Light rain prior to the start of the Q2 session turned qualifying on its head, with the sprinkling continuing as the riders headed out on track for the pole shootout.
In a Q2 session that saw provisional pole change hands 14 times across 15 minutes, Aprilia’s Espargaro nailed his final run to be one of the last across the line to start his last lap while conditions were at their best to produce a 1m37.216s.
This secured Espargaro pole by 0.221 seconds from KTM’s Jack Miller, while Pramac Ducati’s Jorge Martin completed the top three for the sprint race and grand prix.
Ducati’s Francesco Bagnaia salvaged a trip through Q1 to qualify fifth behind fellow Q1 graduate Brad Binder for KTM.
Q1 was a tight affair as several big hitters in the form of Bagnaia, championship leader Marco Bezzecchi and Yamaha’s Quartararo vied for a place in the pole shootout.
Bagnaia had hoped to get through Q1 on just a single soft tyre, but was forced to fit a second after ending his first run in fifth.
The Ducati rider rallied to end the session with a 1m36.493s to lead Binder, while Bezzecchi was denied a place in Q2 by just 0.037s.
Source: Autosport