Francesco Bagnaia sets record lap time at Mugello to edge out Marc Marquez and start sprint race on pole
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Published 10/06/2023 at 11:21 GMT+1
It was a pulsating session at Mugello in a race that had plenty of aggro between Francesco Bagnaia and Marc Marquez. It is the Italian that will start his home race in pole position after setting a record lap time at Mugello. Marc Marquez finished Q2 in second, while his brother Alex finished third. Q1 was just as absorbing, with Alex Marquez coming out on top to progress into Q2.
Francesco Bagnaia will take pole position in the sprint race
Image credit: Getty Images
Francesco Bagnaia will start the Italian GP sprint race in pole position after an incredible display in Q2 qualifying, edging out a fascinating tussle with Marc Marquez at Mugello.
It was an outstanding performance from the reigning world champion, who set an all-time lap record on the circuit to deservedly claim pole and finish 0.078 seconds ahead of Marc Marquez.
Marc will be joined by his brother Alex on the front row, after the Gresini rider finished 0.179 seconds ahead of Jack Miller.
There was plenty of needle in an aggressive Q2 race as Bagnaia angrily gesticulated to Marc Marquez, in a pit-lane incident ahead of turn one.
It sets everything up very nicely ahead of what will be a pulsating sprint race, which takes place later on Saturday afternoon.
Meanwhile, Q1 was just as eventful, and the performances of Miller and Alex Marquez were all the more remarkable considering they had to pre-qualify for Q2.
They were joined by the likes of Fabio Quartararo and Maverick Vinales in a star-studded Q1 race, and it was Alex Marquez who secured progression to Q2 in top spot after leading the way with a time of 1:45.231.
The Spaniard was tipped to make an easy progression through to Q2 and he did just that with a masterful performance.
Miller finished second to make it through to the fight for pole after the Red Bull KTM Factory rider finished 0.328 seconds behind Alex Marquez, and edged out Vinales by 0.032 of a second.
It was hugely frustrating for the Aprilia Racing rider, and for Quartararo who came fifth, a disappointing 0.524 seconds adrift of Alex Marquez. The Frenchman would start the main race in 15th.
Serious questions will be asked after Quartararo was eliminated in Q1 for a third consecutive MotoGP round, while there was disappointment for Raul Fernandez after crashing once again after an incident in Practice 3.
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