Full all class round up from Jerez and quotes from MotoGP field

MotoGP 2022 – Round Six – Jerez
Gran Premio Red Bull de España

History has been made at the Circuito de Jerez-Angel Nieto after Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) set a new all-time lap record of 1:36.170, an incredible near half second clear of his main competition, aka reigning Champion Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP). The Italian denied the number 20 a fifth straight pole position in Andalucia, with a late charge from Aprilia Racing’s Aleix Espargaro enough to see him snatch third and another front row.

Pecco Bagnaia back to his best then and Quartararo denied, but looking for some revenge and displaying great race pace which sets an incredible stage for Sunday.

Aleix Espargaro starts alongside them on the front row, and he has Marquez, Miller and Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) on Row 2 just behind him.

Fronting the third row of the grid will be Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu), ahead of the impressive rookie Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing), who backed up his second row start last weekend with another sizzling Saturday performance.

The final spot on the third row will be occupied by Mir after a late crash in Q2 cost him dear, with the same going for Martin. The Spaniard, usually a Q2 master, rounds out the top ten.

Similar disappointment is there for Enea Bastianini too. A crash for the Gresini rider on his final flying lap meant he has to settle for 11th on the grid, ahead of Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) in 12th and Pol Espargaro 13th ahead of Alex Rins.

Riders reflect on qualifying and look to the race ahead

Francesco Bagnaia – P1

“It was a perfect lap, maybe the best I’ve ever done in my career. I was able to push hard, and the bike followed me perfectly. Since the first race in Qatar, we have always worked well, and now we are at a very high level. Even if it took us a few races, we’re finally here in pole position. I don’t want to say I’m back because I’ve never gone away, but for sure, this season, we didn’t have an easy start. We needed to do laps with the new bike, and finally, we were able to show its true potential. I think Fabio Quartararo still has something more than us, but we got closer today. Let’s see how tomorrow’s race goes, as higher temperatures are expected than today.”

Fabio Quatararo – P2

“I think this second place will be super important for tomorrow. First row is a great place to start. For us, the pace in FP4 was great, so I think we can do a great race. The most important thing is the result tomorrow, and I feel really confident. We know that during the race there will not be this kind of lap times or this kind of gap. We are working in a good way. Tomorrow will be a tough race because many riders have a good pace, but I feel that I’m one of those who can fight for the victory. It’s great when you arrive at Turn 9 and 10, it’s like a mountain of people enjoying MotoGP. It‘s great that, after a long time, they can enjoy the show again here.”

Aleix Espargaro – P3

“These were not simple qualifiers. To be honest, I wasn’t very optimistic. From the first session, I felt comfortable with the race tyre, but there were problems with chattering every time we attempted a time attack with the soft tyre. But today I really gave 110%. Usually it isn’t a good idea to take so many risks, but today this strategy paid off. It was extremely important to start from the front row because here in Jerez it isn’t easy to overtake, especially when the track get slippery in the heat. We can count on a good pace with the medium tyre. The bike is working well and running smoothly, so we’re confident and I can’t wait for the race to start!”

Jack Miller – P4

“I’m pretty satisfied. Nowadays, in MotoGP, it’s important to be able to start the race from the first two rows of the grid, so fourth place in qualifying definitely puts us in a good position for tomorrow. In FP4, I did a long run of 16 laps, and I was pretty consistent, although not very fast. Before Q2, we made a modification that seems to have solved the issue. So I’m calm and confident that I can have a good race tomorrow”.

Marc Marquez – P5

“I am very happy with how it went because I was trying to survive today, to follow some riders and push to the limit and to also try to find my rhythm alone. But we are far from the podium, however starting in fifth will help a lot for the race but I predict it will be a difficult one. Yes, following a rider for one lap allows you to gain in some areas but it can cause problems in other areas. In the past it was the opposite way and it was people looking for my wheel, of course I would like it to be the opposite but now I try to find something.”

