Quartararo claims pretty Sepang pole, Marquez crashes

Fabio Quartararo took a sensational home GP pole location for Petronas Yamaha SRT in a vastly dramatic Q2 on the Shell Malaysia Bike Astronomical Prix. A cosy 1: 58.303 saw the Frenchman beat fellow Yamaha riders Maverick Viñales (Monster Vitality Yamaha MotoGP) and Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT), with Repsol Honda Crew’s Marc Marquez crashing, meaning he’ll begin P11.

A frantic session started with Marquez backing out of his first flying lap because the 2019 World Champion went in come correct via a tow – the man on his radar? Quartararo. The rookie sensation kept his head down on his first lap to determine on provisional pole, sooner than Valentino Rossi (Monster Vitality Yamaha MotoGP) then took over on the summit in Q2. Now not fazed by an eight-time Champion appropriate in his wheel tracks, Quartararo became once firing in a stunner as Marquez rapid misplaced contact. The number 20 Yamaha rider got here spherical to pass 0.4 sooner because the goalposts were moved further as Q1 graduate Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) went sooner than Marquez – the Hondas unable to realize one thing about the flying Frenchman. On the other hand, it became once Viñales who would withhold the advantage after the first flee, the Spaniard topping Quartararo by a slender 0.087 as Morbidelli slotted himself into P3.

Then, it became once time for a neatly-behaved dose of drama. As Quartararo headed out for his second flee, Marquez rumbled out of pitlane appropriate subsequent to the Yamaha. The ways were glaring for Marquez and others: defend within the support of Quartararo to are trying and win a qualifying tow. And that’s precisely what took plight. Quartararo knew Marquez became once there and every time the Frenchman slowed and looked spherical, Marquez would attain the identical. But would Quartararo kill his subsequent lap in expose to no longer shuffle the World Champion spherical? The answer became once no, Quartararo fired his YZR-M1 out of the closing corner and down the straight, with Marquez having to address Danilo Petrucci (Ducati Crew) to latch onto Quartararo. The latter became once quite wide at Turn 1 as Marquez bought crossed up – however the 93 made the apex. On the other hand, no such apex became once made at Turn 2 as Marquez, pushing to stick with Quartararo, suffered a vicious highside.

Monumental drama in Sepang as Marquez danced with the devil, leaving him out of Q2 and facing a probably out of doors the tip 10 qualifying location. Why? Since the scoot heading within the correct direction became once getting involving. Petronas’ Morbidelli became once laying down the rubber and the Italian snatched P1 from his teammate by 0.224. But Morbidelli’s pleasure didn’t remaining prolonged, Viñales struck to determine on P1 support by real 0.026 – however it wasn’t over yet.

Jack Miller (Pramac Racing) became once going wide weapons and the Australian moved himself up to a provisional front row, with Rossi also climbing to P5. Ducati Crew’s Andrea Dovizioso then also bought the greater of Marquez’ time because the 93 tumbled down the timesheets, however how immoral would it no longer win for the Spaniard?

Within the interim, a devil’s fire had been stoked. Quartararo became once 0.2 below halfway correct via the lap, 0.3 below on the third split however would he withhold on? A microscopic twitch on the closing corner threatened to spoil an radiant lap and, even though dropping time, Quartararo took the chequered flag to determine on an neatly-behaved fifth pole of 2019, his sixth consecutive front row begin. Viñales and Morbidelli procure it a Yamaha front row lockout in Malaysia sooner than a Ducati, Honda and Yamaha procure up the second row. That includes Miller, Q1 pacesetter Crutchlow and 9-time World Champion Rossi. Alex Rins (Crew Suzuki Ecstar) spearheads Row 3 in P7 sooner than Petrucci, with LCR Honda Idemitsu’s Johann Zarco having a appropriate drag in Q2 to retract his easiest dry qualifying of the year in P9 – the second easiest Honda on the grid.

Dovizioso, after displaying tough scoot in Free Observe, would per chance be quite downbeat with P10 in Sepang. How immoral did it win for Marquez? P11 would per chance be his starting location on Sunday afternoon, the 55-time premier class winner’s worst qualifying for the rationale that 2015 Italian GP. After the heavy impression, fingers crossed Marquez has no accidents and can very neatly be totally match to battle his manner via the pack on flee day. Pramac Racing’s Francesco Bagnaia finished the tip 12 in Q2.

Wow. A breath-taking Sepang Q2 will select a whereas getting over. Quartararo and Yamaha are the ones to beat as 0.129 covers the leading trio. Are you ready for the Malaysian GP? It’s one you of course don’t are searching for to drag over at 15: 00 local time (GMT 8) on Sunday afternoon.

Q2 classification:

1. Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT) – 1: 58.303

2. Maverick Viñales (Monster Vitality Yamaha MotoGP) 0.103

3. Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) 0.129

4. Jack Miller (Pramac Racing) 0.422

5. Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) 0.648

6. Valentino Rossi (Monster Vitality Yamaha MotoGP) 0.697

7. Alex Rins (Crew Suzuki Ecstar) 0.787

8. Danilo Petrucci (Ducati Crew) 0.794

9. Johann Zarco (LCR Honda Idemitsu) 0.836

10. Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Crew) 0.870

11. Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Crew) 0.875

12. Francesco Bagnaia (Pramac Racing) 1.337