The first Moto2™ QP of the season saw Sam Lowes, Johann Zarco and Tito Rabat immediately resuming their battle from free practice. The three riders swapping fastest times throughout the session, until Sandro Cortese also joined the party with just 5 minutes to go.

Lowes crashed while in provisional pole position with just 3 minutes to go, as he lost the front at turn 4, ending his session early. This gave Zarco and Rabat the incentive they needed to challenge for pole, but neither could improve their times, and it was the British rider who took the first pole position of the season with a 1’59.423.

Frenchman Zarco (+0.332s) on the Ajo Motorsport machine will start from 2nd, with reigning Moto2™ Champion Rabat (+390s) on the Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS Racing Kalex completing the front row. German Sandro Cortese (+0.422s) and his compatriot Jonas Folger (+0.515s) were in 4th and 5th respectively, ahead of Belgian Xavier Simeon (+0.809s) who will start from 6th.

Alex Rins once again impressed on his Moto2™ debut, and will start from 9th place on the grid on the Paginas Amarillas Kalex, while last years championship runner-up Mika Kallio could only manage to get on the 6th row for his new Italtrans Racing Team, as he ended the session in 16th.

The Moto2™ race will take place at 19:20 local time on Sunday in Qatar.

Click here for the full qualifying results.