Johann Zarco – P6

“I can be satisfied with this day, it hasn’t been an easy day and going from Q1 is always a big risk. Tomorrow it will be important to maintain a good pace and be consistent.”

Takaaki Nakagami – P7

“It was a positive day for us, we did quite a competitive lap time in the morning session and ended up in P3, so got into Q2 easily and then in FP4 – for the race pace – we had good pace and good feeling on the bike which is really important for the race tomorrow. In qualifying, to be honest I was looking for a little bit better position, but I did my best and P7 is not too bad. We’re ready to battle in tomorrow’s race and hopefully we can get a good result.”

Marco Bezzecchi – P8

“I am very happy with the work done with the Team and with the result: we did a lot for the qualifying, but also with a view to the race on the pace. A pity for the Q2, maybe I could have done something more, but I only had one tire and it is very difficult for me to find the pace immediately in the first flying lap. However, I am satisfied and I know that we can make another step for tomorrow’s race.”

Joan Mir – P9

“It was a quite positive day actually, even if it doesn’t look too good on paper! The fact of the matter is that I was far from the top in qualifying, which is something we need to improve. I tried to give my best, and when I pushed on my last flying lap to try and get a little more I ended up having the crash at Turn 1. The crash and subsequent grid position are a shame, but for sure my pace can be good because my race simulations have gone well. If I can get a solid start I know we can be strong, but it’s not an easy track for overtaking.”

Jorge Martín – P10

“Not the result I was hoping for, I made a mistake and crashed losing crucial time. Tomorrow we will give everything and try to come back.”

Enea Bastianini – P11

“Not my day. This morning we managed to get a direct seed to Q2, but the feeling with the bike is not the best. With the softer tyre it is not too bad, but with we’re struggling for the medium one so the warm up will be key in that sense. Obviously the afternoon crash didn’t help, as I could have at least started from a better position on the grid: I’m not sure what happened as the front tucked at turn eight. I do have a lack of feeling with the front-end of the bike, but the good news is that I did not hurt myself in the process.”

Maverick Vinales – P12

“I’m disappointed with our performance in qualifying. It’s a pity to be on the fourth row because we had the potential to battle for the top spots. In FP3 we were fast and in FP4 too, we were competitive with the race tyre. With the used tyres I especially feel really strong. Unfortunately, in qualifying I did not find the same feeling and we still need to figure out why. I didn’t have much grip and I was unable to be fast. We’ll keep working hard for tomorrow and give it our all but it will undoubtedly not be an easy race.”

Pol Espargaro – P13

“Today we were missing a little bit of luck, we crashed at the worst possible time and missed the ability to go straight to Q2. Then in Q1 we set a time that was fast enough to be fifth on the grid and the fastest Honda, but we still just missed the timing to advance. We need to understand why we crashed a little bit more. When you’re working well and have the speed like we have this weekend but nothing comes, it’s extra painful. Anyway the race is tomorrow, we will reset and focus on making a good start to the race. Understanding the situation at the end of the race will be very important but starting in 13th we need to push from the start.”

Alex Rins – P14

“Qualifying wasn’t good for us, especially as I was expecting to improve my lap time on my second exit, but I couldn’t. Today’s result is better than last Saturday in Portimão, but it’s still not good. This weekend we’ve been focusing on race setup and pace on used tyres rather than one-lap attacks. In FP4 I tried some well used tyres, I put 30 laps on them, and the pace was surprisingly good. All this makes me optimistic for the race, even though it’s hard to pass other riders here, I’ll be aiming for the podium or at least for the biggest points load possible.”

Brad Binder – P15 

“I gave my best today and did all I could. This meant 15th today and obviously I would have liked to have been a bit faster but that’s what we managed. I think our race pace is much closer to the other guys so it is important to get a good start and to try and tag onto the front runners for a good result tomorrow.”

