Johann Zarco will leap forward from the rear of the second row of the grid after an accomplished performance in the blustery but sunny qualifying 2 shootout today In San Marino. The rapid rookie built up his pace before storming to a lap that left him 0.249 back from the front row and tomorrow, he intends to undertake a rocket start and then duel with the leading MotoGP bikes.

Meanwhile, Jonas Folger impressively blazed to the top of the time sheets in Q1, yet his lap was unfortunately cancelled due to exceeding the track limits by a hair's breadth at turn 16. As a result, his previous best time leaves him in 16th on the grid but he confidently awaits the race where he aims to fight for the top independent honours.

Johann Zarco - Position: 6th - Time: 1'32.885 - Laps: 8

“I am pretty happy about the work that the team and I have completed since yesterday. We were focused on being fast but comfortable, and it was complicated yet this morning I improved my lap time which was positive, even if I crashed. Then, this afternoon, I am pleased about how the qualifying went as I felt that it was possible to be quick and I used two tyres. On the first one, I did a good lap time, so I kept the energy and pushed on the last three laps. 6th on the grid is really important for the Grand Prix because, if it is dry, I can be ready to fight and try to run the high pace that Marquez and Viñales have. However, if it is wet, it will be very important to judge the conditions quickly to see if we can push or if we have to be careful. We don’t know exactly what will happen but the best scenario for me is if the GP starts and ends on the same bike, even if it’s wet or dry. Yet, if it is a flag to flag race, then I will try to see when the top guys pit and maybe change the bike at that moment. If the weather is changing then warm up will help us a lot to understand the track but we are ready for either condition.”


Jonas Folger - Position: 16th - Time: 1'33.987 - Laps: 8

"It has been a difficult weekend, but I am still positive due to the fact that I rode a fast lap in qualifying. However, it was cancelled because I just went off the track and touched the red part of the curve on the last exit. Anyway, there is no profit to take but these are the rules. Yet, the good thing is that we made this time and we could have gone to Q2. The weather is expected to change tomorrow but for me, it doesn’t matter if it’s wet or not. We know now that I have a solid pace in the dry and if it rains, it will be important to gain confidence as soon as possible. I will start from 16th, so if it is damp then we have to take advantage of the conditions and maybe take a few more risks whilst also being as confident as possible. After the tricky times that we’ve had recently, hopefully we can have an important and positive race tomorrow and collect a lot of points."