- Maverick Viñales (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) starts from pole for the third time in 2017. From his previous two starts from pole this year he has gone on to take the race victory. Viñales is aiming to be the first Yamaha rider since Jorge Lorenzo in 2012 to win four times in the opening six races of the year.
- Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP), who starts from second place on the grid, is aiming to win on home soil for the first time since he took the victory at Misano in 2014. Rossi last stood on the top step of the podium at the Catalan GP last year, which was 12 months ago less one day.
- For the second successive race the two factory Yamaha riders have taken the top two places on the grid.
- Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) has qualified on the front row of the grid for the first time since he was on pole at the Malaysian Grand Prix last year. Dovizioso has not had a podium finish in Italy since he joined the Ducati factory team.
- Heading the second row of the grid is wildcard and Ducati test rider Michele Pirro, which is his best ever qualifying result in his 47 appearances in the MotoGP™ class.
- In fifth place is leading Honda rider on the grid Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team), who has finished fourth at Mugello for the last three years.
- Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) starts from sixth on the grid, his worst qualifying result since he was in 13th place at Mugello in 2015. This is only the fifth time in his career in the MotoGP™ class that he has not qualified on one of the top five places on the grid. Marquez has not won a race after failing to qualify on the front row since the Valencia GP in 2014 when he won from 5th place on the grid.
- Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team) heads the third row, which is his worst qualifying result at Mugello since he was seventh fastest qualifier in 2008 his rookie season in the MotoGP™ class. Lorenzo has finished either first or second for the last eight years at Mugello.
- Alvaro Bautista (Pull&Bear Aspar Team) starts from eighth place on the grid - his best qualifying result since he was seventh fastest qualifier at Le Mans in 2014, which was also the last time he was on the podium, in third place.
- Danilo Petrucci (Octo Pramac Racing) is in ninth place on the grid, which is his best dry weather qualifying result since the Aragon Grand Prix last year.
- Tito Rabat (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) heads the fourth row – a great improvement on his previous best qualifying result in the MotoGP™ class, which was 16th place on the grid.
- In 11th place on the grid is Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech 3), who could become the first French rider to finish on the podium in back-to-back premier-class races since Regis Laconi in the 500cc races at Valencia and Australia in 1999.