Zarco tops frantic qualifying, Bagnaia heads to hospital

Pramac Ducati rider Johann Zarco claimed the seventh pole of his MotoGP career in a dramatic conclusion to Portuguese Grand Prix qualifying at a drying Portimao.

Ducati’s main pre-season championship hope Francesco Bagnaia wound up at the opposite end of the provisional grid after a nasty crash, and has gone to hospital for precautionary checks following an initial examination in the medical centre.

The entirety of the Q2 pole shoot-out was run on slick tyres – making it the first such session all weekend – but the track was getting better throughout, and Zarco timed his final run to perfection to clinch pole courtesy of a 1m42.003s.

This allowed him to deny Suzuki’s Joan Mir a maiden pole, but Mir’s second place was still good enough to mark the 2020 champion’s best-ever MotoGP qualifying.

Aleix Espargaro completed the front row for Aprilia, while mixed-conditions master Jack Miller (Ducati) was relegated to fourth despite having held the top time at the chequered flag.

Miller could’ve been lower down still, but a pair of top four-worthy laps from Marc Marquez – who had crashed heavily in FP3 – and Fabio Quartararo were chalked off due to yellow flags for a crash for Marquez’s Honda team-mate Pol Espargaro.

INCREDIBLE! 🤯@marcmarquez93 pole lap time is cancelled due to yellow flags! 🛑#PortugueseGP 🇵🇹 pic.twitter.com/IDLUgmjvsY

— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) April 23, 2022

Reigning champion Quartararo will still start as high as fifth, having been Yamaha’s only representative in Q2, while the second row will be completed by VR46 Ducati rookie Marco Bezzecchi.

Birthday boy Alex Marquez (LCR Honda), who turns 26 today, and Luca Marini (VR46 Ducati) were two riders progressing from Q1, and the former used this extra track knowledge to his advantage early in Q2 to spend a good chunk of time in provisional pole – but ultimately they placed seventh and eighth respectively, the younger Marquez also crashing on the cooldown lap.

The two works Hondas of Marquez and Espargaro completed the top 10, followed by the works KTMs of Miguel Oliveira and Brad Binder.

An early gamble on slicks in Q1 yielded an immediate painful crash for Bagnaia at Turn 3. The Italian was swiftly up on his feet but was in apparent shoulder pain and had to go the circuit’s medical centre via ambulance. No fractures were observed there, but Bagnaia subsequently headed to a local hospital for a closer examination.

That's @PeccoBagnaia's session over! 🛑

The Italian highsides on slicks at Turn 2! 💥#PortugueseGP 🇵🇹 pic.twitter.com/OSmKD2VgK4

— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) April 23, 2022

Bagnaia’s fall came shortly after a similarly violent crash for fellow slick-tyre gambler Remy Gardner (Tech3 KTM), but by the end of the opening segment, the slicks were the tyres to have – with Marquez and Marini using them to advance.

Jorge Martin (Pramac Ducati) was on course to depose Marini but his lap went awry in the final sector, consigning him to 13th – ahead of Aprilia’s Maverick Vinales, who was the quickest of the riders who put their faith in the wets.

Points leader Enea Bastianini (Gresini) had a shot at making Q2 late on, on slicks but fell and will start 18th, five places up on his nearest championship rival Alex Rins (Suzuki) – who remained on wets and wound up six seconds off the pace.

Gardner did recover from his early fall, and even ended up ahead of Tech3 team-mate Raul Fernandez, who likewise crashed but did so at the very end of the session.

Qualifying Results