Tag: Maverick Vinales

The pre-event Press Conference kicks off the Gran Premio Liqui Moly de Teruel as the final four race weekends begin…

Teruel (Spain), 22 October 2020: It’s the third race weekend in a row but now there are only four Grands Prix remaining in 2020, the pressure is starting to amp up – not that anyone says they feel it. Ahead of the Gran Premio Liqui Moly de Teruel, the pre-event Press Conference focused a lot on the title fight, however, with new points leader Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) joined by closest challenger Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT), third overall Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP), close fourth Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team), Aragon GP winner Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) and rookie on a roll Alex Marquez (Repsol Honda Team).

Here are the key quotes from those present, with Mir up first.

JOAN MIR: “l’m looking forward to this weekend, I think it can be good and positive. I feel great on this track, we had some problems at the end of the last race and it’s important to understand why. I think all of us will be faster because of more information, more laps on track, probably more rubber. So it will be interesting for sure.  

“The pressure is the same because six points behind or six points in front, four races remaining, it’s the same. Nothing changes. The important thing is to be in a good position and to show the potential every race. It would be a big mistake changing the way I approach the race for sure I have to continue going race by race, trying to get as many points as possible and then on Sunday we will see where we are. If we have the chance for the victory we will try and if not, we will stay on the podium or close.”

FABIO QUARTARARO: “Last weekend was a bit up and down for us. The crash, then a great pole position but then in the race I had a problem with the front tyre, a pressure problem, but our pace was not extremely good. It was enough to fight for top 5 but not really for the podium and victory, but it looks like we found something positive for this weekend and, for sure, I want to fight for a great result because I think we have something positive for tomorrow and for Saturday and Sunday.”

“For me the pressure is not so high because in the end there are so many races to go. Now I am behind in second, it just looks like that I have three guys around me who are factory riders and they need to fight also, so honestly the pressure is not really on me for the Championship so I’m feeling good and a little bit… released! I am feeling confident and we are in a great position right now.”

MAVERICK VIÑALES: “I will try to be more precise, to hit better lines. Especially adapt even more to the bike. We did a big step with the bike last weekend, but still I need to adapt a little more. Behind the competitors I saw many good things and many bad. So we need to concentrate to take the maximum from the good things. What I like was at the end I had something more, if this race we are fighting for the win we know we have something at the end of the race, which is good. But still I need to improve and be smoother with the bike.  

“Well I think for sure, because of many mechanical problems I lost at least 40 points in three races. They’re amazing points which we could achieve but in the end we need to face it like it is. We did good results in Misano, we got back to winning ways and we recovered a lot of points in Misano, which was positive. In the end our team is working good, but we need to understand why sometimes we don’t perform at the top. It seems we understand which is why we’re concentrating on the riding style, the bike is that bike; we can’t improve it right now and we need to take the maximum from what we have.

“These races I will be in the same mood, trying to ride, do good lap times, to do perfect lines and then we’ll see where we are in the race. For sure I’m confident that we can do a good job. Valencia is a track I like, Portimao I really like, when we rode there I was immediately fast straight away which is always positive. So for us the main key is to be consistent. If we can be consistent then I think we have a chance to fight for the title for sure.”

ANDREA DOVIZIOSO: “In the end we were struggling so much during the weekend, especially for the temperature but in the race the situation was a bit better. Not good enough to have the same pace as the fastest riders. But in the end, we are still there, and the Championship is still open. It is difficult and hard because they are really strong and fast on every track, but I hope and believe that if the conditions improve then we have the biggest margin for improvement. Everybody will be faster for sure so it will be a difficult weekend like every double race at the same track but in the end, we have to keep dreaming and keep working. 

“In the end for me it has been a strange and different season compared to these riders. I have never been that strong to think about the Championship but in the end, I am there, and this is very important. Still I think we have our chance, but it is difficult like I said before. We won one race but in the other races the feeling wasn’t that good so it is difficult to fight for the Championship in that situation we are there so I think we will use our cards until the end.”

Rins – although not in the top four contenders as it stands – was asked whether he thinks he’s out the title fight and free of pressure… and it seems not.

ALEX RINS: “Nothing to lose? Maybe not! We’re 36 points, a bit far away but still we have options. There are still 100 points in the game so let’s try to recover the points. For sure this season is very up and down, I suffer a lot but this is the price to pay. We need to be there, to fight, for sure last weekend was a fantastic result to get the win in Aragon. But as the others say, this weekend will be even more difficult because everything will be closer. So let’s see where we can arrive.

“For sure it’s difficult to say I will be at 100% this season because to recover from a shoulder injury, it takes time. For me this track isn’t very aggressive, for example unlike Montmelo or Misano – I don’t struggle a lot with my right arm. For sure we lost two or three big opportunities but we were always there fighting. Always we had the opportunity. So let’s see what happens. The Suzuki is working quite good, you can see from Joan’s results and mine so let’s see!”

ALEX MARQUEZ: “Honestly my target this weekend is not to win the race, it is to repeat the work I did last weekend. In the end the race was a consequence from the practice where we did a really good job. We were making improvements every day, especially in the hot and in the cold, we were fast in all the conditions, so it was a consequence. I knew before the race that I had a good pace and I knew it would be difficult coming from P11, but yeah it will be an interesting weekend for us, we need to see how much we can improve in the second weekend. It is always interesting to see that. I think we have many points where we can improve. We need to focus a lot on the qualifying, in the race it is the key. I will try to make the best weekend that I can, and I will try to polish up the times I think we are missing a little bit. 

“For me the Misano test was so important. We made a step forward from Qatar season test, I didn’t have the chance to have a test, and for a rookie it is difficult if you are not on the bike for three months during the lockdown and then you go to Jerez so always is a little bit difficult to try things during a race weekend. But in Misano we started to try things and try set ups and also that day of test gave me lots of opportunities to take the confidence from the bike, to understand it a little better. It was a fantastic test for us. Since then we look like we are working in a better way, also Taka, from the first races he was so fast, he is in his third year and he made a really good step this year., he is still in the fight for the championship. I focus a lot on Taka’s style from the beginning because it was the best way to improve, so yeah, we are making steps; I think we still need improve.”

That’s a wrap on the Press Conference! Tune in for FP1 at 9:55 (GMT +2) on Friday, and remember we’re an hour earlier than normal as the lights go out for the race at 13:00 (GMT +1).

San Marino, 20 Sept 2020: The season began pretty well for Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) in Jerez as the Spaniard took two podiums and a solid haul of points, but after a tough race in Brno, a dramatic Austrian GP and then a high-speed bailout in Styria, ‘Top Gun’ arrived at Misano poised to hit back. Last weekend it didn’t quite go to plan, but take two in the Gran Premio TISSOT dell’Emilia Romagna e della Riviera di Rimini saw everything fall into place as the Spaniard seared his way to his first win of the season and catapulted himself to within one point of the Championship lead. He also becomes the sixth rider so far to stand on the top step in 2020.

Viñales broke clear early on, lost out to Francesco Bagnaia (Pramac Racing) and then started to haul the Italian back in, the number 12’s tactics readying us for a crescendo at the front. Heartbreak then hit for Bagnaia as the Italian crashed out, however, Viñales sweeping through and keeping it inch perfect to the flag for those invaluable 25 points. Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) sliced through from P11 on the grid for another stunning podium in second, with more drama just behind him as Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) took third back from Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Sprinta Racing) as the latter was given a time penalty for exceeding track limits and failing to complete a Long Lap Penalty.

As to be somewhat expected, Jack Miller (Pramac Racing) got a great launch from P2 to grab the holeshot as the lights went out, with polesitter Viñales slotting into second, Quartararo initially holding onto P3 and Bagnaia making up a place to get past Pol Espargaro. Viñales didn’t take long to take the lead though, the Spaniard up the inside at Turn 4 to mug Miller as Pecco had a very close look at getting past Quartararo at Turn 8 – although there was no way through for now.

Drama then unfolded behind for San Marino GP winner Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) as Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) tucked the front and collected the Italian, Morbidelli somehow staying on and continuing but the Italian dead last…

Meanwhile at the front, Viñales had a 0.9 second lead over the line as the riders clocked onto Lap 2, but fortunes were flipped for his teammate Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) as the ‘Doctor’ was soon out of his 250th Grand Prix with Yamaha. Down at Turn 4 and home podium dreams over, Rossi remounted but had a big ask on his hands to score points.

