2023 Jerez MotoGP Qualifying Result: Not Even Rain Could Spoil The Party

By Zara Daniela | Sat, 29/04/2023 - 09:55

Qualifying got underway with a rather dramatic soundtrack of thunder and umbrellas coming out just before Q2 foretold a very different battle for pole position than initially expected. Rainfall caused some confusion around tyre choice early on, but it soon halted and track conditions rapidly improved, causing constant change at the top of the timing screens. It was a tale of Marquez versus the world initially, with the Gresini rider briefly sampling wet tyres before setting a hot pace at the front and constantly fending off challengers, but his slick tyres faded towards the end and allowed rivals to catch up. It all came down to timing and Aleix Espargaro was in the right place at the right time to claim pole position on his final flying lap and fulfil the Aprilia prophecy following practice.

Jack Miller was a constant in the battle for pole but eventually had to settle for second by two tenths of a second, with Jorge Martin joining him on the front row of the grid. Q1 graduate Brad Binder was also tempted by rain tyres early on but once he got up to speed on slicks, he climbed up to fourth, ahead of Pecco Bagnaia, the world champion also escaping Q1 at the last minute. Dani Pedrosa didn’t seem to enjoy the change in conditions early on but a final lap on slicks promoted him to sixth, closing the second row of the grid.

Miguel Oliveira opens third row for Aprilia, ahead of the Ducatis of Johann Zarco and Luca Marini, while Maverick Viñales adds a third Aprilia to the top 10. Takaaki Nakagami was the top Honda in 11th position, while Alex Marquez faded to 12th in the closing stages, struggling on used rubber. However, the big surprises came in Q1, where Marco Bezzecchi missed out by three hundredths of a second and will be starting 13th, sharing fifth row with Franco Morbidelli and Fabio Di Giannantonio, while a miserable Fabio Quartararo settled for 16th, ahead of Raul Fernandez and COTA victor Alex Rins.

A notable absence was that of Enea Bastianini, who decided earlier today to withdraw from the rest of the weekend due to ongoing pain hindering any progress.

Results:

Pos No. Rider Bike Time Diff Prev
1 41 Aleix Espargaro Aprilia 1:37.216
2 43 Jack Miller KTM 1:37.437 0.221 0.221
3 89 Jorge Martin Ducati 1:37.458 0.242 0.021
4 33 Brad Binder KTM 1:37.532 0.316 0.074
5 1 Francesco Bagnaia Ducati 1:37.557 0.341 0.025
6 26 Dani Pedrosa KTM 1:37.583 0.367 0.026
7 88 Miguel Oliveira Aprilia 1:37.596 0.380 0.013
8 5 Johann Zarco Ducati 1:37.616 0.400 0.020
9 10 Luca Marini Ducati 1:37.666 0.450 0.050
10 12 Maverick Viñales Aprilia 1:37.765 0.549 0.099
11 30 Takaaki Nakagami Honda 1:37.876 0.660 0.111
12 73 Alex Marquez Ducati 1:37.920 0.704 0.044
Q1 Results
Q2 1 Francesco Bagnaia Ducati 1:36.493
Q2 33 Brad Binder KTM 1:36.541 0.048 0.048
13 72 Marco Bezzecchi Ducati 1:36.578 0.085 0.037
14 21 Franco Morbidelli Yamaha 1:36.793 0.300 0.215
15 49 Fabio Di Giannantonio Ducati 1:36.967 0.474 0.174
16 20 Fabio Quartararo Yamaha 1:37.072 0.579 0.105
17 25 Raul Fernandez Aprilia 1:37.164 0.671 0.092
18 42 Alex Rins Honda 1:37.256 0.763 0.092
19 6 Stefan Bradl Honda 1:37.297 0.804 0.041
20 36 Joan Mir Honda 1:37.346 0.853 0.049
21 37 Augusto Fernandez KTM 1:37.753 1.260 0.407
22 94 Jonas Folger KTM 1:38.492 1.999 0.739
23 27 Iker Lecuona Honda 1:38.582 2.089 0.090
Not Classified
23 Enea Bastianini Ducati 0.000 0.000
2023
4
MotoGP
Jerez, Spain
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Comments

How the mighty have fallen: Yamaha and Honda reduced to also ran’s, barring some sort of miracle. We are less than a handful of rounds into the season, first “traditional” European round, and neither of the respective management teams have a realistic vision of a World Championship materialising. 
It’s 50 years since we’ve had such a prospect, and even then the Japanese were on the ascendence…where to now for the (no longer) “big two”?