Maverick Vinales will start from pole position Sunday for the Austrian MotoGP Grand Prix, 4th round of the season, with world championship leader Fabio Quartararo managing to grab the front row thanks to his 3rd place. The two Yamaha riders will share it with Jack Miller (Ducati-Pramac) who clinched 2nd fastest time.
After announcing just before the qualifying session that he will leave the official Ducati team at the end of the year, Andrea Dovizioso, winner on the Austrian track last year, will start from the second row in 4th position. "My goal was to be on the front row but I had very good impressions on the bike and we improved the settings a lot this morning" (in free practice Editor's note), said Maverick Vignales, currently 2nd in the provisional classification of the World Championship.
Frenchman Fabio Quartararo said his pace ahead of Sunday's race "is not bad" and said his team has made many changes to the settings of his machine during practice and qualifying. Winner of the first two races of the season, he experienced a relative poor performance during the previous Czech Republic Grand Prix, finishing only 7th. However, he enjoys a 17-point lead in the championship over Vinales.
"Dovi" on the start
The relative disappointment came from the KTMs. The Austrian machines, which are racing at home this weekend, could not do better than 5th with the Spaniard Pol Espargaro and 17th with Brad Binder. The South African, a MotoGP debutant this year, claimed his first victory in Brno last Sunday. It was also a first for KTM since the brand began to line up in the premier class in 2016.
The other Frenchman entered in MotoGP, Johann Zarco (Ducati-Avintia), will start in 9th position after having managed to qualify for Q2 by setting the best time in Q1. The veteran Italian Valentino Rossi has done the same and will start in 12th position, last qualifier of Q2. Qualifying took place in dry weather despite threats of rain on the Austrian Spielberg circuit which could last Sunday, with the race starting at 2:00 p.m. local (12:00 GMT).
The MotoGP championship is very open this year due to the injury of six-time Spanish world champion and defending champion Marc Marquez (Honda) who broke his right arm during the first Grand Prix of a season with the shortened calendar. coronavirus pandemic. The departure of 34-year-old Andrea Dovizioso from Ducati, a brand for which he has raced for 8 years and has won 13 races in MotoGP, releases one of the most coveted saddles on the grid, one of the last in a top team still to be assigned for next season.
Several drivers are candidates including the French Johann Zarco, currently with the customer team Ducati-Avintia. The two current riders of the factory Ducati team will therefore be replaced next season, the Italian Danilo Petrucci having to give way to Jack Miller.
jld / bde
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