Franco Morbidelli – P16

“Today we were not fast in the qualifying, but the pace in FP4 was decent. The feeling was not great, but I was more affected in qualifying. We are getting better and better, compared to Portimão for example, and are getting closer towards a feeling that I like. Tomorrow we will try to make another step, and let’s see where we can end up in the race.”

Fabio Di Giannantonio – P17

“We made a step forward also today as I set my best lap-time at this track and the feeling with the bike keeps growing. We worked hard to find a set-up that I like and now that we’re in the right direction, I need more track-time to improve. Qualifying was overall a positive one.”

Remy Gardner – P18

“It’s been a hard weekend to be honest. We didn’t have the speed but we did our best in Quali today. The stars aligned and I did a really great lap; I couldn’t repeat it!We are still working and trying and pushing as always. For sure there is still a lot to learn and hopefully we get some nice updates on Monday to help us go forward.”

Luca Marini – P19

“A difficult day today: the feelings seemed better than yesterday, but the lap time is practically the same. I’m at the limit in every corner, but the gap remains the same both on the flying lap and on the pace. We have to keep working, at the moment the points where I struggle the most are turning and acceleration, there the bike wheelie a lot. In braking, on the other hand, I feel good and I know that we can make a step for tomorrow’s race and bring home the best possible result.”

Stefan Bradl – P20

“Today was another positive day, even if we had a crash while trying to get a fast time in Free Practice 3. From my side there were no issues from the crash. Our package is working quite well here, and we are able to learn a lot racing alongside the rest of the MotoGP field to compare our bike to theirs, and also see what the other Honda riders are doing. Sunday’s race will be a long one, but I feel that we can make some progress forward and hopefully aim to fight for points. Thanks to my team for their work today as well, they did a great job to prepare everything after FP3.”

Miguel Oliveira – P21

“We had a great FP4 and we went into qualifying confident that we could be fast but we had a small problem that we couldn’t quite solve in time. It was really difficult to be quick otherwise and I tried my best but was losing too much in the sectors. Starting 21st is not helping but let’s see what race we can do tomorrow, it’s important not to give up. Arriving to the end and scoring some points would be great.”

Álex Márquez – P22

“You get days like today when you try to make one step forward and take two steps back, because we tried some things that yesterday were looking not bad, but today the conditions of the track changed quite a lot and we were not able to adapt to that. FP3 was a disaster as we had a crash and then this afternoon we tried to do our best, but the feeling wasn’t very good. It’s a shame that we missed out to two tenths to be in P16 or something like that because we are now so far back that the race will be difficult. But I’ll try to make a good start, a good first lap and then just try to enjoy the race and getting the feeling back will be the most important thing tomorrow.”

Andrea Dovizioso – P23

“I managed to improve this morning, but I still didn’t have the right feeling to push confidently. Somehow, I’m not able to be really fast on entry and in the middle of the corners, so I just don’t get some decent times in. In the afternoon, it felt even harder. I was riding with the used tyres from this morning, but in any case, my speed is not there, so to be honest, I’m not very confident, but I still hope we can work on some solutions in Warm Up tomorrow morning.”

Lorenzo Savadori – P24

“Qualifiers were better than in Portimão. With such narrow gaps, just a few tenths would have been enough to make a big step forward. In any case, I’m happy both for Aleix’s front row and for the new components that we are learning to use step by step.”

Darryn Binder – P25

“It has been a really nice day with the weather. The track conditions have been good. I felt I made a good step forward this morning and managed to improve my lap time quite a bit. I was quite happy and looking for a bit more in Qualifying, but unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get a really good lap together, although in FP4 I felt a lot more consistent than what I felt over the weekend, so I feel that we are slowly, but surely starting to get more comfortable, but really looking to find a couple of tenths tomorrow in the Warm Up for the Race later.”

