Motorcycling-Quartararo takes pole in Portugal as Bagnaia's lap is cancelled (updated)

YAMAHA

17/04/2021 16:19

(Adds details)
    April 17 (Reuters) - Yamaha's Fabio Quartararo was awarded
pole position for the Portuguese Grand Prix on Saturday after
Ducati rider Francesco Bagnaia had his record-breaking lap
cancelled due to a yellow flag infringement.
    Bagnaia thought he had clinched the top spot for Sunday's
race by smashing the Algarve International Circuit record with
his lap of one minute 38.494 seconds. 
    However, the Ducati celebrations were ended because of the
yellow flags brought out due to a crash for 2020 Portugal
poleman Miguel Oliveira in the closing moments of the session.
    The incident meant Quartararo, who was fastest throughout
the day, secured the 11th pole of his premier-class career with
a time of one minute 38.682 seconds, while Bagnaia slipped to
11th.
    "It's a pole but doesn't feel like usual," Quartararo said. 
    "We saw that Bagnaia was extremely fast so I'm more happy
about FP3 and FP4. The main goal was to start on the front row
and we've achieved it."
    Suzuki's Alex Rins climbed up to second, while championship
leader Johann Zarco shrugged off an earlier crash to finish
third.
    Returning six-times MotoGP champion Marc Marquez was fastest
in Q1 and will start his first race in nine months from the back
of the second row in sixth place.
    The Repsol Honda rider fractured his upper arm in the
season-opening Spanish Grand Prix in July and did not race again
all year.
    Reigning world champion Joan Mir -- who followed Marquez
through Q1 -- finished ninth on his Suzuki, while Oliveira was
left 10th after his late crash.
    Seven-times premier-class champion Valentino Rossi, who has
yet to score a top-10 finish this season, struggled to impress
once again as he finished 17th on his Petronas Yamaha.
    In the closing stages of the final practice session, Pramac
Racing's Jorge Martin was ruled out of the weekend after a
brutal crash at the Turn 7 right-hander.
    The session was red-flagged as the medical team attended to
Martin, who was conscious and was carried off the track into an
ambulance and taken to the medical centre.
    "He has been brought to the hospital for further check-ups
as there is a high probability of two small fractures," Pramac
Racing said in a statement.

 (Reporting by Hardik Vyas in Bengaluru; Editing by Hugh Lawson
and Clare Fallon)
 ((Hardik.Vyas@thomsonreuters.com;))