2021 MotoGP | Italian GP: Quartararo Takes His Fourth-Consecutive Pole

Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) will start from pole for the fourth consecutive time in 2021 at the Italian GP.  Thanks to a stunning 1:45.187 in qualifying, a new lap record enabled the World Championship leader to fend off closest rival Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) yesterday.Quartararo has qualified on pole position for the second time in four successive races along with Malaysia 2019 to Andalucia 2020, setting a new all-time lap record at Mugello in the process. This is Quartararo’s 14th pole position in the premier class, one less than Wayne Rainey.This is the first pole position for a Yamaha rider at Mugello in the premier class since Valentino Rossi in 2018 (his most recent pole position), and the ninth overall for Yamaha in the class at the track.Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) was the last rider to have won the MotoGP race at Mugello after starting from pole position in 2014. Valentino Rossi (2005 and 2008) is the only Yamaha rider to have done it in the MotoGP™ era.Ducati riders will be aiming to become the fourth different rider from the Italian factory to win in four successive races at Mugello (Andrea Dovizioso in 2017, Jorge Lorenzo in 2018, and Danilo Petrucci in 2019).With Quartararo and Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing), this is the second time so far this year there are two French riders on the front row in MotoGP along with the Portuguese GP.After passing through Q1, Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) has qualified in fourth place, equalling the best qualifying of an Aprilia rider in the MotoGP era from Japan 2017 and Brno last year (both with Espargaro). He will be aiming to give Aprilia their first top-five finish since the introduction of MotoGP back in 2002.Winner of the last two races, Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) will be aiming to become the first Ducati rider to win three successive MotoGP races since Casey Stoner in 2008 (from the British GP to the German GP).Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) has qualified in sixth place as the highest-placed KTM rider, equalling his best qualifying result in MotoGP from the Emilia Romagna GP last year. This is also the best qualifying from a KTM rider since Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) was on pole position in Portugal last year.After passing through Q1 for the seventh time in MotoGP (excluding Andalucia 2020) and the third time just at Mugello, Marc Marquez qualified in 11th place as the highest placed Honda rider ahead of his teammate Pol Espargaro.MotoGP