Marquez impressive, qualifies in 5th after a crash; solid third-row start for Dani Pedrosa
Marc Marquez never ceases to impress. A close third-fastest in wet FP3, half a second clear in dry FP4, he set the fifth-fastest time in qualifying after a crash at turn 4 interrupted his first attempt. Marc suffered a blow to his shoulder but was able to quickly recover and mount his second bike to secure a good second-row start for tomorrow’s Valencia GP.
Dani Pedrosa was quite fast (6th) in the wet morning session but struggled a bit in the damp/dry afternoon. Nonetheless, he was ultimately able to earn a third-row start for the final GP of his racing career.
Marc Marquez
“Qualifying today was a bit unlucky as I crashed in the first right-hand corner on my first flying lap, and I soon felt something strange in my shoulder. Luckily, when I got back to my truck and tried a few movements, we realized it wasn’t that bad and I started to feel better. When the doctors arrived and checked it, it was all back in its place and I was ready to get back on my bike. I didn’t push as usual though, as it was better to stay on the bike! Only one tenth off the pole isn’t bad so tomorrow, race day, will be another day.”
Dani Pedrosa
“Today in the dry FP4 I had an issue with the bike’s setup that we weren’t able to adjust before qualifying, so I went out still struggling a bit. I did my best but didn’t manage to get a better position for tomorrow. If it rains tomorrow track conditions will be the key, as whether there’s a lot or a little water on the asphalt will affect the feeling a lot. This morning I ultimately found a good feeling in the wet, but it took me a long time. So let’s wait and see how the weather is and see what we can do tomorrow.”
Results Session
| Pos. | Rider | Num | Nation | Team | Constructor | Time/Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vinales Maverick | 25 | SPA | Movistar Yamaha MotoGP | Yamaha | 1'31.312 |
| 2 | Rins Alex | 42 | SPA | Team Suzuki Ecstar | Suzuki | 1'31.380 / 0.068 |
| 3 | Dovizioso Andrea | 4 | ITA | Mission Winnow Ducati | Ducati | 1'31.392 / 0.080 |
| 4 | Petrucci Danilo | 9 | ITA | Alma Pramac Racing | Ducati | 1'31.414 / 0.102 |
| 5 | Marquez Marc | 93 | SPA | Repsol Honda Team | Honda | 1'31.442 / 0.130 |
| 6 | Espargaro Pol | 44 | SPA | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing | KTM | 1'31.577 / 0.265 |
| 7 | Iannone Andrea | 29 | ITA | Team Suzuki Ecstar | Suzuki | 1'31.629 / 0.317 |
| 8 | Espargaro Aleix | 41 | SPA | Aprilia Racing Team Gresini | Aprilia | 1'31.630 / 0.318 |
| 9 | Pedrosa Dani | 26 | SPA | Repsol Honda Team | Honda | 1'32.140 / 0.828 |
| 10 | Miller Jack | 43 | AUS | Alma Pramac Racing | Ducati | 1'32.145 / 0.833 |
| 11 | Zarco Johann | 5 | FRA | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing | KTM | 1'32.179 / 0.867 |
| 12 | Pirro Michele | 51 | ITA | Mission Winnow Ducati | Ducati | 1'32.310 / 0.998 |
| 13 | Lorenzo Jorge | 99 | SPA | Mission Winnow Ducati | Ducati | 1'31.900 Q1 |
| 14 | Nakagami Takaaki | 30 | JPN | LCR Honda | Honda | 1'31.928 / 0.546 |
| 15 | Morbidelli Franco | 21 | ITA | EG 0,0 Marc VDS | Honda | 1'32.385 / 1.003 |
| 16 | Rossi Valentino | 46 | ITA | Movistar Yamaha MotoGP | Yamaha | 1'32.452 / 1.070 |
| 17 | Luthi Tom | 12 | SWI | EG 0,0 Marc VDS | Honda | 1'32.545 / 1.163 |
| 18 | Abraham Karel | 17 | CZE | Angel Nieto Team | Ducati | 1'32.547 / 1.165 |
| 19 | Bautista Alvaro | 19 | SPA | Angel Nieto Team | Ducati | 1'32.568 / 1.186 |
| 20 | Bradl Stefan | 6 | GER | LCR Honda | Honda | 1'32.708 / 1.326 |
| 21 | Syahrin Hafizh | 55 | MAL | Monster Yamaha Tech 3 | Yamaha | 1'32.749 / 1.367 |
| 22 | Smith Bradley | 38 | GBR | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing | KTM | 1'33.011 / 1.629 |
| 23 | Torres Jordi | 81 | SPA | Reale Avintia Racing | Ducati | 1'34.427 / 3.045 |
| 24 | Redding Scott | 45 | GBR | Aprilia Racing Team Gresini | Aprilia | 1'35.171 / 3.789 |
Location Information
The Circuito de la Comunitat Valenciana was completed in 1999 and held rounds of the MotoGP and Spanish Motorcycle Championships in the same year. The Cheste track has several layouts, running anti-clockwise with varying lengths. MotoGP events are held on a 4km track comprising of five right handed corners, eight… read more.
| Length | 4.005 kilometres / 2.489 miles |
| Width | 12 metres |
| Left corners | 9 |
| Right corners | 5 |
| Longest straight | 0.876 kilometres / 0.544 miles |
| Constructed | 1999 |
Circuito de la Comunidad Valenciana Ricardo Tormo, Cheste, Spain - View in Google Maps
Records
| Pole Position | 1m 29.401s (161.2km/h) Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha, 2016) |
| Race Lap | 1m 31.171s (158.1km/h) Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha, 2016) |
| Race Time | 45m 54.228s (157 km/h) Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha, 2016) |
| 2018 Race Winner | Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati) |
