First pole of the year in MotoGP for Quartararo, Marquez will start 14th in Indonesian GP

The MotoGP world champion, the Frenchman Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha), won his first pole position in 2022 this Saturday, while the six-time world champion, Spaniard Marc Márquez, will start from 15th place after falling twice in the Indonesian Grand Prix qualifying session.

The 22-year-old Quartararo will be accompanied on the first line of the starting grid by Spaniard Jorge Martín (Ducati-Pramac) and his compatriot Johann Zarco (Ducati-Pramac) on Sunday in the second race of the season, at the Mandalika circuit.

The Frenchman thus regains the smile and vitola of a contender to revalidate his crown after the disappointing 8th place fifteen days ago in Qatar in the first Grand Prix of the season and his Yamaha seems to improve after having shown a lack of power in the first race.

On the brand-new Mandalika circuit and in the tropical heat of the island of Lombok, the Frenchman won the 16th pole of his elite career.

It is the first time, since June 2021 in Catalonia, that it has set the fastest time in the standings.

“It's okay to be back here, it's been a long time! , he acknowledged smiling after the test from the place reserved for interviews with the first three. “I am very happy.”

“And I'm even happier for FP4 (fourth free trials), where I shot 15 laps in a row and at a very good pace. We haven't made mistakes and I feel good before tomorrow, that's the most important thing,” added the Gaul.

In principle, Quartararo's main rivals in the fight for the victory of the race will be his two front-row teammates.

“It was important to qualify well, since it is difficult to overtake on this circuit, and all the riders have a similar pace. I have confidence for tomorrow,” said Spaniard Martín, who also recovered from the fall suffered in Qatar that deprived him of scoring points in the first race of the season.

Zarco, for his part, highlighted the “difficult conditions” of the Indonesian circuit, due to the heat and humidity: “If I can have this pace and also a little air, I think I have good options for the race.”

Brad Binder (KTM), Enea Bastianini (Ducati-Gresini), surprising championship leader after his victory in Qatar a fortnight ago, and 2021 runner-up Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) will start on the second line.

The third line will consist of Miguel Oliveira (KTM), Alex Rins (Suzuki) and Jack Miller (Ducati).

Marc Márquez also aspires to victory, despite the two falls suffered this Saturday (plus another on Friday), which left him in 14th position on the starting grid for Sunday at 15:00 local (07:00 GMT), after the Italian Franco Morbidelli was sanctioned with three places for not respecting the rules.

- Two falls in a row -

“All of us Hondas have had unexpected problems,” Marquez said. “I tried it even though I didn't have a good feeling because I had no other option to be in Q2. I should have avoided the second fall, but I knew I was doing a runoff and it was my last chance.”

Marquez wasn't the only one to go to the ground: his compatriots Aleix Espargaró (Aprilia, 10th on the grid and 2020 champion Joan Mir (Suzuki, 18th) and Italian Franco Morbidelli (Yamaha, 15th) also fell on a recently redone track following criticism received from drivers after pre-season trials in February. A warning of what can happen in the race.

The world championship already passed through Indonesia in 1996 and 1997, when the premier category was the 500cc. It is the first time in the country since the introduction of the MotoGP in 2002 and the arrival of the 1000cc displacement.

In Moto2, the pole was for Briton Jake Dixon, ahead of Spaniard Augusto Fernández and fellow countryman Sam Lowes.

In Moto3, the Spaniard Carlos Tatay will be the fastest and will be accompanied in the front row of the grid by Brazilian Diogo Moreira and Indonesian Mario Aji.

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