MotoGP 2022 Jerez Combined Qualifying

MotoGP Championship Points Standings

Moto2

Ai Ogura (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) took his first Moto2 pole position at the Gran Premio Red Bull de España, the Japanese rider just edging out Elf Marc VDS Racing’s Toby Arbolino and Sam Lowes as an incredibly close front row is covered by just 0.032 at Jerez. It’s Ogura’s second career pole and first in the intermediate category as he aims for that first Moto2 win on Sunday.

Q1

There were a few surprise names looking for a way through Q1, including Indonesia winner Somkiat Chantra (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia), who did top the session, and Portugal podium finisher Jorge Navarro (Flexbox HP 40) in second. The other two moving through were Albert Arenas (Autosolar GASGAS Aspar Team) and Bo Bendsneyder (Pertamina Mandalika SAG Team)… leaving Cameron Beaubier (American Racing) out of Q2 a week on from his front row start on the Algarve.

Q2

Arbolino and Lowes were among the quickest throughout Q2, and the former moved into provisional pole position with a 1:41.299 at the halfway mark. His British teammate set a 1:41.321 just moments later, giving Marc VDS a one-two at the time, before Ogura struck.

The Japanese rider, who is second in the World Championship and just two points ahead of Arbolino, then set a 1:41.289 to put himself 0.010s clear of the Italian and 0.032s ahead of Lowes. From thereon out, the front row was decided.

The Grid

Behind the Ogura, Arbolino, Lowes triple threat, Flexbox HP40’s Aron Canet pulled off an impressive Saturday. Only six days after breaking his left radius bone in the multi-rider crash in Portugal, he was also in the fight for pole position in Spain. Canet’s 1:41.369 had him fastest until Arbolino took over, and is good enough for fourth on the starting grid in the end.

Also on Row 2 will be Fermin Aldeguer (Lightech Speed Up) and Moto2 World Championship leader Celestino Vietti (Mooney VR46 Racing Team), with Chantra coming through Q1 and ultimately qualifying seventh. Bendsneyder takes P8, ahead of Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Augusto Fernandez and Pedro Acosta.

Jake Dixon (Autosolar GASGAS Aspar Team) was fastest in all three Free Practice sessions but the Briton crashed as he chased an improvement in the final two minutes of Q2, and is set to start 11th.

Moto2 2022 Jerez Combined Qualifying

Moto2 Championship Standings

Moto3

It’s a dream Saturday for the Gaviota GASGAS Aspar Team as Izan Guevara and Sergio Garcia clinched pole position and second on the grid at the Gran Premio Red Bull de España in the first ever GASGAS 1-2. The number 28 jumped ahead of his teammate in the closing stages of Q2 for only a second career pole position, with Garcia was forced to settle for second and Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Jaume Masia leaving it late to take the final front row spot.

Q1

Kaito Toba (CIP Green Power) headed through on top ahead of British rookie Scot Ogden (VisionTrack Racing Team), with the two split by just 0.064. A little further back, Matteo Bertelle (QJMotor Avintia Racing Team) was third quickest ahead of the final rider to move through, sophomore Xavier Artigas (CFMoto PrüstelGP) as he pipped Daniel Holgado.

Q2

At the end of the opening flying laps, it was Garcia who held provisional pole thanks to his 1:46.004. The Spaniard had a three tenth advantage with five minutes left on the clock, with Ayumu Sasaki (Sterilgarda Husqvarna Max Racing) and Riccardo Rossi (SIC58 Squadra Corse) sitting in the early front row spots. It would then change at the top though, when Guevara, whilst riding alone, posted a 1:45.880. The number 28 managed that despite a moment on the exit of Turn 9, as the rear kicked out of line just as he applied the gas.

Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Tech2) then dived up to third behind the GASGAS duo, and the chequered flag came out with one man looking like challenging Guevara and Garcia: Xavi Artigas (CFMoto PrüstelGP). The Q1 graduate was on course for pole halfway around his final lap before a mistake through sector three ended his pole hopes, eventually improving to sixth.

