Miguel Oliveira won a delayed Indonesian Grand Prix on Sunday as he held off a late surge from world champion Fabio Quartararo.

Quartararo had qualified in pole position but dropped to fifth in the difficult conditions as Oliveira built what proved to be an unassailable lead.

Champion Quartararo was on a run of four consecutive races without a podium finish but produced a brilliant ride in the second half of the race to take second ahead of Johann Zarco.

Jack Miller, who led in the early stages, finished fourth and Alex Rins fifth, with Enea Bastianini, winner in Qatar's season opener, down in 12th.

Six-time world champion Marc Marquez was forced to miss the race after a heavy crash during the warm-up left him with concussion.

The action got underway after more than an hour's delay, during which torrential rain fell and lightning struck the edge of the track, with the race shortened to 20 laps.

Miller and Oliveira pulled away from Quartararo after adjusting more quickly to the conditions and the latter surged into the lead as his pace became too much for the Australian.

Jorge Martin crashed at Turn 1 after catching a puddle with his front wheel, highlighting just how treacherous the track remained even after the rain had ceased and the surface began to dry.

Quartararo overtook Rins with eight laps to go before passing Miller and Zarco in a gripping battle for a podium place, the French rider eventually pulling away.

There was not enough time to catch Oliveira, though, the Red Bull KTM man claiming his fourth career win in exemplary fashion.

TOP 10

1. Miguel OIiveira (Red Bull KTM)
2. Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha) +2.205 seconds
3. Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) +3.158s
4. Jack Miller (Ducati) +5.663s
5. Alex Rins (Suzuki Ecstar) +7.044s
6. Joan Mir (Suzuki Ecstar) +7.832s
7. Franco Morbidelli (Monster Energy Yamaha) +21.115s
8. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM) +32.413s
9. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia) +32.586s
10. Darryn Binder (RNF Racing) +32.901s

CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS

Riders

1. Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing) 30
2. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM) 28
3. Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha) 27
4. Miguel OIiveira (Red Bull KTM) 25
5. Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) 24

Teams

1. Red Bull KTM 53
2. Monster Energy Yamaha 41
3. Suzuki Ecstar 40
4. Repsol Honda 31
5. Gresini Racing 30

Marc Marquez was forced to miss the Indonesian Grand Prix on Sunday after a crash during the warm-up.

The six-time world champion suffered a huge highside at Turn 7 and was left dazed on the ground after a heavy landing. He was taken to hospital for a check-up.

Race organisers later confirmed Marquez had suffered concussion and was not fit to start the first grand prix in Indonesia since 1997.

MotoGP medical director Dr. Angel Charte said: "Marc is fine. He had a high energy crash in the warm-up, which resulted in a head injury.

"Initially, we examined him here and then referred him to the hospital in Lombok. He underwent several radiological tests, which were negative.

"In agreement with the rider and the team, and due to the fact that this type of pathology requires a period of observation between 12 and 24 hours, the rider, the team and the MotoGP medical staff have decided to declare him as unfit."

The 29-year-old crashed twice during Saturday's qualifying session and had been due to start in 14th place, Franco Morbidelli's grid penalty pushing him up one spot.

The race at the Mandalika circuit was delayed by over an hour due to torrential rain, with television cameras capturing the dramatic moment that lightning struck the side of the track.

It had previously been decided to shorten the race to 20 laps as extreme heat had prompted concerns over tyre safety.

Reigning world champion Fabio Quartararo qualified in pole position ahead of Jorge Martin, with Enea Bastianini – who won the season opener in Qatar – starting in fifth.

Reigning MotoGP world champion Fabio Quartararo says he felt the best he has for "a long time" after storming to pole position in qualifying for Sunday's Indonesian Grand Prix.

The 22-year-old edged out Jorge Martin with a lap of 1:31.067 on Saturday, securing a place at the front of the grid for the first time since the Catalan Grand Prix in June last year.

Quartararo's compatriot Johann Zarco will join the duo on the front row after posting a personal best time on his final lap, with Brad Binder and Enea Bastianini, the latter fresh from his maiden MotoGP victory in Qatar two weeks ago, both doing likewise to qualify as fourth and fifth fastest.

Six-time world champion Marc Marquez, meanwhile, crashed twice and will start from 14th as Honda experienced problems with their tyres in the heat.

"I felt great, finally on one lap, it's a long time since I felt so good," Quartararo, who came a disappointing ninth in Qatar, told reporters.

"Here I felt good from FP2 when I put in the soft rear and actually in FP4, I'm super happy because I made 15, 14 laps in a row and the pace was really good. 

"I think it was the most important thing to make those laps in a row and see the consistency of the tyres.

'I'm pretty happy, I expected much more drop from the rear and I feel great."

"With our bike we struggle quite a lot to overtake and then I think you need to play a little bit with the pressure before the start," he said, as reported by Autosport.

