Bagnaia dominates qualifying in Austria

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Two-time MotoGP World Champion Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) set the best time in qualifying practice for round 11 of the Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring on Friday.

The Italian gave no details but he outlasted his rivals, broke the course record and brought the Ducati-Pramac machines of his compatriot Franco Morbidelli and Spanish champion Jorge Martin down to 281 thousandths and 319 thousandths respectively.

Usually a little behind on Fridays, Bagnaia, who is just three places behind Martin in the drivers’ standings, put pressure on the Madrid native, who nonetheless looked very comfortable on the hilly Austrian track, as was his best time in free practice on Friday morning.

Six-time Spanish MotoGP World Champion Marc Marquez (Ducati-Gresini) was fourth, ahead of South African Brad Binder, who races almost on his home turf at KTM. Alex Marquez (Ducati-Gresini) finished sixth, confirming Ducati’s dominance, with seven of its eight motorcycles in the top ten.

Another Italian manufacturer, Aprilia, had Spanish riders Aleix Espargaro and Maverick Vinales in seventh and eighth, while the top ten was rounded out by Italian riders Marco Bezzecchi (Ducati-VR46) and Enea Bastianini (Ducati).

The main surprise of the day came from Spanish prodigy Pedro Acosta (GasGas-Tech3), who was 11th in practice, meaning a place in Q1 (the first part of qualifying).

The Spanish rookie has been struggling in recent weeks after his thunderous start to the season and he suffered three falls on Friday, including one at around 250 km/h, which fortunately had no consequences.

On the other hand, Italian rider Fabio Di Gianantonio (Ducati-VR46) fell at the start of the race and dislocated his left shoulder. He will be taken to hospital for further examinations and may miss the rest of the weekend.

French riders Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha) and Johann Zarco (Honda-LCR) also failed to make the top ten.

The 2021 world champion had long been able to snatch direct qualification in Q2, but he was ultimately driven out of the top ten by just 99 thousandths of a second in the final two minutes of the race.

The Avignon team then finished an encouraging 14th, less than four tenths behind Bastianini, and was once again the fastest of the four Honda riders.

. Qualifying Round Rankings: