Dorna Communications

Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) has taken the first MotoGP pole position of the 2019 season at the VisitQatar Grand Prix, a 1:53.546 putting him 0.198 clear of second place Andrea Dovizioso (Mission Winnow Ducati), with Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) claiming P3 on his final flying lap to finish just 0.001 off the Ducati rider.

The first qualifying session of the year didn’t disappoint, but it was a game of follow the leader to start with as Danilo Petrucci (Mission Winnow Ducati) led Marquez and a host of other riders onto the first flying lap, with the bunch all backing out after the first corner.

One rider who didn’t sacrifice his opening lap though was Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT) as the rookie shot to the top of the times, only to be beaten almost immediately by Q1 graduate Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu). However, Viñales then stormed to the summit with a lap that was 0.741 quicker than anyone else, with Quartararo and Nakagami exchanging second fastest laps to leave the Japanese rider 0.395 off as the field headed in for a change of tyres. Quartararo, Dovizioso, Marquez and Jack Miller (Alma Pramac Racing) were all 0.4 off the Spaniard at this point.

Viñales led the troops back out for their second runs and the Yamaha rider moved the goalposts once more. Three more tenths were shaved off his best time, with Miller slotting into P2 – 0.2 off. The Australian then crashed at Turn 2 to end his hopes of pole, with Dovi making a move into second place soon after.

Dovizioso then looked set to challenge Viñales again as he went over a tenth under after the first split, but the Italian was suddenly over two seconds off in the second sector – Dovi’s qualifying effort over.

Attention then turned to Marquez, who was on the tailpipes of Petrucci as neither sat on the provisional front row with little time left. The reigning World Champion was able to snatch P3 from Miller as he and 'Petrux' fired past the finish line in tandem, 0.001 was the gap to Dovi as Miller misses out on a front row start by 0.064.

Fabulous Fabio will launch from the middle of the second row in his first MotoGP™ race, a fine effort from the 19-year-old in Q2, with Q1 pace setter Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) climbing up to P6 on his final flying lap – 0.549 the gap to Viñales. Petrucci would end P7, with Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) joining his compatriot on the third row for his best premier class qualifying result. Nakagami settled for ninth after a great Q1 and Q2, with Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) completing the top ten in Qatar. Rins’ teammate Joan Mir will begin his maiden MotoGP™ race from P11, with Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) P12 in Q2.

Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) and fellow multiple World Champion Jorge Lorenzo (Repsol Honda Team) will line up in P14 and P15 respectively. A huge battle is on their hands if they are going to challenge for a large point haul.

So it’s Viñales who takes the first pole of the 2019 season with a new Losail pole record, but the question remains as to who will take home the 25 points from Qatar. Tune in for the first premier class race of the season when the lights go out at 20:00 local time (GMT+3).

Moto2

Marcel Schrötter (Dynavolt Intact GP) stormed to Moto2 pole position at the VisitQatar Grand Prix after setting the best time of 1:58.585 on his sixth flying lap to beat Xavi Vierge (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) by 0.146, with Free Practice’s fastest man Lorenzo Baldassarri (Flexbox HP 40) completing the front row.

It was the first time the intermediate class had taken part in a Q1, Q2 format and it was Schrötter who set the early pace. The German was tucked in behind ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team teammates Tetsuta Nagashima and Remy Gardner, with the latter exchanging fastest laps with Schrötter throughout the session.

And it was the German who would seal his first Grand Prix pole position with his sixth flying lap after looking incredibly consistent for the entirety, a time good enough to beat his old teammate Vierge by 0.146, with Baldassarri jumping up the timesheets in the latter stages to grab a front row start – the Italian 0.199 from pole.

After progressing from Q1, Luca Marini (SKY Racing Team VR46) put in a good shift in Q2 to head the second row in fourth. But it could have been better if it wasn't for the Italian crashing at Turn 2 with just over two minutes to go. Nevertheless, Marini heads fifth place Gardner, with Sam Lowes (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) settling for sixth after threatening pole position throughout the 15 minutes – 0.260 is the gap to pole for the British rider.

Tom Lüthi (Dynavolt Intact GP) will line up seventh on his first start since returning to the Moto2™ class, the Swiss rider 0.419 off his teammate's pole lap, with Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) joining Lüthi on the third row in P8. Alex Marquez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) will lineup ninth for the opening race of the year, with fellow Spaniard Augusto Fernandez (Flexbox HP 40) completing the top ten.

Reigning Moto3™ World Champion Jorge Martin (Red Bull KTM Ajo) crashed during FP2, rider ok, he will start P11 as the leading rookie, with Jorge Navarro (+Ego Speed Up) rounding out the first four rows of the grid.

An action-packed first Q1 and Q2 of the year also saw Iker Lecuona (American Racing KTM) only get four flying laps in the second qualifying session. The Spaniard, who seem to run out of fuel at the end of Q1, benefited from Fabio Di Giannantonio (+Ego Speed Up) exceeding track limits on his final run, a lap that would have seen the Italian rookie qualify for Q2 - Lecuona will lineup 16th.

A cracking qualifying in Qatar sets us up nicely for the first Moto2 race of the new Triumph era. Who will take victory? Find out when the intermediate class go racing at 18:20 local time (GMT+3) on Sunday.

Moto3

Sterilgarda Max Racing’s Aron Canet clinched the first Moto3™ pole position of the new season in impressive fashion at the VisitQatar Grand Prix.

The Spaniard was the only man the go beneath the 2:06 barrier, eventually finishing just under two tenths clear of the chasing pack with a 2:05.883.

After finishing second in the first ever Moto3™ Q1 session, Petronas Sprinta Racing’s John McPhee looked set to grab a front row start but with the chequered flag out Lorenzo Dalla Porta (Leopard Racing) and Kaito Toba (Honda Team Asia) stole second and third on the grid to grab debut front row starts for both riders.

McPhee will front row two after Bester Capital Dubai’s Andrea Migno had his final flying lap cancelled for exceeding track limits, seeing the Italian drop from fourth to seventeenth on the grid.

SIC58 Squadra Corse’s Nicollo Antonelli recovered from a crash at Turn 10 with seven minutes left on the clock in Q2 to qualify fifth, 0.490 adrift of Canet’s pole lap.

Albert Arenas (Sama Qatar Angel Nieto Team) will sit on the outside of the second row of the grid, ahead of Italy’s Tony Arbolino (Snipers Team) and SKY Racing Team VR46's Celestino Vietti after he became the first man to top a Moto3 Q1 session.

Reale Avintia Arizona 77’s Vicente Perez ended ninth quickest, just three thousandths of a second ahead of the reigning Junior Moto3 World Champion Raul Fernandez (Sama Qatar Angel Nieto Team) in tenth.

A hugely frustrated Romano Fenati (Snipers Racing) had to settle for eleventh on the grid after not leaving pitlane for his last attempt at taking pole position until there was exactly two minutes remaining, meaning the checkered flag came out before he could start a final flying lap.

Row four is rounded out of by Kommerling Gresini’s Gabriel Rodrigo, who battled to twelfth place despite still recovering from collarbone surgery.

During Q1, Jaume Masia of Bester Capital Dubai KTM and Ricardo Rossi, Rodrigo’s Kommerling Gresini teammate, crashed out unhurt.