In the meantime, Bagnaia had got past teammate Miller for P2 and Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) had charged through to third at Turn 10 but it sadly didn’t last long; the South African down at Turn 14. Bagnaia up ahead, however, was unleashing the fastest lap of the race as the Italian locked his radar firmly onto the back of Viñales’ YZR-M1, edging closer as Pol Espargaro started to do the same to him…

Bagnaia was right on Viñales on Lap 5 and by then, the duo were once again pulling away from Pol Esparagro and Quartararo, who was tucked in behind the number 44. Bagnaia set another fastest lap of the race – a 1:32.3 – and it seemed game on, with Viñales then slightly wide at Turn 4, opening the door. Bagnaia needed no second invitation and the Italian took the lead, then immediately half a second clear, although it subsequently stayed pretty constant at 0.6 seconds for a number of laps…

Behind that chess match, Mir had managed to get to the front of the battle for the lower ends of the top 10 and get some clean air in front of him – although the gap to Quartararo and the podium was 3.5 seconds on Lap 7. The top two pounded on, Bagnaia started to edge away, and Mir kept chipping away behind.

As the laps went on, the Suzuki edged closer and closer as Bagnaia stretched his legs. Not long after though, it started to turn as Viñales chipped back a tenth and then two, with the lead back down to just over a second and the last few laps looking set to cook up a storm. By that time, Mir was also under two seconds away from the podium fight but with seven to go, huge drama then unfolded. Turn 6 was the place and Bagnaia the rider, the race leader sliding out in some late heartbreak as Viñales shot past. The number 12’s lead was over four seconds then – with no one else having been able to stay near the leading duo.

The fight for the podium was then the focus. Quartararo was showing a wheel to Espargaro but the latter was defending brilliantly on his KTM… before Joan Mir finally appeared on the scene. 0.6 faster than the duo ahead of him with six laps to go, it was soon a three-rider dog fight for the remaining two spots on the podium. And also with six laps to go, Quartararo was handed a track limits warning – something that would prove to be costly for El Diablo shortly after.

With three to go, Mir struck. Turn 2 was the spot as the Spaniard shot through underneath and past Quartararo, and it wasn’t long before Mir was up to second as well. On the next lap at Turn 1, Mir was past Espargaro’s KTM and back into clear air. Quartararo then pounced on Pol at Turn 3 as well, Espargaro going from P2 to P4 in a matter of corners. It seemed that was that for the podium fight too, but there was one last shot of drama.

For exceeding track limits too many times, Quartararo was then handed a Long Lap Penalty. His only time to do it? The the last lap. Would he see it? He was just over a second clear of Espargaro and four seconds ahead of fifth place Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Tech3), so it looked like he was going to lose P3…

Ahead on track, Viñales didn’t have any such troubles. ‘Top Gun’ rounded the last corner to take his first victory since the 2019 Malaysian GP in fine style, taking 25 vital points and moving to within one point of the top. Mir crossed the line a magnificent second to take his third rostrum in four races, and Quartararo took the chequered flag in third… but hadn’t taken the Long Lap. He was therefore demoted to P4 as it became a three-second penalty instead, handing Pol Espargaro his second podium of the season.

Behind Quartararo classified fourth, Oliveira was stunning in the second half of the race to finish P5, the Portuguese rider had serious pace but starting P15 ultimately cost the Styrian GP winner. The leading Honda across the line was Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) in P6 as the Japanese rider showed strong late-race pace to get the better of Repsol Honda Team’s Alex Marquez in seventh. The reigning Moto2™ World Champion produced his best MotoGP™ ride to date, finishing seven tenths away from Nakagami.

So where’s Dovi? The man still leading the Championship had a tougher day at Misano, but with Quartararo finishing fourth and that very points leader Andrea Dovizioso in P8, it’s the number 04 still ahead. Viñales is now level on points with Quartararo but technically behind him as he has less wins, with Mir now just four points from the title leader – madness!

Despite sitting last on the opening lap, an unwell Morbidelli recovered to salvage a brilliant P9, with fellow Italian Danilo Petrucci (Ducati Team) completing the top 10. Johann Zarco (Esponsorama Racing), Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) and Bradley Smith (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) were the only other finishers in 11th, 12th and 13th respectively.

