Isan (Thailand), Oct 26 (IANS): Francesco Bagnaia of Ducati pulled off a sensational pole position at the Grand Prix of Thailand, clocking an astounding 1:28.700 on his final lap.
It was a masterclass in speed and precision as Bagnaia unleashed everything he had, becoming the only rider to break into the 1:28s besides his teammate, Enea Bastianini.
Early in the second qualifying session, the Ducati rider set a new time of one minute and 29.076 seconds. On his sixth lap, he recorded a time of 1.28.700, making him the first rider to go under 89 seconds at Buriram.
Bagnaia sits 20 points behind Martin in the championship standings and will fancy his chances of making up some ground on the Spaniard during the sprint later on Saturday.
Bastianini, with his powerful showing, finished just 0.232 seconds behind, securing second position on the grid and setting up Ducati for a potent start to the race.
Jorge Martin of Prima Pramac Racing claimed the final spot on the front row, though his qualifying session ended in drama after a crash on his last run.
Saturday’s build-up to qualifying was already electrifying, with Marc Marquez taking FP2 honours and giving a taste of the fierce competition to come.
In Q1, it was Fabio Di Giannantonio who stunned everyone with an early lead while Fabio Quartararo pushed hard to claim his place in Q2.
When Q2 began, Bagnaia wasted no time, breaking under the lap record with a 1:29.076 and setting the pace. But in the closing moments, the grid reshuffled in thrilling fashion.
Marc Marquez, racing for Gresini Racing, crashed at turn 3 while in P4, just as Bagnaia set a jaw-dropping lap to dip into the 1:28s.
Moments later, Martin crashed at turn 5, with Franco Morbidelli following suit shortly after. Meanwhile, Marco Bezzecchi of Pertamina Enduro VR46 climbed to fourth and will lead the second row, starting alongside Marquez in P5 and Quartararo in P6.
In an impressive rookie performance, Pedro Acosta of Red Bull locked in a P7 start while Di Giannantonio’s determined ride placed him in eighth, only 0.735 seconds off pole. Alex Marquez secured the last spot on row three with a solid 1:29.527.
Further down, Morbidelli finished Q2 in 11th, with Johann Zarco following after both suffered falls. The Red Bull KTM duo of Brad Binder and Jack Miller will start from P13 and P15, while Aprilia Racing’s Aleix Espargaro has his work cut out for him after a challenging weekend, beginning from P14.