Movistar Yamaha’s Maverick Vinales has grabbed pole position for tomorrow’s Mugello MotoGP race just ahead of injured team-mate Valentino Rossi who was promoted from third when Danilo Petrucci’s fastest lap was cancelled due to exceeding track limits.
Vinales stuck in a 1’46.575 using a hard front/soft rear Michelin combination to take pole with two minutes left to run while Rossi, who crashed in FP4, was sitting in third behind Petrucci but the Octo Ducati man used too much track at Borgo San Lorenzo and he was demoted to ninth with his next fastest lap.
It meant that Ducati’s Andrea Dovizioso occupies the final front-row slot. The Italian had set a 1’46.835 - and one of the only riders to use a soft front - for fourth but now has no-one in front of him on the run down to San Donato tomorrow.
Ducati test rider Michele Pirro stormed to fourth place, setting a 1’46.878 which demoted Dani Pedrosa to fifth place and he has reigning champion and Repsol Honda team-mate Marc Marquez next to him on the grid.
Marquez got caught up behind Johann Zarco at the end of his fastest lap and could only muster a 1’47.050 to complete row two. Jorge Lorenzo was at the top of the sheets with three minutes left but was busted down to row three and has Alvaro Bautista and Petrucci, who came through QP1, for company.
Tito Rabat ended in tenth place, one ahead of Zarco who may have run out of soft tyres if he has had to keep two for his race bikes tomorrow. He was very nonchalant in QP1, putting in three laps to go through to qualifying two but only managed a 1’47.319. Aleix Espargaro crashed early on and starts 12th.
Britain’s Cal Crutchlow failed to make it out of qualifying one and will start from way down in 13th with Hector Barbera next along. Jonas Folger also went down in QP1 but he still finished ahead of the ill Andrea Iannone.
Scott Redding will start in 20th place, two ahead of Sam Lowes.
