With the championship able to be decided today, World Superbike qualifying at Estoril, the shortest track of the year, also has lap records up for grabs after a 27-year absence. There would be five unrelated crashes in the first half of the session.
Scott Redding crashed out on the first lap of qualifying, dejectedly limping from the gravel, with a highside at turn six as Jonathan Rea set a 1'38.192 before also crashing out with a front end crash at turn four, nicking a green scooter from Florian Marino, Marino working as a spotter for Alex Lowes, to get back to the pits. Sylvain Barrier also crashed out, his bike spitting him off at the exit of the last turn, and he was taken to the medical centre.
A red flag came out and a restart was ordered.
Alex Lowes held the fastest time, a 1'37.417, before the red flags, but Jonas Folger took it from him immediately with a 1'37.175. Garrett Gerloff posted a 1'37.065 as Loris Baz crashed into turn nine and picked up his bike. Chaz Davies took the top spot from him with a 1'37.040 as Matteo Ferrari crashed at turn three.
At the halfway mark, Scott Redding's bike was still being fixed up as Jonathan Rea's bike was chucked in the bin and replaced by the spare parts second bike. Everyone still with a bike pitted in for the mid-session tea break and the wrappers were taken off the yellow-labelled qualifying tyres.
Chaz Davies held the top spot briefly until Leon Haslam stole it with a 1'36.856, but it was Toprak Razgatlioglu who moved the benchmark seven tenths quicker with an astounding 1'36.154 with just under two minutes left.
Jonathan Rea did not get back out, with his early time putting him in fifteenth place. Redding got his rebuilt bike out for a test in the last minute, but he didn't record a complete lap time.
Toprak Razgatlioglu got his first World Superbike pole position, ahead of Leon Haslam and a late-charging Garrett Gerloff picking up his first front row. Chaz Davies led his 2021 replacement Michael Ruben Rinaldi on the second row with Michael van der Mark filling the last spot. Scott Redding, needing three victories this weekend to keep his mathematical chances of a title alive, will start race one from twenty third place at the back of the grid.
Results:
| Pos | No. | Rider | Bike | Time | Gap | Speed |
| 1 | 54 | T. RAZGATLIOGLU | Yamaha YZF R1 | 1'36.154 | 286,1 | |
| 2 | 91 | L. HASLAM | Honda CBR1000RR-R | 1'36.856 | 0.702 | 270,0 |
| 3 | 31 | G. GERLOFF | Yamaha YZF R1 | 1'36.865 | 0.711 | 270,7 |
| 4 | 7 | C. DAVIES | Ducati Panigale V4 R | 1'36.891 | 0.737 | 277,5 |
| 5 | 21 | M. RINALDI | Ducati Panigale V4 R | 1'36.911 | 0.757 | 264,2 |
| 6 | 60 | M. VAN DER MARK | Yamaha YZF R1 | 1'36.947 | 0.793 | 271,3 |
| 7 | 22 | A. LOWES | Kawasaki ZX-10RR | 1'37.028 | 0.874 | 274,0 |
| 8 | 19 | A. BAUTISTA | Honda CBR1000RR-R | 1'37.042 | 0.888 | 270,7 |
| 9 | 12 | X. FORES | Kawasaki ZX-10RR | 1'37.129 | 0.975 | 267,4 |
| 10 | 66 | T. SYKES | BMW S1000 RR | 1'37.159 | 1.005 | 270,7 |
| 11 | 94 | J. FOLGER | Yamaha YZF R1 | 1'37.175 | 1.021 | 271,3 |
| 12 | 76 | L. BAZ | Yamaha YZF R1 | 1'37.307 | 1.153 | 276,1 |
| 13 | 64 | F. CARICASULO | Yamaha YZF R1 | 1'37.481 | 1.327 | 265,4 |
| 14 | 50 | E. LAVERTY | BMW S1000 RR | 1'37.984 | 1.830 | 271,3 |
| 15 | 1 | J. REA | Kawasaki ZX-10RR | 1'38.192 | 2.038 | 262,9 |
| 16 | 36 | L. MERCADO | Ducati Panigale V4 R | 1'38.367 | 2.213 | 270,7 |
| 17 | 71 | M. FERRARI | Ducati Panigale V4 R | 1'38.375 | 2.221 | 258,0 |
| 18 | 32 | S. MORAIS | Kawasaki ZX-10RR | 1'38.379 | 2.225 | 255,6 |
| 19 | 13 | T. TAKAHASHI | Honda CBR1000RR-R | 1'38.581 | 2.427 | 276,8 |
| 21 | 20 | S. BARRIER | Ducati Panigale V4 R | 1'39.346 | 3.192 | 251,5 |
| 22 | 84 | L. CRESSON | Kawasaki ZX-10RR | 1'40.967 | 4.813 | 271,3 |
