LE MANS, France – Not even a crash during Q2 could slow down Marc Marquez on Saturday at the Bugatti Circuit.
Marquez, who earlier in the day paced the final practice prior to qualifying, registered the fastest lap during a wet Q2 round at 1:40.952. Shortly after setting the best time, Marquez crashed his Honda in turn six while trying to better his fast lap.
The crash ended up not mattering as his original time was good enough to give him his 55th premier class pole, drawing him equal with Valentino Rossi on the all-time list.
“Today was one of those days,” Marquez said. “The conditions meant you didn’t know if a slick or a wet tyre would be best with the light rain, it was really difficult. In qualifying we knew we had to push on the first lap when there was the least water on track. Then with more water on track it got more difficult. I’m happy with this pole because it was a day where you could easily start from the back if you weren’t careful. Now we see what the weather does tomorrow.”
Danilo Petrucci qualified second for Ducati, with Pramac Racing’s Jack Miller completing the front row.
Andrea Dovizioso qualified the second Ducati bike fourth, followed closely by Rossi and Franco Morbidelli. Takaaki Nakagami, Jorge Lorenzo, Aleix Espargaro and Fabio Quartararo completed the top-10.