Ortola pips Veijer to pole position, Alonso P6

Pole position at the Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya goes the way of Ivan Ortola (MT Helmets – MSI) after a brilliant final flying lap and a stunning final sector. Ortola took his first pole position by a mere 0.019s from Collin Veijer (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP), who looked confident throughout the whole session, setting a good time early on and then leaving it late to exit pitlane on his final run. Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) will start from third position on Sunday, setting a strong time late in the session.

It was a quick Q1 with Matteo Bertelle (Kopron Rivacold Snipers Team) taking top honours and would be joined in Q2 by David Muñoz (BOE Motorsports), Luca Lunetta (SIC58 Squadra Corse), and Jacob Roulstone (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3). However, once Q2 got underway it was a delayed start to the session with only a handful of riders initially leaving the pitlane as the majority waited for Alonso. Veijer was at the top of the timesheets early on as the times began to drop in the last five minutes of the session.

It was a dramatic end to the session with Alonso in second, pitting for new tyres and exiting the pitlane with seconds to spare. It all went down to the final lap with red sectors everywhere with Rueda setting a strong time before Ortola took it after improving on his last flying lap. Yellow flags were also out after a crash from Riccardo Rossi (CIP Green Power) and Daniel Holgado (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) – cancelling Alonso’s time.

Further back, the second row will be headed by Taiyo Furusato (Honda Team Asia), who was 0.388s adrift from Ortola’s benchmark. Furusato will be joined by Ryusei Yamanaka, ending a great Saturday for the MT Helmets – MSI squad. CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team’s David Alonso will start from sixth – ending his pole position streak.

David Muñoz (BOE Motorsports) will start from seventh position, placing the #64 machine on the third row of the grid after improving on his last flying lap. Adrian Fernandez (Leopard Racing) will join Muñoz on the third row after qualifying in a sensation eighth. Meanwhile, Holgado is forced to start from ninth on the grid after his crash at turn 10.

However, some big names are left further down the order such as Angel Piqueras (Leopard Racing), who starts from 13^th ahead of Joel Esteban (CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team), with both riders hoping to charge through the field on Sunday.

Everything is still up for grabs with race day around the corner and with lights going out at 11:00 local time (UTC +2), so make sure you don’t miss anything on motogp.com!

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