14:26
Ten more rounds
There are currently no position changes in the points rankings. But towards the end of the race, tire wear could also become a factor.
14:24
Marquez with his own line
On the straight, Márquez drives a little further inside between Miller and Espargaró and pushes himself back in before the corner. The Honda rider has no easy task in the sandwich as Aleix is also lurking for a possible attack.
14:21
Bagnaia outperforms Quartararo
The 25-year-old from Turin continues to drive a flawless race and is now 0.8 seconds ahead of Quartararo.
14:20
Half of the race is completed
The gap between Bagnaia and Quartararo and the rest is now 4.5 seconds. In the chasing group, however, everything is moving a little closer together. I can certainly attack the group of three around Miller, Márquez and Espargaró.
14:19
Marquez knocks on Miller’s door
He seems to have chosen the final curve as the best point of attack. But Miller is still spreading.
14:18
Zarco falls
Unlike Rins, the Frenchman flies out of the corner at high speed and will definitely not be able to continue in the Grand Prix. Luckily he wasn’t injured.
14:16
Rins goes far
At turn eleven, where he took off last year, Álex Rins makes a trip to the gravel trap. But he manages to stay on the bike. At the rear end of the field he joins in again.
14:14
Three seconds between Quartararo and Miller
Bagnaia and Quartararo are still in a class of their own up front. Of course, it is also wise of them not to fight each other (yet).
14:13
Martin drives on
Of course, after its descent into the gravel bed, the Martinator only has a theoretical chance of finishing in the points. In front of his own audience, however, his pride does not allow him to give up the Grand Prix.
14:11
Bagnaia confidently ahead
Bagnaia has slightly better laps than Quartararo for three laps in a row. Behind it looks like Jack Miller is holding up Marc Márquez and Aleix Espargaró a bit.
14:10
Darryn Binder crashes into the gang
The climber from Moto3 actually got off to a good start and fought his way up a few places from the very back.
14:09
Bagnaia’s new record
The pole setter still makes no move to let Quartararo go first. After five laps, the two are 1.5 seconds ahead of their pursuers.
14:06
Pulled up to six
Qualifying didn’t go to Suzuki’s liking. In the race, however, Mir makes up some things, while Rins has problems and is just about in the points.
14:05
Quartararo attacks Bagnaia
The Frenchman seems to have the better pace at the moment. But Bagnaia still doesn’t offer a gap.
14:04
Two rounds are through
Bagnaia and Quartararo can’t break away decisively at the front. Márquez sets the best lap in fourth and has Miller in his sights.
14:04
Bradl and Martín are out
Shortly before the end of the first lap, both are drawn into the gravel trap. Martín is lucky not to be caught by the drivers behind him.
14:02
Spectacular maneuver by Marc!
The six-time world champion slides inside Nakagami. Aleix Espargaró says thank you and also overtakes the well-started Japanese!
14:00
The race start
Bagnaia and Quartararo get off well and immediately open up a small gap. Aleix Espargaró, on the other hand, lost three places.
1:49 p.m
Best weather in Andalusia
The air temperature is around 26 degrees Celsius. Of course, the pilots wouldn’t complain about a few degrees less, but at least the temperature shouldn’t rise in the course of the afternoon. Around 60,000 spectators are present in Jerez.
13:44
The full starting lineup
Bagnaia, Quartararo and Aleix Espargaró form the front row. Behind them, in that order, are Miller, Marc Márquez, Zarco, Nakagami, Bezzecchi, Mir, Martín, Bastianini, Viñales, Pol Espargaró, Rins, Binder, Morbidelli, Di Giannantonio, Gardner, Marini, Bradl, Oliveira, Álex Márquez, Dovizioso, Savadori and Darryn Binder in the running. Bradl is a wildcard this weekend and after looking at the result list he grinned: “Oh, I’m not even the last Honda rider.”
13:36
Marc dampens expectations
This year, Marc Márquez is still waiting for the first podium. Although the starting position with starting position five is definitely given, the former series world champion dampens expectations: “We now have more or less the same basis with all Hondas. In my case I have problems with the front end. As soon as I attack, a fall can easily happen. Of course I would like to say that I will fight for the podium, but that is not possible. The past is the past. Now everything is much more difficult.”
13:29
Another rencontre between Aleix and Marc?
Aleix Espargaró and Marc Márquez didn’t quite agree in training on Friday. Aleix complained that Marc waited a minute to put in a fast lap in the shadow of someone in front. On the piste, Espargaró threw wild gestures at the six-time world champion, and later in an interview he added: “When I drove onto the track, there was nobody in the pit lane. When I got to the back straight, there was nobody there. But he waited for a minute in the middle of the track. Unbelievable!” Aleix starts from three today, Marc from five. So it’s quite possible that both will meet in the race.
13:20
Quartararo in wait
Championship leaders and winners Portugal lurk behind Bagnaia for a second win in a row. The track suits the Frenchman – in the four previous races since his MotoGP promotion in 2019, Quartararo had even started from pole, in July 2020 he celebrated a double victory at the Jerez double header.
13:11
Bagnaia from the Pole
The Ducati factory pilot starts somewhat surprisingly from first place on the relatively slow track in southern Spain. “That was a special pole. Because of the winding track and because of the lap time,” said Gigi Dall’Igna, the general manager of Ducati Corse. The works Ducati driven by Jack Miller also delivered a good qualification, the Australian will start from fourth place today.
Warm welcome!
MotoGP goes to the next round! The next points in the 2022 World Championship will be awarded at the Circuito de Jerez. The race starts at 2:00 p.m.!