Martin recovers from crashes for second Austria MotoGP pole

Jorge Martin took a second straight Red Bull Ring MotoGP pace, despite having to come through Q1 and having a ridiculous crash in practice four.

Last week’s Styrian Grand Prix winner had looked unlikely to repeat the feat in the Austrian GP with a messy start to his Saturday.

A crash at the end of practice three meant he had to go through Q1, and then in the fourth practice just ahead of qualifying the Pramac Ducati rider slid into the gravel at the Turn 4 right-hander then managed to launch himself off the bike while seemingly riding slowly back towards the track.

A slow and strange crash for @88jorgemartin! 💥

Just when he was about to get out of the gravel, he highsides but thankfully he's okay! 💪#MotoGP | #AustrianGP 🇦🇹 pic.twitter.com/LbQD9FVzhm

— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) August 14, 2021

But when it mattered Martin had no errors. He cruised through Q1 to join the pole session and then set the early pace.

Championship leader Fabio Quartararo toppled Martin by three tenths of a second with an incredible lap – the second on his initial set of tyres and achieved despite the Red Bull Ring being a weak track for Yamaha.

But Quartararo went wide over the run-off at Turn 3 on his final qualifying run so could not respond as Martin banged in a 1m22.643s to take his third pole of his MotoGP rookie season by 0.034s.

Francesco Bagnaia lost his initial qualifying lap to a track limits infringement then recovered to third for the factory Ducati team.

Martin’s practice pacesetting team-mate Johann Zarco had to settle for fourth in qualifying.

Some gloriously aggressive qualifying riding put Marc Marquez fifth on the grid for Honda, between Zarco and the seconds work Ducati of Jack Miller.

Last week’s runner-up Joan Mir was seventh for Suzuki ahead of Aleix Espargaro on the sole Aprilia in the field this weekend.

Miguel Oliveira came through Q1 to qualify as highest KTM in ninth, just in front of team-mate Brad Binder. The Hondas of Pol Espargaro and Takaaki Nakagami rounded out the Q2 pack.

Alex Rins again underperformed in qualifying on the second Suzuki and was knocked out in Q1, so will start 13th.

Cal Crutchlow remained off the pace on his MotoGP return with the troubled Petronas SRT Yamaha team and will start at the back of the 20-bike grid – depleted by Maverick Vinales’ suspension and Lorenzo Savadori’s injury – for his second race of the year.

But Crutchlow’s team-mate Valentino Rossi is only two places ahead in 18th.

Qualifying Results