Bagnaia claims Emilia-Romagna MotoGP pole with another record lap

Francesco Bagnaia claimed pole position at the Emilia-Romagna MotoGP on Saturday, giving himself a chance to further chop Jorge Martin's slim lead in the riders' championship.

Reigning world champion Bagnaia posted a stunning best lap time of one minute, 30.031 seconds in Misano Adriatico, 0.214sec ahead of Martin who has a seven-point advantage on his Italian rival in the championship.

The Ducati rider bettered his own record set during practice at his home circuit on Friday by 0.255sec to ensure his third pole of the season.

Emilia Romagna Grand Prix Qualifying Results:

1️⃣ Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) 📸 POLE - 1:30.031*

2️⃣ Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) - +0.214s

3️⃣ Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team) - +0.533s

*New Lap Record#Qualifying #EmiliaRomagnaGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/1vSe122ljZ

— RaceGear NG™️ (@RaceGearNG) September 21, 2024

Pramac's Martin will start the Grand Prix and Saturday's sprint race on the front row alongside Bagnaia and Enea Bastianini who trails by 62 points in the championship.

Marc Marquez, who will join Bagnaia at Ducati's factory team next season, slid off the track as he did in the earlier practice session and could only manage seventh in the grid.

Six-time MotoGP champion Marquez is 53 points behind his fellow Spaniard Martin in the standings after winning the last two GPs and the sprint in Aragon.

The first points of the weekend will be up for grabs in the sprint which starts at 1500 (1300 GMT).