Martin pole surprise in Doha, Ducati superlative and Vinales lurking. Rossi never so bad: 21st | News

Four Ducatis in the first two rows of qualifying in Losail and in front of all are the Desmosedici Pramacs of the Spanish rookie Jorge Martin and his teammate Johann Zarco, off by 157 thousandths. Closes the first row Maverick Vinales (+0.161) which aims to make an encore of last Sunday’s success. The other Yamaha factory deals with Fabio Quartararo the central box of the second row, “surrounded” by the official Ducatis of Jack Miller and Francesco Bagnaia. Franco Morbidelli tenth with the M1 Petronas. Worst grid performance of entire career for Valentino Rossi: 21st time and ninth row. Behind him only the Aprilia of Savadori.

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A Spaniard (or rather a Madrid) on the Rossa! We are not talking about the neo-terrorist Carlos Sainz Jr. but about Jorge Martin Almoguera who – just after his second appearance in the premier class – scored a sensational pole position completed – for the Pramac team – by second half by Johann Zarco. The Ducati satellite team then puts their GP21s ahead of the factory specimens that (after Francesco Bagnaia’s pole last weekend) this time chasing: fourth fastest time for Jack Miller (+0.197), sixth for the same “Pecco”, 348 thousandths of a second from the pole “detached” from the 2018 Moto3 world champion at the end of a qualifying that will go down in history – unfortunately for him – for the Valentino Rossi’s worst performance in his entire career: 21st time and ninth row together and Enea Bastianini and Iker Lecuona. Behind the “Doctor” only Lorenzo Savadori’s Aprilia.

But let’s go back to the noble districts of the grid (those that for a currently unrecognizable Valentino were once “home”), to find the Yamaha factories. Third time and first row for Maverick Vinales which was unleashed in his second time attack, after the failure of the first. Fifth instead Fabio Quartararo while Franco Morbidelli, with the “best” of the M1 Petronas – closes the top ten (688 thousandths from the top) and opens the fourth row, where Stefan Bradl and Miguel Oliveira keep him company.

Aprilia still shines (although, as we have already seen, not with Savadori). On one of his favorite tracks, Aleix Espargarò He “stamps” the seventh time on the number 41 RS-GP, getting behind the Suzuki Ecstar by Alex Rins and Joan Mir. The reigning champion, however, had to gain access to pole hunting in Q1 (and with him Oliveira), which however remained out of his reach.

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