Bagnaia pole, Miller qualifies second for Aragon MotoGP

Factory Ducati team-mates Francesco Bagnaia and Jack Miller have qualified first and second respectively for the Aragon MotoGP round.

Bagnaia smashed the all time lap record at MotorLand Aragon in setting a 1:46.322s while Miller stole the middle slot on the front row from Fabio Quartararo with a late 1:46.688s.

It had been the same top three after the opening flyers in Qualifying 2, Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) with a 1:46.908s from Miller on a 1:47.401s and Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha) on a 1:47.402s.

Jorge Martin (Pramac Ducati) moved the marker to a 1:46.878s on his second flyer but he was second to Quartararo at the end of the first runs after the championship leader nailed a 1:46.727s.

That left Bagnaia third and Miller fourth, the latter having improved to a 1:47.081s, while Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda) sat fifth on a 1:47.144s.

When the second runs began, Bagnaia made an early impact by blitzing the existing all time lap record of 1:46.635s.

At that point, however, Quartararo still looked a threat as he went quicker to the first sector before losing time in the second and then running long at Turn 12 anyway.

Marc Marquez jumped back onto the provisional front row with a 1:46.736s just before the chequered flag, while Quartararo was still chasing pole.

The Frenchman set a new personal best of 1:46.719s but it would not even be good enough to hold onto second position in the end, as Miller advanced from fifth on his final lap.

The Queenslander thus knocked Marc Marquez onto the second row, which the six-time premier class champion will share with Martin and Aleix Espargaro (Gresini Aprilia).

Row 3 will be Joan Mir (Suzuki Ecstar) from Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda), and Enea Bastianini (Avintia Esponsorama Ducati), the latter in his first Q2 appearance in MotoGP.

The bottom three in Q2 were Johann Zarco (Pramac Ducati), Takaaki Nakagami (Idemitsu LCR Honda), and Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM).

Earlier in Q1, it was Zarco who dominated, amid disaster for Alex Rins.

The former was almost four tenths up on the field at the end of the first runs courtesy of a 1:47.327s and progressed to a 1:47.293s just before the chequered flag.

Binder got through with a time 0.051s away from Zarco’s best, consigning Iker Lecuona (Tech3 KTM) to 13th, Alex Marquez (Castrol LCR Honda) to 14th, and Cal Crutchlow (#35 Monster Energy Yamaha) to 15th.

Behind them on Row 6 will be Danilo Petrucci (Tech3 KTM), Luca Marini (Sky VR46 Esponsorama Ducati), and Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM).

Row 7 is full of notables, with Maverick Viñales qualifying 19th for Gresini Aprilia at the first time of asking, Suzuki Ecstar’s Rins only managing 20th, and Valentino Rossi taking 21st.

The latter’s stand-in Petronas SRT Yamaha team-mate, Jake Dixon, brings up the rear of the 22-rider field.

Race start is due on Sunday at 22:00 AEST, with 23 laps on the cards.

Qualifying: Aragon MotoGP