The final spot on the front row was far from settled, though, with both Dennis Foggia (Leopard Racing) and Masia improving late on. Foggia crossed the line first and bumped Öncü off the front row, only for Masia to then steal third away from the Italian for a first row start of the season. That confirmed Guevara’s second pole position of 2022 and Garcia, the Championship leader, in second.

The Grid

Behind the GASGAS duo and Masia front row, Foggia, Öncü and Artigas will pose a threat from row two no doubt, with some serious challengers all packed together. Row three of the grid was supposed to see early Q2 challenger Sasaki at the head, but the Japanese rider has been given a back of the grid start for irresponsible riding in FP3, as well as a Long Lap penalty for the race. So it’ll now be Rossi ahead of the fastest man from FP3 on Saturday morning Diogo Moreira (MT Helmets – MSI).

Carlos Tatay would have been next up on his CFMoto PrüstelGP machine, but he will also start from the back of the grid and do a Long Lap, so Q1 graduate Ogden moves up along with Ryusei Yamanaka (MT Helmets – MSI). Rivacold Snipers’ Andrea Migno is next up, looking for more on race day.

Young Aussie Joel Kelso found more speed after a difficult Friday to qualify 14th.

Moto3 2022 Jerez Combined Qualifying

Moto3 Championship Points Standings

MotoE

Eric Granado (LCR E-Team) is the first electric winner of the season! The Brazilian took victory in the first race of the 2022 FIM Enel MotoE World Cup at the Gran Premio Red Bull de España, slicing his way through to beat second place Dominique Aegerter (Dynavolt Intact GP MotoE) by 0.6s, with third and the final place on the podium going to Matteo Ferrari (Felo Gresini MotoE) after a little drama in Race 1.

That was a clash between polesitter Miquel Pons (LCR E-Team) and Mattia Casadei (Pons Racing 40), with the two making contact at Turn 13, the latter crashing out. Pons was given a Long Lap penalty for the incident, which subsequently became a time penalty as the number 71 ran out of time to take it – keeping him off the podium.

Hector Garzo (Tech 3 E-Racing) and Casadei were the early battle for the lead, but by the halfway mark of the eight-lap race, a leading quintet formed at the front. Granado made his way through and took the lead for the first time at Turn 13 on Lap 6, making a pass stick on Casadei. Pons, meanwhile, had pounced on Garzo and then saw a gap appear underneath Casadei as Granado made his move ahead. The number 71 tagged Casadei and the Italian went down, rider ok but the incident shuffling the pack too.

Granado was clear of the drama in the lead, but behind Pons emerged second, Aegerter third, and Ferrari was up to fourth ahead of reigning Cup winner Jordi Torres (Pons Racing 40). Garzo dropped to sixth after avoiding the stricken Casadei at the final corner.

Pons’ Long Lap Penalty for ‘irresponsible riding’ was then announced during the final lap, but neither he nor Aegerter had chance to act on that before the chequered flag. The Swiss rider instead pulled off a move at Turn 9, set up as he swarmed round the outside of Pons through Turn 8.

Keeping it pinned, Granado took the chequered flag 0.696 seconds ahead of Aegerter for his sixth race win in the World Cup, with Pons crossing the line in third. The penalty saw him demoted to eighth once a three seconds had been added for not taking the Long Lap, giving Ferrari that first podium of the season as the Italian was just behind over the line after a solid start to 2022.

Garzo took fourth and Torres completed the top five to kickstart his title defence, with Hikari Okubo (Avant Ajo MotoE) and rookie Alex Escrig (Tech3 E-Racing) next up. The aforementioned Pons was classified P8, and rounding out the top 10 for the first time in 2022 were Marc Alcoba (Openbank Aspar Team) and Lukas Tulovic (WithU GRT RNF MotoE Team) – the German doing a good job standing in for the injured Bradley Smith despite no testing.

MotoE Race One

MotoE Championship Standings

Jerez MotoGP Weekend Schedule
Times in AEST

2022 MotoGP Calendar