2021 MotoGP: Viñales beats Quartararo to take pole at Assen

After a crash in Q1, Marc Marquez will start from his worst premier class qualifying position in P20, as Brad Binder (Red Bull Factory Racing) endured a tough afternoon at Assen – P21 for the South African.

Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) stormed to pole TT Circuit Assen setting an all-new lap record in Q2, a 1:31.814. This is the first time since the 2020 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, Viñales will start from pole position at this circuit. Yamaha makes 1-2 at Assen as the Spaniard and teammate Fabio Quartararo went head-to-head in a spectacular shootout, with the World Championship leader setting for P2 ahead of Q1 graduate Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team). Eight-time World Champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) is forced to start from P20 at the Motul TT Assen.

First exchanges on the board! ????

Home race hero @bobendsneyder leads the charge! ????#Moto2 | #DutchGP ??????? pic.twitter.com/KibG6qlf3f

— MotoGP???? (@MotoGP) June 26, 2021

On his final flying lap, Bagnaia picked up a magnificent front row start having come through Q1. Nakagami leads Row 2 in P4 after his best qualifying of the season, excellent from the Japanese rider, who is joined on the second row by Zarco and Oliveira.

Rins suffered a late crash at Turn 8 but is unhurt and will start from P8 as the leading Suzuki, Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) and Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) are on the third row in 8th and 9th respectively – just over three-tenths cover Bagnaia and Aleix Espargaro.

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Reigning World Champion Joan Mir’s (Team Suzuki Ecstar) qualifying struggles continue as the Spaniard starts P10, but the number 36 has a very good race pace. Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda Team) is the second-fastest Honda rider in P11, the Spaniard sits 0.089s ahead of 12th place Valentino Rossi (Petronas Yamaha SRT).

After a crash in Q1, Marc Marquez will start from his worst premier class qualifying position in P20, as the Sachsenring winner and fourth place finisher Brad Binder (Red Bull Factory Racing) endure a tough afternoon at Assen – P21 for the South African.

Q2 results:

1. Maverick Vinales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) – 1:31.814

2. Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) +0.071

3. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) +0.302

4. Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) +0.500

5.Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) +0.580

6.Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) +0.636

7. Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) +0.783

8. Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) +0.795

9. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) +0.852

10.Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) +0.934

11. Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda Team) +1.016

12. Valentino Rossi (Petronas Yamaha SRT) + 1.105