Fresh from clinching his third MotoGP title last Sunday in Japan, Marc Marquez continued his impressive late-season form by scoring pole position for the Australian Grand Prix on Saturday at Phillip Island.
After seeing much of Friday be washed out by rain, Saturday’s qualifying session took place on a damp track that left riders debating whether to head out on slick or intermediate tires.
Q1 claimed some big-name casualties, including nine-time world champion Valentino Rossi who could only finish 15th, marking his worst qualifying result since 2011. Future Yamaha teammate Maverick Vinales was also knocked out early, and will start 13th on Sunday.
With rain forecast to hit the track midway through Q2, riders had to judge their tire calls perfectly, with Marquez nailing his strategy. The Honda rider braved the track on slicks to turn in a lap of 1:30.189, giving him pole by almost eight-tenths of a second.
Marquez will be joined on the front row of the grid by LCR Honda’s Cal Crutchlow and Yamaha Tech3 rider Pol Espargaro, both finishing within a second of the pole-sitter.
Aleix Espargaro and Jack Miller qualified fourth and fifth, the latter lamenting a missed opportunity to hit the front row for his home race, while Danilo Petrucci will start sixth.
American rider Nicky Hayden qualified seventh for his stand-in appearance in place of the injured Dani Pedrosa, while outgoing champion Jorge Lorenzo was the slowest rider in Q2, finishing 12th.