Fabio Di Giannantonio and Enea Bastianini secured the last two spots in the fight for pole position at the MotoGP Malaysian GP. Both were the fastest in the first phase of qualifying in Sepang.
After the first launched laps, Bastianini (Ducati) and Franco Morbidelli (Monster Energy Yamaha) held the first two positions, with Aleix Espargaró (Aprilia) in third. Pol Espargaró (GasGas Tech3/KTM) was fourth, but in his second lap, he suffered a crash that delayed his efforts.
The standings didn’t change with the second attempts before the riders returned to the pits to prepare for the final minutes of this Q1. Back on the track, Aleix Espargaró took the lead ahead of Bastianini, pushing Morbidelli out of the qualifying zone.
Shortly after, Di Giannantonio (Gresini/Ducati) and Bastianini surpassed Aleix Espargaró to take the top two positions. The Spaniard dropped to third and was 0.158s behind the top two, in addition to being in the pits. With a late crash by Marc Márquez (Repsol Honda), those still on flying laps couldn’t improve, staying out.
The six-time champion will start from 20th, just behind Oliveira (CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP Team/Aprilia), who finished ninth in this Q1. Also eliminated were, among others, Morbidelli and Joan Mir (Repsol Honda), who will start from 15th and 16th, respectively.
Results: