Qualifying report
MotoGP Valencia GP
Valencia MotoGP: Vinales goes Q1-to-pole in epic qualifying
Yamaha MotoGP rider Maverick Vinales fought through Q1 to take pole position in a scintillating final qualifying session of the 2018 season in Valencia.
Valentin Khorounzhiy
Edited: Nov 17, 2018, 4:44 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
Vinales had come close to dropping out in the first segment, but would instead prevail in an ultra-close Q2 shoot-out, his hopes of a first pole since Aragon last year aided by crashes for Marc Marquez and Johann Zarco.
While the track had been too wet for slicks all throughout the first three practice sessions, the pre-qualifying FP4 session finally marked a change in conditions, allowing for the final pole contest of the year to take place in the dry.
Marquez had topped FP4 comfortably, yet crashed three corners after starting his first flying lap in Q2, rolling through the gravel at Turn 4 at speed – and while he was on his feet swiftly, he was in obvious pain, holding his left shoulder.
As the champion hitched a ride back to the pits and prepared to venture back out, Pramac Ducati's Danilo Petrucci had taken a commanding lead, ending the first runs four tenths clear of nearest rival Alex Rins with a 1m31.531s.
But Vinales lowered the benchmark by two tenths as he began his second run, before posting a marginal improvement to end up on a 1m31.312s – which in the end proved good enough for pole.
Suzuki's Rins came closest to deposing the Yamaha man, but settled for second, seven hundredths off, securing his first front-row start in the premier class.
Ducati's Andrea Dovizioso was up on Vinales' benchmark on two separate laps in the dying minutes of the pole shoot-out, but had to contend with third, while Petrucci settled for fourth, just 0.102s off the pace.
Zarco was another major threat to Vinales, and was some three tenths up on the Spaniard's pole effort heading into the final sector when he crashed out and was resigned to 11th.
Marquez had rejoined the track with six minutes left on the clock and vaulted himself up to the middle of the second row, while Pol Espargaro took a phenomenal sixth place for KTM.
His brother Aleix was a strong eighth for Aprilia, behind Suzuki's Andrea Iannone - who had followed Vinales on track in Q1 and ultimately dominated the session - and ahead of Honda's Dani Pedrosa.
Petrucci's Pramac teammate Jack Miller crashed for the fourth time in five sessions in Valencia and thus could do no better than 10th, while Ducati wildcard Michele Pirro finished 12th behind Zarco.
Jorge Lorenzo, making his return to MotoGP qualifying after an absence imposed by injury, mounted a surprise challenge for Q2, ultimately ending up half a tenth short of the final transfer spot occupied by Vinales.
LCR Honda rider Takaaki Nakagami was likewise a threat to the Yamaha rider but too came up short to start 14th.
Valentino Rossi did not have the pace in the dry in FP4 or Q1, and missed the pole shoot-out for the third time this season, sandwiched between the Marc VDS Hondas of his protege Franco Morbidelli and Moto2-bound Tom Luthi in 16th.
Britons Bradley Smith and Scott Redding, who like Luthi are bowing out from their full-time MotoGP rides, could do no better than 22nd and 24th respectively.
Pos Rider Bike Time Gap 1 
Maverick Viñales Yamaha 1'31.312 2 Alex Rins Suzuki 1'31.380 0.068 3 
Andrea Dovizioso Ducati 1'31.392 0.080 4 
Danilo Petrucci Ducati 1'31.414 0.102 5 Marc Marquez Honda 1'31.442 0.130 6 
Pol Espargaro KTM 1'31.577 0.265 7 
Andrea Iannone Suzuki 1'31.629 0.317 8 
Aleix Espargaro Aprilia 1'31.630 0.318 9 Dani Pedrosa Honda 1'32.140 0.828 10 
Jack Miller Ducati 1'32.145 0.833 11 
Johann Zarco Yamaha 1'32.179 0.867 12 
Michele Pirro Ducati 1'32.310 0.998 13 Jorge Lorenzo Ducati 1'31.900 0.588 14 
Takaaki Nakagami Honda 1'31.928 0.616 15 Franco Morbidelli Honda 1'32.385 1.073 16 
Valentino Rossi Yamaha 1'32.452 1.140 17 
Thomas Luthi Honda 1'32.545 1.233 18 
Karel Abraham Ducati 1'32.547 1.235 19 
Alvaro Bautista Ducati 1'32.568 1.256 20 
Stefan Bradl Honda 1'32.708 1.396 21 
Hafizh Syahrin Yamaha 1'32.749 1.437 22 
Bradley Smith KTM 1'33.011 1.699 23 
Jordi Torres Ducati 1'34.427 3.115 24 
Scott Redding Aprilia 1'35.171 3.859
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Vinales: New number part of reset after "two worst years"
Next article Marquez overcame crash pain to "save" his qualifying
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Valentin Khorounzhiy
WTCR's April opener cancelled due to coronavirus
WTCR
WTCR
Hungaroring
WTCR's April opener cancelled due to coronavirus
Australian GP issues update on nine F1 paddock coronavirus tests
Formula 1
Formula 1
Australian GP
Australian GP issues update on nine F1 paddock coronavirus tests
Motorsport Games unveils 15 disciplines for 2020
General
General
Motorsport Games unveils 15 disciplines for 2020
Latest news
NASCAR Cup Talladega starting lineup: Chase Briscoe beats Austin Hill for pole
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Talladega II
56 min
NASCAR Cup Talladega starting lineup: Chase Briscoe beats Austin Hill for pole
F1 United States GP: Lewis Hamilton pips Max Verstappen in FP3
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
United States GP
1 h
F1 United States GP: Lewis Hamilton pips Max Verstappen in FP3
NASCAR plans to modify Phoenix dogleg to lessen driver loads
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Phoenix II
1 h
NASCAR plans to modify Phoenix dogleg to lessen driver loads
Lamborghini | Barcelona selected to host the 2027 Super Trofeo World Finals
Lamborghini Super Trofeo
LBST Lamborghini Super Trofeo
World Finals - Monza 2026
2 h
Lamborghini | Barcelona selected to host the 2027 Super Trofeo World Finals
Feature
Discover prime content
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe