The local lowered the circuit record and will start in the lead in the sprint and the main race of the sixth round of MotoGP. Jorge Martín had a bad time, Pecco Bagnaia will start on the front row and Marc Márquez will have to come back.
The more the weekend progresses, the more emotions Aleix Espargaró experiences. After announcing his retirement on Thursday at the close of the current fiscal year, Friday arrived and his leadership in practice. And on Saturday he went for more: he took pole position with a lap record, all in Catalonia, where the sixth round of MotoGP is taking place, which is something like his backyard.
“It’s very special to take pole position here. I think it’s the best lap I’ve done in my entire life,” said the eldest of the Espargaró brothers (Pol holds the position of tester for KTM and GasGas). With his Aprlia, he set a stratospheric time of 1m38s190 to seal his sixth pole position in the highest category of speed motorcycling.
The task for Espargaró now contains two key points: the races, the sprint this Saturday and the main one on Sunday. Tire wear and good management will be essential for everyone. And Aleix knows that very Starting nearby will be Pecco Bagnaia, the champion, who with his Ducati came second, after a Friday in which no motorcycle from the house of Borgo Panigale appeared among the leading riders. “It is always important to start in the front row, especially in Barcelona. The pace is good and I wanted to be on pole, but there was a yellow flag that I didn’t see, but the important thing is that I’m starting ahead,” said the Turin native, who will also race with the championship in mind (he is Jorge Martín’s escort).
The tournament leader did not have a good time. She placed sixth without being able to complete her last attempt because she crashed. But it went to Marc Márquez, who complained all weekend about problems stopping his 2023 Ducati from the Gresini team (He went down in training on Saturday morning) and will start 13th, the same position as at Le Mans. In France he climbed to the podium, but in Catalonia he has already warned that it will be possible to achieve something similar.