Iker Lecuona (Red Bull KTM Tech3) crashed out of P6 with two and bit laps to go after stringing together a fantastic race, Rossi pulled in with 12 laps to go after his crash, and Miller encountered issues early on that he later revealed had seemingly been caused by a visor tear-off blocking the air filter. Tito Rabat (Esponsorama Racing) crashed at Turn 1 on Lap 12 – rider ok.

Four riders, four points. That’s how it stands at the top of the MotoGP™ World Championship after the Misano double-header: Dovizioso, Quartararo, Viñales and Mir the quartet leading the way. But this is 2020, and this is MotoGP™ – it could all change in the blink of an eye! With Barcelona coming up in less than a week’s time, we don’t have to wait long to witness more unrivalled premier class action… so come back for more!

MotoGP Podium: 1 Maverick Viñales – Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP – Yamaha – 41:55.846
2 Joan Mir – Team Suzuki Ecstar – Suzuki – +2.425
3 Pol Espargaro – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing – KTM – +4.528

Top Independent Team rider:
4 Fabio Quartararo – Petronas Yamaha SRT – Yamaha – +6.419*
*includes time penalty

Maverick Viñales: “Amazing, amazing job this weekend, we prepped really well for the whole race. Pecco was really fast! I was pushing a lot, I was trying to save a bit of tyre for the last ten laps, and then I started to push. I thought I was catching him, but then when he made a mistake I just tried to not crash, take the maximum points and wow. Fantastic, I’m really happy, my mentality is the same as the last weekend and last races, but we found a little bit better setup for the 20 litres at the beginning of the race. I made a mistake at Turn 4, I was pushing a lot at the beginning trying to open the gap – if were were only two riders it was good. I want to say thank you to all the people supporting me at home, because they know there have been tough times, but it seems it’s passed, now we have good luck and this is what counts! I’m very happy, I appreciate all the work and we need to continue like that, pushing very hard. We can have a lot more potential!”

San Marino, 19 Sept 2020: Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) has done it again. A week on from pole at the San Marino GP, the Spaniard slammed in 1:31.077 to set a new lap record in qualifying at the Gran Premio TISSOT dell’ Emilia Romagna e della Riviera di Rimini, taking his third pole of the season and third in succession at Misano when including 2019. It was still pretty close, however, with Jack Miller (Pramac Racing) cutting the gap to 0.076 as the Australian leapt up the timesheets to take second on the grid, with Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT) taking third to lock out the front row.

Sunny skies on the Riviera di Rimini since the paddock arrived have seen the times tumble and tumble, right down to another new lap record in Q2. On the way there though, there was Q1 to decide first and it was a real shootout. In the end, Miller was the man on top, with Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) in second as two of the key contenders moved through to fight it out for the top 12.

Once Q2 was underway, it was a familiar story for Viñales: two stops, three runs. He was the man on top first as Bagnaia slotted into P2, but then the Italian really got the hammer down on his second lap – a 1:31.313 handing the Pramac Racing rider provisional pole. Quartararo then slotted into P2 less than a tenth off ‘Pecco’, with Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Brad Binder slotting into third ahead of Viñales and teammate Pol Espargaro.

Quartararo was right on the money again though, just 0.032 off Bagnaia coming through Sector 3, but the Frenchman made a mistake coming into Turn 16 – lap over. That was the first runs down for most but as the field filed in, Viñales was back out.

Already on his second run, ‘Top Gun’ was flying. The number 12 nailed the lap to the end but he still didn’t quite manage to beat Bagnaia, 0.073 off and forced to reload for another run at it. Next time around the Spaniard was a quarter of a second up through the first sector and it looked like this might be it, but he lost time in the middle of the lap – with just 0.013 covering him and Bagnaia into the final sector. Viñales was on rails through Sector 4 though and sure enough, a Yamaha was at the summit – a 1:31.268 was now the time to beat for pole position.

Meanwhile Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) – one of the pre-race favourites – was lingering down in P10 after his opening few flying laps, one-lap pace still seemingly hampering the Spaniard and Suzuki on Saturday afternoons. Dovizioso was P8 heading into the final three minutes, and his nearest title rival Quartararo P3. With two minutes to go though, Dovizioso found some time and moved up into P6 – a provisional second row start.

