An exhilarating Q2 session saw rookie sensation Jorge Martin take pole position in just his second MotoGP Grand Prix. The rookie will head up the grid in just his second-ever MotoGP race, the first rider to do so since Marc Marquez in 2013. With Martin and Zarco, this is the first Ducati 1-2 in qualifying since the 2018 Aragon GP when Jorge Lorenzo was on pole ahead of Andrea Dovizioso.

Can we expect to see a classic Suzuki comeback tonight? It was a better qualifying for Alex Rins and Joan Mir, but they still have to fight their way up the field for a potential podium.

Martin became the seventh different polesitter in seven MotoGP races; a sequence that started at the Aragon GP last year with Fabio Quartararo followed by Takaaki Nakagami (Teruel), Pol Espargaro (Europe), Franco Morbidelli (Valencia), Miguel Oliveira (Portugal) in 2020 and Francesco Bagnaia (Qatar) last weekend. The last time there were seven different polesitters in seven MotoGP races was from the 2002 Pacific GP to the 2003 Spanish GP.

Winner last weekend, Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) has qualified in third place for the second successive time, and will be aiming to win in back-to-back races for the first time since Qatar and Argentina 2017 – his first two races with Yamaha. Similarly, Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team), Polesitter last weekend, has qualified sixth and will be aiming to stand on the podium for the first time in back-to-back MotoGP races.

Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) has qualified seventh, which is the best qualifying result for an Aprilia rider at Losail so far in MotoGP. He will be aiming to give Aprilia their first top-five finish since the introduction of MotoGP back in 2002.

Stefan Bradl (Repsol Honda Team) qualified 11th as the highest-placed Honda rider. This is the second time there is no Honda rider inside the top 10 in qualifying in MotoGP at Losail, along with last weekend.

Fourth on the grid last weekend, Valentino Rossi (Petronas Yamaha SRT) has qualified 21st, which is his worst qualifying result since he started his Grand Prix career at the Malaysian GP in 125cc – 25 years ago.

MotoGP