MotoGP Silverstone: Zarco breaks lap record for BritishGP pole

Prima Pramac’s Johann Zarco secured his eighth MotoGP pole position on Saturday to control the grid for the British Grand Prix.

The Frenchman’s 1’57.767 topped six riders under the 1’58 barrier as Aprilia’s Maverick Viñales claimed his first front row start on the RS-GP and Ducati Lenovo’s Jack Miller completed the Parc Fermé celebrations in third.

MotoGP qualifying began after a bruising FP4 for Aleix Espargaro. The Aprilia rider suffering a monstrous highside on his second hot lap of the final practice with the Spaniard launched skywards at 115mph through turn 12 and stretchered off the track. However, after brief evaluations in the medical centre he was declared fit for Q2.

Younger brother Pol Espargaro headed out for Q1 alongside the soon-to-retire Andrea Dovizioso, Gresini’s Enea Bastianini and both Factory KTM’s of Brad Binder and Miguel Oliveira as 14 riders prepared to battle for the last two available promotion places. Mooney VR46’s Marco Bezzecchi headed the initial times with a 1’59.392 from fellow Academy rider Franky Morbidelli on the Monster Energy Yamaha.

Alex Marquez crashed the LCR Honda out at turn eight as Bastianini took over at the top, almost four-tenths clear with the sole 1’58, Oliveira sitting second from Morbidelli and Bezzecchi with Binder trailing in fifth from the Gresini rookie of Fabio Di Giannantonio.

The closing action saw Binder fire up a challenge with the South African finding 1’58 pace to sit second, demoting his teammate out of contention in the process as the second Gresini dropped the second KTM further with his penultimate lap, just 0.016s shy of promotion himself. Bastianini advanced the target with his final 1’58.609 shot as Binder’s challenge faltered in the second half.

Bezzec