Yamaha rider Maverick Vinales snatched pole from Francesco Bagnaia after the Pramac racer picked up a track limits infringement on his final effort at MotoGP’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.
Vinales and Bagnaia were locked in a battle for top spot at Misano and traded fast lap times during the 15-minute Q2 session.
Bagnaia threw everything at it to beat his opponent, only to have his lap cancelled by the race stewards, allowing Viñales to snatch pole with Bagnaia starting from fifth on the grid.
Vinales rode his Yamaha M1 around the Misano World Circuit in a time of 1:31.077, making him not just the fastest man of the afternoon but also the fastest ever around the venue as he beat his own all-time lap record that he secured just a week ago.
The front row was completed by Bagnaia’s team-mate and fellow Ducati rider Jack Miller, who will start from second, while Fabio Quartararo bagged third.
Quartararo struggled for pace in the opening few minutes of the session, as he set lap times that were good enough for a mid-field starting position, before finding his feet and placing his M1 on the front row.
Championship leader Andrea Dovizioso was never truly in contention at the sharp end of the pack and will start ninth.
It was a tough day in the office for Takaaki Nakagami as the Honda pilot crashed at Turn 15, low-siding his RC213-V into the gravel with less than five minutes to go, meaning he will begin the race from 12th.
Johann Zarco was another rider to take a tumble in the first qualifying session just as he was on course to set the quickest time, but as a result he will start 14th on the grid.
Alex Marquez will start from 17th as the only Repsol Honda rider, the Spaniard’s fastest effort being a 1:32.198, over a second off the pace.
| # | Rider | Team | Time | Gap / Interval |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maverick VIÑALES | Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP | 1’31.077 | |
| 2 | Jack MILLER | Pramac Racing | 1’31.153 | 0.076 / 0.076 |
| 3 | Fabio QUARTARARO | Petronas Yamaha SRT | 1’31.222 | 0.145 / 0.069 |
| 4 | Pol ESPARGARO | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing | 1’31.308 | 0.231 / 0.086 |
| 5 | Francesco BAGNAIA | Pramac Racing | 1’31.313 | 0.236 / 0.005 |
| 6 | Brad BINDER | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing | 1’31.389 | 0.312 / 0.076 |
| 7 | Valentino ROSSI | Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP | 1’31.436 | 0.359 / 0.047 |
| 8 | Franco MORBIDELLI | Petronas Yamaha SRT | 1’31.566 | 0.489 / 0.130 |
| 9 | Danilo PETRUCCI | Ducati Team | 1’31.574 | 0.497 / 0.008 |
| 10 | Andrea DOVIZIOSO | Ducati Team | 1’31.581 | 0.504 / 0.007 |
| 11 | Joan MIR | Team SUZUKI ECSTAR | 1’31.617 | 0.540 / 0.036 |
| 12 | Takaaki NAKAGAMI | LCR Honda IDEMITSU | 1’32.284 | 1.207 / 0.667 |
