Only last Sunday he finished last in the Sachsenring race, tomorrow he will start from pole position in Assen with a record lap (1’31 ”814). Maverick Viñales is the most unpredictable rider in MotoGP and today he gave another demonstration. If after the German GP he was underground, today he is in seventh heaven. The Spaniard beat teammate and championship leader Fabio Quartarato by just 71 thousandths, not too bothered by the missed pole position.
The last place in the front row went to Pecco Bagnaia, who had to pass from Q1. After the practice (and with only one tire left) this time the Piedmontese from Ducati did not miss the shot and finally will not have to set up his race for a comeback. «It was really hard – he sighed – I didn’t expect to do so much effort on this track, but slowly we are straightening up the weekend. Being on the front row is a really good result, since this morning I have always improved. It is clear that Yamaha, especially with Quartararo, has an incredible pace and I will have to fight not to lose any more points from him ».
Opening the second row is Takaaki Nakagami, the best Honda interpreter, followed by Zarco’s Ducati and Oliveira’s KTM. Alex Rins, on the other hand, is 7th on Suzuki, ahead of Miller and Aleix Espargarò’s Aprilia. Valentino Rossi, on the other hand, after grabbing a place in Q2, was unable to make the most of the opportunity and tomorrow will start from 12th place behind Mir and Pol Espargarò.
After the triumph of a few days ago at Sachsenring, Marc Marquez knew that Assen would put a strain on his right arm and shoulder, not yet in the best conditions. It was not denied and did not go beyond the 20th time. Lorenzo Savadori did better than him with Aprilia (15th), while Petrucci is 18th behind Marini and ahead of Bastianini.