Pol Espargaro rode to his and KTM’s first MotoGP pole position in a tightly-knit qualifying session at the second grand prix of the Red Bull Ring double-header.
The Spanish rider was sixth fastest overall in the combined Free Practice sessions on Friday but was able to push hard in qualifying, allowing him to start tomorrow’s race from P1.
The remainder of the front row sees Japanese rider Takaaki Nakagami put his LCR Honda in second place on the grid and the non-factory Ducati of Brno race-winner Zarco in third.
However, racing stewards decided to penalise the Ducati man for ‘irresponsible riding’ following a crash with Franco Morbidelli at the previous race last weekend, meaning that Joan Mir, who originally qualified fourth, will now start on the front row.
An oil spillage during Q1 for Moto3 delayed the start of the MotoGP qualifying session but was quickly cleared up by the marshals.
Maverick Viñales was the first rider to set a time in the second qualifying session but was then quickly pushed out by Alex Rins, who perched his Suzuki on the top of the timesheets with a 1:24.461.
Meanwhile, a lowside crash at the end of Q1 for Valentino Rossi, means the Italian multiple World Champion will start from 15th on the grid.
Last weekend’s race-winner Andrea Dovizioso managed to slot his factory Ducati onto the third row of the grid, while Pramac Racing Ducati’s Jack Miller sits in fifth, following a crash in FP3 causing him to suffer minor pain to his right shoulder.
Championship leader Fabio Quartararo will start in 10th after initially struggling in Free Practice on Friday.
Pole-sitter Espargaro was not expecting to take the top spot ahead of the session this afternoon.
Following qualifying, he said: “I did not imagine that we could do the pole. I was trying for a first or maybe second row.
“We were struggling during the weekend to make one very fast lap. The rhythm and pace were very strong but I made mistakes in FP3.”
“But I’m very happy with my performance and for the team.”
| # | Rider | Team | Time/Gap |
| 1 | Pol Espargaro | Red Bull KTM (RC16) | 1:23.580 |
| 2 | Takaaki Nakagami | LCR Honda (RC213V) | +0.022s |
| 3 | Johann Zarco | Reale Avintia (GP19)** | +0.052s |
| 4 | Joan Mir | Suzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR) | +0.098s |
| 5 | Jack Miller | Pramac Ducati (GP20) | +0.120s |
| 6 | Maverick Viñales | Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) | +0.198s |
| 7 | Alex Rins | Suzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR) | +0.202s |
| 8 | Miguel Oliveira | Red Bull KTM Tech3 (RC16) | +0.217s |
| 9 | Andrea Dovizioso | Ducati Team (GP20) | +0.269s |
| 10 | Fabio Quartararo | Petronas Yamaha (YZR-M1) | +0.286s |
| 11 | Franco Morbidelli | Petronas Yamaha (YZR-M1) | +0.441s |
| 12 | Danilo Petrucci | Ducati Team (GP20) | +0.594s |
| 13 | Iker Lecuona | Red Bull KTM Tech3 (RC16)* | 1:23.928s |
| 14 | Brad Binder | Red Bull KTM (RC16)* | 1:23.932s |
| 15 | Valentino Rossi | Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) | 1:24.127s |
| 16 | Michele Pirro | Pramac Ducati (GP20) | 1:24.273s |
| 17 | Alex Marquez | Repsol Honda (RC213V)* | 1:24.370s |
| 18 | Cal Crutchlow | LCR Honda (RC213V) | 1:24.401s |
| 19 | Bradley Smith | Aprilia Gresini (RS-GP) | 1:24.416s |
| 20 | Aleix Espargaro | Aprilia Gresini (RS-GP) | 1:24.429s |
| 21 | Stefan Bradl | Repsol Honda (RC213V) | 1:24.667s |
| 22 | Tito Rabat | Reale Avintia (GP19) | 1:24.916s |
