MotoGP Emilia Romagna Grand Prix Qualifying

Zarco, who topped the wet FP1 session, beat Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro while Tech3 KTM’s Iker Lecuona impressed in the tricky conditions with a fourth-place finish to works KTM rider Miguel Oliveira.

Luca Marini also stood out at the end of FP2 for Avintia Ducati taking sixth, with Lorenzo Savadori holding Aprilia wildcard in seventh.

It was a tough day for Fabio Quartararo, who has consistently struggled in wet conditions this season, with the MotoGP World Championship leader finishing the afternoon session in 16th place and over 1.7 seconds off the absolute pace. But the Yamaha rider was confident that he had “made great strides” in the rain at Misano on Friday with his Yamaha.

Quartararo’s title rival Francesco Bagnaia took a modest eighth place for Ducati at the end of Friday’s race, with the Italian closing the final three rounds of the season behind Quartararo by 52 points.

Danlio Petrucci (Tech3 KTM) and Jorge Martin (Pramac Ducati) rounded out the top 10, with America’s MotoGP winner Marc Marquez in 14th for Honda and Valentino Rossi in 22nd for Petronas Yamaha ahead of his final home race before joining the retired end of 2021.

Valentino Rossi, Petronas Yamaha SRT

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

What time does qualifying for the Emilia Romagna MotoGP start?

Qualifying for the Emilia Romagna MotoGP will start at 1:10 PM BST (2:10 PM local time), following the regular Q1 and Q2 session format. Qualifying will take place immediately after the 30-minute FP4 session starting at 12:30 PM BST (1:30 PM local time).

The fastest 10 MotoGP riders on the FP1-2-3 combined timeframe will automatically advance to Q2, while the rest of the riders enter Q1 of qualifying. The two riders fastest in the 15 minute Q1 session will advance to Q2 to compete with the top 10 of the practice. Q2, which also lasts 15 minutes, will decide who gets pole position and the qualifying order for the top four rows of the grid.

• Date: Saturday 23^rd October 2021
• Start time: 1:10 PM BST (2:10 PM local time)

How can I watch Emilia Romagna’s MotoGP qualifying?

In the UK, every MotoGP practice, qualifying and race is broadcast live on BT Sport.

Emilia Romagna’s MotoGP qualifying will be broadcast on BT Sport 2, with the program starting at 11am BST and also including qualifying for the Moto3 and Moto2 classes.

• TV channel: BT Sport 2
• Start time: 11:00 AM BST

MotoGP also offers its own live online video streaming service available to stream in the UK.

Jorge Martin, Pramac Racing

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Why is it called the Emilia Romagna GP?

Since races are not allowed to have the same race names in the same MotoGP World Championship season, Misano’s second race of the season has been called the Emilia Romagna GP, named after the region of Italy in which the circuit is located. The name was also used last year as part of the Misano double-header.

It is inspired by the other double headers MotoGP has put up in both 2020 and this year as part of the rescheduled calendar due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Earlier this season, Qatar hosted the first-ever Doha GP as the second leg of its back-to-back races and the Red Bull Ring hosted the Styrian GP as the second leg of its double-header.

Portimao will host the Algarve GP next month, where the Portuguese GP took place earlier this season in April.

Why is MotoGP holding two races in Misano?

As part of the COVID-19 hit campaign, the 2021 MotoGP calendar has been adjusted due to various travel restrictions around the world. The Finnish, Japanese, Thai, Australian, Malaysian and Argentine MotoGP rounds have all been canceled for 2021.

To fill the calendar, Losail, the Red Bull Ring, Misano and Portimao will all host two races.

What is the weather forecast for qualifying in Misano?

Cloudy and cold weather for qualifying in Misano on Saturday afternoon, with a slight chance of a shower and maximum temperatures of 16 degrees Celsius – six degrees colder than qualifying for the San Marino MotoGP also held in Misano five weeks ago.

Miguel Oliveira, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Emilia Romagna MotoGP FP2 results

Emilia Romagna MotoGP FP1 results