2019 Brno MotoGP Qualifying Result: Neptune Himself Couldn’t Have Pulled This Off

After dry practice and wet practice, Brno decided to add another twist in the tale for the premier class and provided a drying track for qualifying. The first outing was not wet enough for wets to perform to their best and not dry enough to risk slicks but riders had to do the best with what they had, which was rain tyres. Just to add to the tension, dark clouds were drawing nearer and rushed the field to take some risks and secure a banker lap. Aided by the track experience gained in Q1, the factory KTMs set camp at the front – an extra rare sight with Johann Zarco at the top of the timesheets.

Meanwhile, Marc Marquez spent his first run getting his feathers ruffled by Alex Rins and did not make much of an impression on the timesheets but that did not stop him from challenging the field with some brave slicks on the second outing. That put question marks in the minds of rivals, most of them following his example but a few were not convinced by the minimal dry line and the approaching cloud cover. With the Spaniard’s first flying lap looking underwhelming and Andrea Dovizioso going red hot on the timesheets on fresh wet rubber, Ducati seemed to have made the right choice. However, the next time around it was Marquez who looked convincingly like the fastest man out there but the Honda man entered the final corner with heavy rain hitting the surface once again. The Spaniard was not intimidated and crossed the line in provisional pole position. With pole pretty much in the bag, he did not even stop to question the conditions and had one final go, slapping the field with two and a half seconds’ advantage despite the final corner looking like the Black Sea. Not too wet for some celebratory wheelies either.

Once Marquez sealed pole, it never looked in doubt, but his closest challenger proved to be another wet weather aficionado. Jack Miller was another of the slick tyre gang and was the only other rider setting fast sectors in the final minutes of the session but he didn’t have the Marquez touch of magic in the final turn and unceremoniously hit the grass. Still, the Pramac rider was comfortably on the front row by then. Another magnificent display came from the final man to complete the front row, none other than Johann Zarco, who successfully got through Q1 and flew in Q2 on his way to his first front row of the season and KTM’s very first one in MotoGP.

There was little airtime left in between the heroics of the men on the front row but Dovizioso finished a sensible fourth, sharing second row with Pol Espargaro – which would have been an excellent performance for KTM on any other day – and Alex Rins. Valentino Rossi was another of the few who were not tempted by slick rubber and brought his machine home in seventh position, ahead of pal Danilo Petrucci and teammate Maverick Viñales.

Fabio Quartararo could not quite replicate his pace from Friday in these difficult conditions and Marquez went past him like a jet past a paper plane but the Frenchman secured tenth place on the grid, ahead of Cal Crutchlow and Franco Morbidelli.

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