VALENCIA: Aprilia’s Maverick Vinales smashed a lap record to take pole position for the season-ending Valencia Grand Prix today while championship leader Francesco Bagnaia will start second on the grid, four places ahead of closest contender Jorge Martin.
Vinales took his first pole since 2021 with a time of 1:28.931s to pip Ducati’s Bagnaia.
They will be joined on the front row by Johann Zarco in his final race for Pramac Racing.
Zarco’s teammate Martin will start behind KTM duo Jack Miller and Brad Binder on the second row.
Bagnaia, who has six race victories this season, is on 427 points while Martin has 416 heading into today’s sprint, which could decide the title.
Earlier today, Bagnaia finished fastest in Q1 with a time of 1:29.054s.