Tucked in behind VR46 Academy protégé Bagnaia, Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) then improved from P9 to P5, shuffling Dovizioso onto Row 3, as Binder and Bagnaia lit the timing screens red. The South African moved into P3 with a great lap, but an even greater one (kind of) was coming in for Bagnaia. The Ducati rider rounded the final corner with Rossi and Miller in tow and it was a scintillating 1:30.973, the fastest ever lap round Misano, but it had looked outside track limits… and it ultimately was. Bagnaia’s record-breaker was cancelled for the infraction on the exit of Turn 16 – the same thing that had bitten Viñales earlier in the season.

Miller’s lap, meanwhile, put him second and then provisional pole as Bagnaia’s lap disappeared off the screen, but Viñales was still out on the hunt. The San Marino GP polesitter would take the chequered flag in P1 with another new Misano outright lap record, making it three poles in a row for Viñales, and Yamaha, at Misano as well as Viñales’ fourth overall at the venue. That, in turn, sees him equal Jorge Lorenzo for most MotoGP™ poles at the track.

Quartararo set a personal best on his last lap to claim P3, 0.069 off Miller, with Pol Espargaro just beating Bagnaia’s valid fastest time to give the KTM rider his second best qualifying result of the season. Bagnaia didn’t seem too disheartened in fifth, however.

Binder joins his KTM teammate Pol Espargaro on Row 2 after qualifying in sixth, which is also the rookie’s best Saturday afternoon result of 2020. Rossi spearheads the third row in P7, The Doctor just three tenths away from Viñales’ time, with the nine-time World Champion sitting ahead of San Marino GP winner Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT). It was P8 for Morbidelli this time around, who is nursing an illness this weekend.

Danilo Petrucci (Ducati Team) eventually got the better of teammate Dovizioso and the factory GP20 machines will line-up P9 and P10 for the Emilia Romagna GP. What can the title chase leader do from P10? And what can Mir do from P11 on the grid? The Suzuki rider has been one of the leading contenders throughout the weekend, but finishing outside the top 10 in Q2 wasn’t how the script was supposed to go – although it’s only 0.540 covering the leading 11 riders. Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) will want more too, the Japanese rider having crashed at Turn 15 in the early stages. Rider ok, and P12.

The top six in Emilia Romagna GP Q2 were all faster than last week’s pole position, but it’s the same man emerging at the top. Viñales will again launch from pole at Misano, but he’ll be hoping the story of the race plays out a little different his time around. Judging from the Free Practice timesheets, the Emilia Romagna GP is going to be electrifying, so don’t miss any of the action when the lights go out for the MotoGP™ race at 14:00 local time (GMT+2) on Sunday afternoon.

1 Maverick Viñales – Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP – Yamaha – 1:31.077 2 Jack Miller* – Pramac Racing – Ducati – +0.076 3 Fabio Quartararo* – Petronas Yamaha SRT – Yamaha – +0.145 *Independent Team riders

Misano, 12 Sept 2020: It was a truly spectacular second pole position of the season for Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) thanks to a new Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli lap record on Saturday, with the Spaniard’s 1:31.411 putting him ahead of second-placed Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) by 0.312. Third place went to World Championship leader Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT)… and fourth place went the way of home hero Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) – making i the first time they’ve finished 1-2-3-4 in qualifying in the MotoGP™ era!

Viñales was the first rider to set a flying lap time in the second qualifying session, and a 1:32.130 was a solid opening time… but it was going to be beaten. Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) was sat behind Viñales on the first lap but the Spaniard ran on at the end of the back straight, before Q1’s fastest rider Pol Espagraro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) crashed at Turn 15. That brought out the yellow flags which saw Quartararo have to sit up and scrap the lap, but the Frenchman was getting the hammer down on his second time around…

Another rider to be getting the hammer down was Free Practice pacesetter Rossi. The Doctor was further down the road from Quartararo and sure enough, the nine-time World Champion went provisional P1 to send the 10,000 Misano fans wild. However, Quartararo would soon demote Rossi to second with a 1:31.791, with the riders then pitting to push some fresh tyres in.

