The Repsol Honda Team rider claims his third pole position of the season, in a race against the rain. Jorge Lorenzo will take off from eighth at Le Mans.
The reigning MotoGP World Champion was second in FP3 – held in the wet – and fastest in FP4, in which he had a crash on his first lap. He had gone out a damp track with slicks.
Márquez set the best time in Q2 on his first lap, just before a crash at Turn 6. He would remount and, without going through the pits, completed another six laps.
With his pole today, he equals Valentino Rossi’s 55 in the premier class, and is 3 off Mick Doohan’s 58.
Jorge Lorenzo finished seventh in FP3, thirteenth in FP4 and eighth in Q2 -for his best grid spot of the season.
Marc Márquez | 1st 1’40.952
“Today was one of those days! The conditions meant you didn’t know if a slick or a wet tyre would be best with the light rain, it was really difficulty. In Qualifying we knew we had to push on the first lap when there was the least water on track. Then with more water on track it got more difficult. I’m happy with this pole because it was a day where you could easily start from the back if you weren’t careful. Now we see what the weather does tomorrow!”
Jorge Lorenzo | 8th 1’42.067
“Very tricky conditions, especially in Qualifying today. There was one sector where it was full wet with no grip and then the others were almost dry – it was tough to stay on the bike. We could have made the front two rows I think but I chose to use the soft tyre first and the medium second, with the medium first I think we could have achieved more. But we have achieved our best position of the year, that’s the positive.”
