Repsol Honda rider finishes just 66 thousandths of a second off pole position, having gone through Q1. Pedrosa will take off from Row 4, in eleventh.
Marc Márquez pushed for pole at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, leading the way for much of Q2. He been obliged to go through Q1 -placing second- as a result of a crash in FP3.
The reigning MotoGP World Champion fell late in the third practice session, placing ninth -just 4 tenths off the top spot- in the session and eleventh overall.
Dani Pedrosa was seventh in FP3 –2 tenths off the fastest time–, tenth in FP4 –7 tenths back, and was eleventh in Q2 -1.0015s off pole position.
MARC MÁRQUEZ | 2nd 1’38.746
“It was a great qualifying session. It’s important to be on the front row because both Jorge and Dovi are very fast here. Still, we were able to get quite close to them, and I’m very happy about that because our day had been a bit complicated before that: I crashed while I was pushing for a fast lap this morning and had to go through Q1. Anyway, I was still confident in myself as I knew we were capable of being very fast. Then, in FP4, I had that big save in the last downhill corner! I hit a bump and started to lose the front. I tried to save it with my knee, with my elbow—with my whole body!—while thinking of my mechanics, who had told me, ‘Please don’t crash, as we need two bikes for QP1 and QP2!’ I think it was one of the best of my career, definitely good for the fans. Still, I think I’ll try and not repeat it tomorrow!”
DANI PEDROSA | 11th 1’39.695
“Lap times were very tight today, and unfortunately I couldn’t do a really fast one. I wasn’t totally confident, especially mid-corner, and I wasn’t able to push like I wanted. It’s really a shame to have to start so far back on the grid, as that clearly changes the strategy for the race. Anyway, we have to keep our concentration, make the right tyre choice, and try to get a good start.”