By this time, Viñales had slipped to P5 and was out on his lonesome on his second run. A personal best saw him stay fifth, before a faster lap then came in for the number 12. It was provisional pole, but only just – with the gap a tiny 0.004 as he then pitted again in a two-stop strategy. With the other riders back out for their second runs, Quartararo couldn’t improve his lap time on his first attempt, 0.038 the Frenchman’s deficit, as second fastest in Q1 Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Tech3) and Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) quickly exchanging P6.

Rossi was then bang on the money but after losing two tenths in Sector 2, the Italian backed out of his lap. Compatriot Morbidelli and his teammate Quartararo were then lighting the timesheets up in the first and second sectors, as Jack Miller (Pramac Racing) slotted himself into P6. Coming round the final sector, Morbidelli placed himself onto a dream provisional home Grand Prix pole position, and Quartararo unable to improve on his last flying lap. Was that it? Not quite…

Viñales was two tenths under Morbidelli’s time as an absolute stunner started coming in from Top Gun. Nailing the final half of the lap to take the chequered flag with a new Misano lap record, and taking that accolade away from Yamaha test rider Jorge Lorenzo, Viñales’ time gave him plenty of clear air ahead of Morbidelli. The Italian is therefore forced to settle for a sterling second on home soil, but it’s his best qualifying result of the season.

Quartararo completes the front row, 0.380 adrift from Viñales. The 21-year-old didn’t sound too disheartened with P3 though, he’s looking strong to challenge for his third win of the season from the outside of the front row. Rossi spearheads Row 2 in P4, and that’s the number 46’s equal best Saturday afternoon result of 2020. Joining Rossi on the second row is Miller who improved on his last lap to get the better of injured teammate Francesco Bagnaia (Pramac Racing), but both Pramac riders had an upbeat qualifying in San Marino.

Rins is the leading Suzuki in P7, the Spaniard beating teammate Joan Mir by 0.012 in Q2 and the latter – like Miller – leaping up the leaderboard on his last lap. Dovizioso, the man second in the Championship, will have to start from P9 but race day is another day – as we’ve seen a good few times from the number 04. Johann Zarco (Esponsorama Racing) completed the top 10, while Pol Espargaro managed to get out on his second bike after his crash and finish less than a tenth ahead of Oliveira – the Q1 graduates ending Q2 in P11 and P12.

Yamaha are back! After two tougher rounds, no one could get within a tenth and a half of the YZR-M1s in qualifying, with polesitter Viñales really laying down the gauntlet ahead of Sunday’s crucial battle. Can anyone stop the Iwata onslaught in San Marino, and if not, who comes out on top in the Yamaha dogfight?!

You know what to do – tune in for the MotoGP™ race at 14:00 local time (GMT+2) to see what twists and turns lie ahead on race day… and in the title fight.

1 Maverick Viñales – Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP – Yamaha – 1:31.411 
2 Franco Morbidelli* – Petronas Yamaha SRT – Yamaha – +0.312
3 Fabio Quartararo* – Petronas Yamaha SRT – Yamaha – +0.380
*Independent Team riders

Spielberg, 15 August 2020: For most people, a tenth of a second isn’t even the blink of an eye, but in MotoGP™ it can decide a lot. And in the myWorld Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich, even less than that covers the three riders on the front row of the grid, with Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP’s Maverick Viñales set to start from pole. Jack Miller (Pramac Racing) kept him honest in second, with Championship leader Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT) completing the front row – just 0.087 off Viñales. The entire top 12 were covered by half a second, which is the closest we’ve witnessed since 2007.

In Q1 it was Brno podium finisher Johann Zarco (Esponsorama Racing) who came out on top and moved through, ahead of and alongside a jubilant Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) after the Italian had missed the cut in the morning. Somehow though, there was a maybe even bigger talking point in the session – with Danilo Petrucci (Ducati Team) and Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) getting into some serious beef. They both just missed the cut too and will start P13 and P14 respectively, next to each other on the grid…

Once Q2 kicked off though, it was all eyes on Viñales as he came flying out the blocks first, before Quartararo then took over at the summit by a tenth. Soon enough, however, there were red sectors flashing up all over the timing screens, with the field all bang on the money from the off. Miller went P3 before Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Tech3), Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) then all exchanged the provisional third, but the Australian took it back as Viñales also truck back against Quartararo at the top.

