MotoGP: Espargaro snatches pole from Ducatis at Silverstone

Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) will start the Monster Energy British Grand Prix from pole position after a magnificent lap in qualifying.

The #41 set an unbelievable 1m57.309s, giving Espargaro a 0.208s advantage over Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team), in second position. The Italian took provisional pole position early in Q2 before being pipped by the Aprilia Racing rider in the final 30 seconds.

Joining them on the front row was Enea Bastianini, who capped off a magnificent qualifying for the Ducati Lenovo Team.

Late Q1 heartbreak for Raul Fernandez

It was a sensational Q1 session, with the top two spots undecided until the final minute of the session. Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) topped the pile at the end of the session, improving on his final lap and earning a spot in Q2 alongside Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3), who finished P2.

It was late heartbreak from Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse Racing), who pushed his RS-GP24 to the limit but would be pushed to third in the final minute. Soon after, Q2 got underway with blistering times as Bagnaia, Bastianini, Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) and Espargaro entered the 1m57 bracket.

In the closing minutes, the pace began to heat up with Martin looking for a clear piece of track. Bagnaia rolled out of his flying lap after his vision was obscured by a strip on his visor.

Meanwhile, Espargaro started a fast lap with minutes to go, leaping from fourth to provisional pole position at Silverstone. While it was delight for Espargaro, it was disappointment for Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing), crashing at Turn 2. After the yellow flags came out, nobody could improve or match the pole time on their final lap, allowing the #41 to take a fantastic pole position.

Starting Lineup

* Rookie