Five MotoGP riders that shocked us during qualifying at Misano
Ducati’s incredible streak in qualifying continued at the Misano MotoGP as Jack Miller secured his first pole of the 2022 season.
Having claimed 10 out of 13 poles prior to Misano, seeing Ducati take top spot was no surprise.
However, the level of dominance shown by Ducati was surprising as the top seven consisted of six Ducati riders.
Only Maverick Vinales aboard his Aprilia managed to make a significant impact, while two of the main title contenders were only eighth and ninth…
Jack Miller - 1st
On pole for the first time this season, Miller becomes the sixth different Ducati rider to achieve that stat.
- San Marino MotoGP, Misano - Full Qualifying Results
- Miller claims sensational Misano MotoGP pole, Quartararo only eighth
While Miller looked like a contender for pole based on FP3, Enea Bastianini and Bagnaia appeared to have slightly more pace than the Australian prior to him setting the first sub 1m 32s lap of the session during the final few minutes.
Miller looked set to lose pole on two occasions to Bagnaia and once to Bastianini as both riders were up on his time with one sector left, however, Miller’s stunning S4 proved too good to beat.
Marco Bezzecchi - 4th (P3 after Bagnaia’s penalty)
Another stunning qualifying for Bezzecchi as his rookie season in MotoGP continues to get stronger and stronger.
The Italian, who has been quick all weekend, was firmly in the battle for pole when riders switched from wet to dry tyres.
Bezzecchi will move onto the front row following Bagnaia’s three-place grid penalty.
Franco Morbidelli - 11th
Although it wasn’t a top ten spot for Morbidelli, this weekend at Misano is by far the best he’s looked so far this season.
Good race pace was shown in FP4 which should see Morbidelli challenge for a second top ten result of the season during tomorrow’s race, while one-lap pace also took a step forward compared to previous rounds.
The only concern for Morbidelli is that his pace was still considerably slower relative to Quartararo.
The MotoGP riders who have it all to do on Sunday…
Fabio Quartararo - 8th
On a day where Bagnaia would receive a three-place grid penalty for Sunday’s race, Quartararo had a golden chance to finally start ahead of his rival.
However, Quartararo never looked like challenging the top three and instead got pushed down the order following a late flurry of laps.
P8 for the Yamaha rider is his worst qualifying result of the season and one that will make the Grand Prix much tougher for him given how many Ducatis are ahead of him.
Aleix Espargaro - 9th
Also suffering a disastrous qualifying session was Aleix Espargaro, with the Aprilia rider unable to take advantage of Quartararo being in eighth.
The Spaniard could only manage ninth and will need to come through the field if he’s to challenge the likes of Bagnaia and possibly team-mate Vinales who has been very quick in race trim.
Off the back of a disappointing race in Austria, Espargaro needs a big result at Misano after slipping 32 points back from Quartararo in the standings.
