Spanish MotoGP, Jerez - Full Qualifying Results

Full Qualifying results and grid line-up for the Saturday Sprint and main Sunday race at the Spanish MotoGP at Jerez, round 4 of 20 in the 2023 world championship.
Aleix Espargaro, Aprilia MotoGP Jerez 2023
Aleix Espargaro, Aprilia MotoGP Jerez 2023
Spanish MotoGP, Jerez - Full Qualifying Results
PosRiderNatTeamTime/DiffLapMax
1Aleix EspargaroSPAAprilia Racing (RS-GP23)1'37.216s9/9293k
2Jack MillerAUSRed Bull KTM (RC16)+0.221s7/7294k
3Jorge MartinSPAPramac Ducati (GP23)+0.242s8/8296k
4Brad BinderRSARed Bull KTM (RC16)+0.316s8/8296k
5Francesco BagnaiaITADucati Lenovo (GP23)+0.341s8/8293k
6Dani PedrosaSPARed Bull KTM (RC16)+0.367s8/8297k
7Miguel OliveiraPORRNF Aprilia (RS-GP22)+0.380s9/9293k
8Johann ZarcoFRAPramac Ducati (GP22)+0.400s6/7298k
9Luca MariniITAMooney VR46 Ducati (GP22)+0.450s9/9290k
10Maverick ViñalesSPAAprilia Racing (RS-GP23)+0.549s7/7293k
11Takaaki NakagamiJPNLCR Honda (RC213V)+0.660s9/9292k
12Alex MarquezSPAGresini Ducati (GP22)+0.704s9/9292k
 Qualifying 1:     
13Marco BezzecchiITAMooney VR46 Ducati (GP22)1'36.578s9/9296k
14Franco MorbidelliITAMonster Yamaha (YZR-M1)1'36.793s6/8293k
15Fabio Di GiannantonioITAGresini Ducati (GP22)1'36.967s7/8287k
16Fabio QuartararoFRAMonster Yamaha (YZR-M1)1'37.072s6/8293k
17Raul FernandezSPARNF Aprilia (RS-GP22)1'37.164s6/8293k
18Alex RinsSPALCR Honda (RC213V)1'37.256s8/8290k
19Stefan BradlGERTeam HRC (RC213V)1'37.297s6/8293k
20Joan MirSPARepsol Honda (RC213V)1'37.346s7/8287k
21Augusto FernandezSPATech3 GASGAS (RC16)*1'37.753s8/8290k
22Jonas FolgerGERTech3 GASGAS (RC16)1'38.492s7/8292k
23Iker LecuonaSPARepsol Honda (RC213V)1'38.582s6/8290k

Fastest Friday time:
Aleix Espargaro  SPA Aprilia 1m 36.708s

Official Jerez MotoGP records:
Best lap:
Francesco Bagnaia ITA Ducati 1m 36.170s (2022)
Fastest race lap:
Francesco Bagnaia ITA Ducati 1m 37.669s (2022)

Aleix Espargaro takes a tense pole position for the Spanish MotoGP from Jack Miller and Jorge Martin, with light rain just before the start of Qualifying 2 fuelling a frantic 15-minute session.

The unknown track conditions meant some riders fitted wet tyres for their out-lap, but most went straight for slicks.

Dry rubber soon proved the correct choice - soft rears and either the soft or medium front - with the rain passing and lap times constantly improving.

Pole position came down to a duel between Miller and Espargaro, the Aprilia rider (who dodged a cat on track before later suffering a fast fall and losing his number one bike in the previous FP3 session) persevering by 0.221s on his final lap.

"This guy has big balls!" said Aprilia Racing boss Massimo Rivola.

Brad Binder, Francesco Bagnaia and wild-card star Dani Pedrosa will form row two.

Bagnaia and Binder had progressed through Qualifying 1 but title leader Marco Bezzecchi and a distraught former world champion Fabio Quartararo missed out on the final transfer places and will start both Jerez races from just 13th and 15th on the grid, respectively.

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Enea Bastianini tried to return to action after being side-lined by shoulder injuries in the season-opening sprint race but withdrew on Saturday morning due to ongoing pain.

Marc Marquez is missing his third event in a row due to hand injuries sustained in his collision with Miguel Oliveira in Portimao.

The eight-time world champion is being replaced at Jerez by Honda WorldSBK rider Iker Lecuona, who raced in MotoGP for Tech3 KTM during the 2020 and 2021 seasons with a best finish of sixth place. Lecuona, 23, took a WorldSBK podium last season and is currently ninth in the early 2023 standings.

31-time MotoGP winner Dani Pedrosa is also re-joining the premier-class grid this weekend, as a KTM wild-card. It is Pedrosa’s first grand prix appearance since Austria 2021 and first at Jerez since his final full-time season, at Repsol Honda, in 2018.

Pol Espargaro continues to recover from multiple injuries in Portugal and is again replaced at Tech3 by Pedrosa’s fellow KTM test rider Jonas Folger.

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