Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) will start from his first MotoGP™ front row start after a stunning display in Q2 at the Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya. But what other statistics emerged from Saturday in Barcelona?
1. Morbidelli has secured pole position for the first time since he stepped up to MotoGP™ in 2018. This is the first Italian rider pole position in MotoGP™ since Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) was on pole position at the 2018 Japanese GP.
2. With Morbidelli here and Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) at the Austrian GP, this is the first time there are at least two maiden polesitters in a single MotoGP™ season since 2017, when Johann Zarco (Esponsorama Racing) and Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) achieved their first premier class poles.
3. Since the introduction of MotoGP™ in 2002, only two riders have won the MotoGP™ race after qualifying on pole position at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya: Valentino Rossi (2006) and Jorge Lorenzo (2010 and 2018).
4. Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT) has qualified second for his 20th front row start in MotoGP™. On his 19 previous front rows, he went on to finish on the podium nine times, including two wins.
5. Rossi, who is the most successful rider in Barcelona with 10 wins (seven in the premier class), has qualified third, which is his first front row start since he was second on the grid at Silverstone last year. Rossi is scheduled to start his 350th premier class race on Sunday.
6. The last time Rossi started from the front row in MotoGP™ at the Catalan GP was in 2009. He qualified second that day before going on to win the race.
7. With Morbidelli, Quartararo and Rossi, this is the second time in 2020 that Yamaha riders have locked out the front row of the grid, along with the San Marino GP.
8. Zarco has qualified sixth, which will be his best starting slot since he was on pole at the Czech GP. This is his best qualifying result in Catalonia since he stepped up to MotoGP™ in 2017.
9. The highest-placed Team Suzuki Ecstar rider is Joan Mir, who will be aiming to stand on the podium for the third time in row. This would be the first time that a Suzuki rider took three (or more) podiums in a row in MotoGP™ since 2018 (then it was four in a row from Japan to Valencia).
10. Championship leader Dovizioso has qualified in 17th, which is his second-worst qualifying result since he stepped up to MotoGP™ in 2008, after Brno this year when he qualified 18th.