Jonas Folger delivered a strong qualifying performance today at the Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya and will begin the race from the third row of the grid. The young German just missed out on Q2 by only 0.023 in FP3, yet he thoroughly impressed in the ultra-competitive Qualifying 1 session by storming to a superb lap time that saw him top the Q1 standings. Then, in the second shootout, Folger quickly laid down his pace and eventually finished 0.380 back from the front row and now he confidently looks on to tomorrow.

Whilst Johann Zarco will launch forward from 14th after a determined performance in the nail-biting Q1 shootout. The fast French rider waited until the last part of the practice before taking to the track and charging forward. Eventually, his best time was just 0.060 back from second and as a result, he will begin his quest to seal a strong finish tomorrow from the 5th row.
     

Jonas FOLGER - Position: 8th - Time: 1'44.600 - Laps: 5

"I am really happy with what we achieved today and I am fully confident for the race. Q1 went very well and I was almost slightly surprised by my lap time! I tried to do the same thing in Q2 but it was harder because maybe I pushed too much and so I started to experience some issues. In addition, I was a bit tired after the first qualifying, which made it more difficult. However, I am pleased because we have been strong throughout the weekend so far and we have good balance. I feel positive about the track and the YZR-M1 so I am sure that we can have a really solid day tomorrow."
 
Johann ZARCO - Position: 14th - Time: 1'44.681 - Laps: 4

"Today was tricky but I am certain that we can close the weekend positively tomorrow. This morning, I was not able to ride as quickly as I wanted and needed to, and we experienced the same issue that we did on the first day. Then, I had quite a fast crash so I had to use FP4 to get my confidence back up. We kept working on the bike, but this weekend the feeling has been difficult to find and I was not able to feel super strong. However, the qualifying went well because I used only one set of tyres, and I didn’t want to spend a lot of energy in case I made it into Q2. I was competitive and I just missed out on the second qualifying, but it was really competitive in Q1. I will start from 14th, but this is not the end of the world. We need to remain calm in order to have a positive race. I think that some of the other riders will struggle, so being strong and focused will make the difference."