Thailand MotoGP: Marquez shades Rossi by 0.011s for pole
Marc Marquez fought his way through Q1 to secure pole position for MotoGP’s inaugural Thailand Grand Prix, beating Valentino Rossi by just a hundredth of a second.

Honda rider Marquez was forced into the first part of qualifying after a crash during Saturday morning’s third practice session left him 11th in the combined classification.
But after making it through Q1 with ease, the Spaniard came out on top in the subsequent 15-minute pole position shootout at Buriram.
After leading the opening runs on a 1m30.356s, Yamaha’s Rossi briefly took over at the top of the timesheets with a 1m30.099s with two minutes left on the clock.
Marquez responded moments later with a 1m30.088s – good enough to take pole by 0.011s, but half a tenth slower than he had managed in Q1.
It marks the first time a rider has taken pole in MotoGP having come through Q1.
Teammate Dani Pedrosa’s 1m29.781s effort in February testing remains the fastest-ever lap on a MotoGP bike of the Buriram track, however.
Behind Rossi, Andrea Dovizioso was third on the sole works Ducati, following the withdrawal of Jorge Lorenzo after his huge crash on Friday.
Dovizioso had looked poised to usurp Marquez on his final lap, but dropped time in the final two sectors and ended up falling short by 0.139s.
Maverick Vinales made it two Yamahas in the top four, missing out on a front row spot by a tenth, followed by Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda) and Andrea Iannone (Suzuki).
Pedrosa was seventh ahead of Johann Zarco (Tech 3) and the two Pramac Ducatis of Danilo Petrucci and Jack Miller.
Suzuki’s Alex Rins, who joined Marquez in advancing from Q1, and Nieto Ducati rider Alvaro Bautista completed the order in Q2.
Q1: Rins pips Morbidelli for Q2 spot
After his FP3 crash, Marquez unsurprisingly dominated the opening segment of qualifying, as his time of 1m30.031s put him nine tenths clear of the pack.
The battle for the other top two place was between Rins and Marc VDS Honda man Franco Morbidelli, who was poised to go through until being beaten by just 0.002s after the chequered flag fell.
Morbidelli therefore starts 13th ahead of fellow Honda satellite rider Takaaki Nakagami and the lead KTM of Bradley Smith.
Aprilia’s challenge was led by Aleix Espargaro in 16th, while younger brother Pol qualified 19th on his return from injury aboard the second KTM.
British Superbike-bound Scott Redding struggled to 13th in Q1 and last place on the grid for Sunday with a time six tenths slower than Aprilia stablemate Espargaro.
Q2 results:
Pos. | # | Rider | Bike | Time | Gap |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 93 | Honda | 1'30.088 | ||
2 | 46 | Yamaha | 1'30.099 | 0.011 | |
3 | 4 | Ducati | 1'30.227 | 0.139 | |
4 | 25 | Yamaha | 1'30.328 | 0.240 | |
5 | 35 | Honda | 1'30.356 | 0.268 | |
6 | 29 | Suzuki | 1'30.419 | 0.331 | |
7 | 26 | Honda | 1'30.458 | 0.370 | |
8 | 5 | Yamaha | 1'30.471 | 0.383 | |
9 | 9 | Ducati | 1'30.599 | 0.511 | |
10 | 43 | Ducati | 1'30.660 | 0.572 | |
11 | 42 | Suzuki | 1'30.738 | 0.650 | |
12 | 19 | Ducati | 1'30.976 | 0.888 |
Q1 results:
Pos. | # | Rider | Bike | Time | Gap |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Q2 | 93 | Honda | 1'30.031 | ||
Q2 | 42 | Suzuki | 1'30.921 | 0.890 | |
13 | 21 | Honda | 1'30.923 | 0.892 | |
14 | 30 | Honda | 1'30.995 | 0.964 | |
15 | 38 | KTM | 1'31.207 | 1.176 | |
16 | 41 | Aprilia | 1'31.243 | 1.212 | |
17 | 17 | Ducati | 1'31.374 | 1.343 | |
18 | 55 | Yamaha | 1'31.389 | 1.358 | |
19 | 44 | KTM | 1'31.399 | 1.368 | |
20 | 10 | Ducati | 1'31.686 | 1.655 | |
21 | 81 | Ducati | 1'31.819 | 1.788 | |
22 | 12 | Honda | 1'31.830 | 1.799 | |
23 | 45 | Aprilia | 1'31.835 | 1.804 |

Previous article
Thailand MotoGP qualifying as it happened
Next article
Yamaha's sudden gains "really strange" - Crutchlow

About this article
Series | MotoGP |
Event | Thailand GP |
Drivers | Marc Marquez |
Teams | Repsol Honda Team |
Author | Jamie Klein |
Thailand MotoGP: Marquez shades Rossi by 0.011s for pole
Trending
Repsol Honda Team - Pol Espargaró Q&A
Repsol Honda Team - Marc Marquez Q&A
Why Alex Marquez doesn't care about 'shutting up' MotoGP critics
Alex Marquez's form was one of MotoGP 2020's biggest surprises and, by firmly stepping out of his six-time world champion brother Marc's shadow, he proved a few people wrong. Not that he cares about this, as he tells Lewis Duncan
How Yamaha's new MotoGP era can unchain Vinales
After the electrifying start to his Yamaha MotoGP career in 2017, Maverick Vinales has struggled for consistency. Many anticipate that the arrival of Fabio Quartararo could spell disaster, but the departure of Valentino Rossi could be just the impetus he needs.
Does KTM really need 'super engine' for MotoGP title challenge?
Fears from rival MotoGP manufacturers that KTM would build a 'super engine' for 2021 have ultimately come to nothing with the revealation that the RC16 hasn't been radically changed over the winter. But does it really need that to win the title?
How Ducati's latest Aussie union can return it to MotoGP glory
Australians on Ducatis is an iconic partnership, the marque's last one yielding its sole MotoGP crown to date. But its latest Aussie union with the often underestimated Jack Miller can end this drought.
The "balls out" battle between MotoGP's true greats
Senna vs Prost is regularly cited as motorsport's greatest rivalry. But it can easily be argued Rainey vs Schwantz can stake that claim. That rivalry was in full swing during the 1991 500cc season, remembered fondly by both stars 30 years on...
The "warrior" MotoGP rookie KTM was right to back
The 2020 MotoGP campaign featured a standout pair of rookies, but one flew under the radar as he adjusted to a shock step-up armed with very little racing experience. However as his veteran team boss explains, the faith shown in him was not misplaced
Why Suzuki's Brivio replacement must come from within
With its charismatic leader Davide Brivio leaving for Formula 1, the Suzuki MotoGP squad he turned into a world championship-winning force in 2020 has a major recruitment headache that it needs to resolve carefully.
Why Alpine's latest signing could be its best hope of F1 glory
The return of Fernando Alonso to the renamed Alpine team is a sure sign of the team's ambition. But its latest appointment from MotoGP could be an even bigger coup as it seeks to end a barren run stretching back to Alonso's 2006 world title