Sunday guide for all three classes: MotoGP
MotoGP
Spielberg: Marc Márquez has qualified on pole position for the second successive time at the Austrian GP. The Red Bull Ring is the second circuit on the current MotoGP calendar – along with Buriram in Thailand, a track we’re yet to race at – where Marc Márquez has not won in the premier class.
This is the 49th pole position for Marc Márquez on what is his 101st start in the premier class (48.5%), and the 77th of his Grand Prix career.
Andrea Dovizioso starts from second on the grid, which is his first back-to-back front row starts since 2015 (France/Italy).
Andrea Dovizioso has qualified 0.002 seconds behind Marc Márquez, which is the closest 1–2 in a MotoGP™ qualifying session since the German GP in 2003 when Jeremy McWilliams qualified 0.002 seconds behind Max Biaggi.
Jorge Lorenzo starts from third on the grid for his fourth front row start of 2018 – one more than his whole 2017 season.
The highest-placed Independent Team rider on the grid is Danilo Petrucci in fourth, which is his best qualifying result since he was second in Germany this year. Petrucci qualified fifth last year at the Red Bull Ring, but he had to retire from the race.
With Dovizioso, Lorenzo, and Petrucci, this is the first time there have been three Ducati riders within the top four on the grid in the MotoGP class.
Cal Crutchlow, who finished 15th at the Red Bull Ring in both 2016 and 2017, has qualified in fifth on the grid for the second successive time.
Johann Zarco, who won the Moto2™ race at the Austrian GP in 2016, starts from sixth on the grid as the third Independent Team rider but top Yamaha rider. This is his best qualifying result since he was on pole at the French GP this year.
Yamaha riders have not won since Assen last year with Valentino Rossi (20 successive races). The last time Yamaha had a winless streak of more than 20 races was the 22-race sequence including the 15 races of 1997 and the opening seven races of 1998.
Tito Rabat heads the third row on the grid as the fourth Ducati rider, which is his best qualifying result since he was the fourth fastest qualifier at the Argentina GP earlier this year.
Andrea Iannone, who won his only premier class race so far at the Austrian GP in 2016 from pole position, has qualified in eighth for the third successive time.
Dani Pedrosa, who crossed the line in third place last year at the Red Bull Ring, starts from ninth on the grid, which is his best qualifying result since he was second at the Spanish GP in Jerez earlier this year.
Maverick Viñales has qualified in 11th on the grid as the second Yamaha rider, which is his second successive fourth row start.
After going to Q1 for the first time since Phillip Island last year, Valentino Rossi missed Q2 for the first time since the Catalan GP last year and qualified in 14th. This is Rossi’s worst qualifying since he was 15th at Phillip Island in 2016 and his worst in dry-weather conditions since he was also 14th at Indianapolis back in 2011.
Moto2
Francesco Bagnaia starts from pole position for the third time this year. On his two previous pole positions, he went on to win the race. This is the 26th pole position for an Italian rider in the Moto2 class. In addition, this is the fourth successive pole position for an Italian rider, which is the first time this happens since last year.
Champion leader Miguel Oliveira starts from second on the grid, which is his first front row start since Malaysia last year and his sixth in the Moto2 class. He crashed out of the race in Austria last year at Turn 8 after battling for second place.
Fabio Quartararo has qualified in third on the grid, which is his third front-row start in the Moto2 class and his best qualifying result since he was on pole in Barcelona earlier this year.
With Bagnaia, Oliveira and Quartararo, this is the first time since Australia last year that there are bikes from three different chassis manufacturers on the front row.
Jorge Navarro heads the second row, equalling his best qualifying result since he moved up to the intermediate class, the other P4 coming in Jerez earlier this year.
Álex Márquez has qualified in fifth place on the grid, which is the ninth time this year he has qualified on the first two rows on the grid.
Mattia Pasini, who started from pole position at the Red Bull Ring last year, is sixth on the grid, which is his worst qualifying result since he was 11th in Assen earlier this season.
Leader of the Rookie of the Year classification, Joan Mir, who won the Moto3 races in both 2016 and 2017, has qualified 20th, which is his worst qualifying result since he was 24th at the Qatar GP this year.
Moto3
Marco Bezzecchi has qualified on pole position for the first time on what is the 33rdstart of his Grand Prix career, becoming the seventh different Italian rider to do so since the introduction of the Moto3 class in 2012. On his two visits to the Red Bull Ring, Bezzecchi failed to score any points, crashing out of the race in both 2016 and 2017.
This is the first back-to-back pole position for KTM in the Moto3 class since Gabriel Rodrigo was on pole position at both Czech and Austrian GPs last year, and the third successive pole position for the Austrian manufacturer at their home track.
Jorge Martín, who undergone surgery on his left radius after a crash during practice at the Czech GP, starts from second on the grid as the highest-placed Honda rider. This is his ninth front row start since the opening race of the season in Qatar. He finished third last year at the Red Bull Ring after qualifying in 13th place.
Albert Arenas completes the front row of the grid, which is his first front-row start on what is his 35th Grand Prix race in the Moto3 class.
Heading the second row on the grid is Arón Canet, who qualified in third place last year in Austria. This is the sixth successive time this year he has qualified on the first two rows on the grid. He finished fifth last year in Austria, his best result at this track.
Tony Arbolino starts from fifth on the grid, which is his best qualifying result since he was on pole position in Argentina earlier this year.
Gabriel Rodrigo, who qualified on pole position last year in Austria, has qualified in sixth on the grid, which is his best qualifying result since he was third in Argentina this year.
Second across the line in Austria last year – his best result at that time – from eighth on the grid, Philipp Öttl has once again qualified in eighth place on what is his 98th Grand Prix race.