Aleix Espargaró will start from pole position at his home race, the Catalan GP in MotoGP. The Aprilia rider edged out Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) by just 0.031s in the Barcelona qualifying session, setting a new lap record of 1m38.190s.
In an interview with the official broadcast, Espargaró admitted that the bar was set high after the initial runs, and he thought the pole position time would need to be even lower:
– I don’t have 100 pole positions in my career, so even if it’s just a Saturday at my home GP, is amazing to achieve the pole – and especially fighting with Pecco, because with the first tyre the time he proposed was amazing. I came into the garage I said: «Oh, my God! With the first tyre already 1m38.2s, we go 1m37s».
After a less than ideal start with the second tire, Espargaró delivered the lap that earned him pole position, a moment he described: ‘Actually with the second tyre I made many mistakes on my first flying lap, and the second flying lap was probably the best lap of my life. So, I’m extremely happy’.