaro and Bradley Smith qualified eighth and 10th.

Jack Miller contested qualifying despite a massive crash in fourth practice, the Marc VDS Honda rider falling at Turn 14 during the session and having to settle for 11th.

Aprilia pair Aleix Espargaro and Sam Lowes both fell during the session and will start 18th and 21st, with Sylvain Guintoli completing the order standing in for Suzuki’s injured Alex Rins.

Q2 results

Pos.#DriverBikeTimeGap
1 25 spain Maverick Viñales Yamaha 1'31.994  
2 46 italy Valentino Rossi Yamaha 1'32.100 0.106
3 5 france Johann Zarco Yamaha 1'32.229 0.235
4 35 united_kingdom Cal Crutchlow Honda 1'32.300 0.306
5 93 spain Marc Marquez Honda 1'32.493 0.499
6 4 italy Andrea Dovizioso Ducati 1'32.726 0.732
7 45 united_kingdom Scott Redding Ducati 1'33.119 1.125
8 44 spain Pol Espargaro KTM 1'33.399 1.405
9 17 czech_republic Karel Abraham Ducati 1'33.517 1.523
10 38 united_kingdom Bradley Smith KTM 1'33.629 1.635
11 43 australia Jack Miller Honda 1'33.756 1.762
12 76 france Loris Baz Ducati 1'33.955 1.961

Q1 results

Pos.#DriverBikeTimeGap
1 4 italy Andrea Dovizioso Ducati 1'32.298  
2 5 france Johann Zarco Yamaha 1'32.367 0.069
3 26 spain Dani Pedrosa Honda 1'32.415 0.117
4 19 spain Alvaro Bautista Ducati 1'32.484 0.186
5 94 germany Jonas Folger Yamaha 1'32.695 0.397
6 99 spain Jorge Lorenzo Ducati 1'32.830 0.532
7 29 italy Andrea Iannone Suzuki 1'32.844 0.546
8 41 spain Aleix Espargaro Aprilia 1'33.187 0.889
9 9 italy Danilo Petrucci Ducati 1'33.231 0.933
10 8 spain Hector Barbera Ducati 1'33.233 0.935
11 22 united_kingdom Sam Lowes Aprilia 1'33.817 1.519
12 53 spain Tito Rabat Honda 1'33.875 1.577
13 50 france Sylvain Guintoli Suzuki 1'34.082 1.784

 

Be part of Motorsport community

Join the conversation
Previous article Le Mans MotoGP: Redding tops FP3, Pedrosa and Lorenzo slowest
Next article Le Mans MotoGP: Top 5 quotes after qualifying

Top Comments

There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Motorsport prime

Discover premium content
Subscribe

Edition

Australia