Maverick Viñales will start the San Marino Grand Prix from pole position after edging out MotoGP championship leader Andrea Dovizioso in the final stage of qualifying on Saturday at Misano.
Entering the weekend as Yamaha’s sole factory rider following Valentino Rossi’s leg break in a training accident, Viñales produced a stunning final lap in Q2 of 1:32.439, beating Dovizioso by 0.162 seconds.
Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez had been the favorite for a fifth straight pole heading into qualifying, only to crash out on his final run, leaving him P3 at the checkered flag.
Dovizioso slotted into P2 for Ducati, and will be looking to extend his nine-point advantage over Marquez in the riders’ standings at Misano on Sunday.
Cal Crutchlow was the leading satellite rider, taking fourth for LCR Honda, while Ducati’s Jorge Lorenzo enjoyed one of his stronger qualifyings of the season so far to take fifth place on the grid.
Johann Zarco wound up sixth for Tech3 Yamaha ahead of Dani Pedrosa and Danilo Petrucci, while Aleix Espargaro and Alvaro Bautista completed the top 10.