That lap for the factory Yamaha rider got cancelled, however, and it was suddenly Quartararo back in the driving seat. Viñales wasn’t done there though, and the Spaniard went even quicker to set a 1:23.694 to take over at the top again, this time hanging onto it. Pol Espargaro then shot up to P5, just two tenths adrift, with Mir going third again. Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) slotted into P6 at the end of the first runs, and Quartararo managed to closed the gap to Viñales as the dust settled – briefly – and some fresh rubber went in.

The lull in activity didn’t last long, and the hills were soon alive with the sound of MotoGP™ machines once again. The times were about to get even quicker, too. ‘Top Gun’ Viñales improved his time to move the goalposts, with Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) then going P3 to make it a provisional Yamaha 1-2-3 in Austria. Dovizioso was about to remind everyone of his stellar pace at the Red Bull Ring though, the Italian taking P1 away from Viñales for provisional pole… but it still wasn’t done.

2017 and 2019 race winner Dovizioso didn’t stay at the top for long. Viñales, following Mir, went back to the top of the timesheets to go over a tenth clear of the field as he bounces back in style from a tough race in Brno, and despite some red sectors for the likes of Dovizioso and Pol Espargaro, no one could quite manage to overhaul that lap. That makes Viñales the first premier class polesitter for Yamaha in Austria since Christian Sarron at the Salzburgring in 1988… not bad going at a traditionally tougher track for the Iwata marque!

Pol Espargaro’s initial threat to Viñales became a provisional third, but Dovi – after getting shuffled down by the KTM rider and Quartararo – hit back to push ‘Polyccio’ back off the front row himself. Was anyone going to be able to get amongst it in the final few seconds? You bet.

It was a Pol Espargaro and Jack Miller last chance dash at the end, and the Spaniard couldn’t improve but the Australian certainly did. It wasn’t quite enough for pole but the number 43’s final push split the Yamahas and sees Miller start second behind Viñales, with the ‘holeshot device’ primed, just ahead of Quartararo…

Dovizioso will head up Row 2 just after he announced he will be leaving Ducati at the end of the season, with the Italian veteran and two-time Austrian GP winner not losing a grain of focus as he prepares to push for a third victory. Pol Espargaro lines up fifth and is another, like Dovizioso, who seems to have some serious race pace… they will certainly be hoping they can bypass the likes of Viñales, Miller and Quartararo in the early stages. Joan Mir starts sixth after an impressive Q2 for the Spaniard, edging out Brno podium finisher Morbidelli.

The number 21 Yamaha heads up the third row ahead of Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar), with Czech GP poleman Zarco with more work to do on Sunday in Austria if he’s to grab a repeat podium finish. It’s ninth for the Frenchman, who finishes 0.044 ahead of Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu). Oliveira briefly owned a provisional front row place but will start 11th, just 0.489 from pole, with Q1 graduate Valentino Rossi ending Q2 in 12th… despite finishing only 0.545 off his teammate’s time. It is, after all, the closest top 12 in over a decade.

That’s it from Saturday, with only half a second covering the Q2 field and even more stories down the order. Czech GP winner Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) will start 17th as the last KTM rider, with fellow rookie Iker Lecuona (Red Bull KTM Tech3) starting just ahead of him. Ahead of that, meanwhile, Row 5 is jam-packed with experience, speed and that small slice of beef with Petrucci and Aleix Espargaro joined by Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol).

Got your breath back yet? Viñales grabbed the bull by the horns on Saturday at the Red Bull Ring, but who will come out the fight on top on Sunday? And what will the skies look like as race day dawns? Find out if the Ducati dominance in Spielberg will come to an end at 17:30 IST!

Maverick Viñales: “I’m really happy because the objective was the front row but suddenly I felt an incredible feeling with the bike, also in FP4 from this morning we’ve made a really big improvement, the team has done a really good job. We need to try to understand for tomorrow’s race what will be the best tyre but the bike is working fantastic, very different to Brno. So I’m very happy and enthusiastic and we know on one lap we’re very fast.”

1 Maverick Viñales – Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP – Yamaha – 1:23.450
2 Jack Miller* – Pramac Racing – Ducati – +0.068
3 Fabio Quartararo* – Petronas Yamaha SRT – Yamaha – +0.087
*Independent Team riders