"But in this kind of track, where it's hot, it's always better to start at the front than on the back.

"So, I feel like it's a great track to start from the front row and let's see how my start goes."

Provisional classification

1. Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha) 1:31.067
2. Jorge Martin (Pramac Racing) +0.213
3. Johann Zarco (Ducati) +0.311
4. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM) +0.366
5. Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing) +0.437
6. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) +0.440
7. Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM) +0.499
8. Alex Rins (Suzuki Ecstar) +0.515
9. Jack Miller (Ducati) +0.647
10. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia) +0.656
11. Fabio di Giannantonio (Gresini Racing) +0.762
12. Franco Morbidelli (Monster Energy Yamaha) +0.507

An elated Enea Bastianini said Gresini "have all cried" after his emotional maiden MotoGP victory at the season-opening race in Qatar.

The 24-year-old took the top step on the podium for the first time in the premier class after passing Pol Espargaro with four laps to go under the lights at the Lusail International Circuit.

Espargaro led for the majority of the race after storming from sixth to first at the start, but Bastianini capitalised on the Repsol Honda rider's fading tyres to pass him on the inside and go on to take the chequered flag.

It was Gresini's first MotoGP triumph since 2006 and came just over a year after the death of their team principal Fausto Gresini.

Nadia Padovani, Gresini's wife who is now the team principal and owner, was in tears after 2021 rookie Bastianini crossed the finishing line, and she was not the only one.

Bastianini said: "It is such an emotional day for all of the team. We have all cried at the end of the race.

"We did a very good job from most of the testing and this weekend. The set-up of the bike was incredible, we worked very well to prepare for the race and this morning in the warm-up when I saw we had really good pace I thought I can have a good race.

"My decision was to stay with the medium of the rear (tyre). That was the best decision for me, I pushed in my style in the last seven to eight laps and I won the race."

Brad Binder took second and Espargaro was third after going wide when he was passed by Bastianini and subsequently losing another place, with Marc Marquez fifth behind Aleix Espargaro.

Bastianini knows he has a whole host of top-class riders to do battle with as he attempts to build on his first win.

The Italian added: "Pol Espargaro was so fast, he saved his tyres very well. This is a very good step for me, and now it's going to be very competitive. Binder also had a really good race, and it was not easy for me to win but I did it.

"In MotoGP it's not easy because many riders are so fast, and sometimes it's not possible to be on the front, but I am always going to do my best."

Reigning champion Fabio Quartararo could only finish ninth.

Enea Bastianini secured a brilliant maiden MotoGP victory after passing Pol Espargaro late in an eventful season-opening race under the lights in Qatar.

Espargaro had led for the majority of the race after storming from sixth to first in a blistering start, with Jorge Martin dropping from pole to eighth early on.

It was Gresini's Bastianini, a rookie at this level last year, who made a dream beginning to the season, though, overtaking Espargaro with four laps to go and taking the chequered flag ahead of Brad Binder for his team's first win in the premier class since 2006.

Bastianini's win at the Lusail International Circuit sparked emotional scenes, as Gresini's then team principal Fausto Gresini died just over a year ago.

Espargaro was the third man on the podium, while Marc Marquez was fifth and Martin crashed out.

Repsol Honda rider Espargaro got off to a flyer as Martin slipped back through the field, with Bastianini dropping a couple of places from second on the grid.

Espargaro's team-mate Marquez moved up a spot from third to second until the six-time champion was passed by Binder and Bastianini with 16 laps to go.

Martin's miserable race was summed up when he crashed with Francesco Bagnaia and slid into the gravel along with the Italian.

Bastianini had the pace to close in on the long-time leader and duly made his move on the inside, with Espargaro going wide in a costly lapse that allowed Binder to nip in for second place.

Aleix Espargaro took fourth place, while reigning champion Fabio Quartararo crossed the line in ninth.

TOP 10

1. Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing)
2. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM) +0.346
3. Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda) +1.351
4. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia) +2.242
5. Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda) +4.099
6. Joan Mir (Suzuki Ecstar) +4.843
7. Alex Rins (Suzuki Ecstar) +8.881
8. Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) +10.536
9. Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha) +10.543
10. Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda IDEMITSU) ++14.967

CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS

Riders
1. Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing) 25
2. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM) 20
3. Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda) 16
4. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia) 13
5. Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda) 11

Teams
1. Repsol Honda 27
2. Gresini Racing 25
3. Red Bull KTM 20
4. Suzuki Ecstar 19
5. Aprilia 17

Jorge Martin will start the season-opening Qatar MotoGP from pole position but the Spaniard is not confident he will be celebrating a victory on Sunday.

The Pramac Racing rider began the last race of 2021 at the front of the grid in Valencia, where he ended his rookie season with a second-placed finish.

On Saturday, Martin beat Enea Bastianini to pole by 0.147 seconds with a lap of 1:53.011, while six-time MotoGP world champion Marc Marquez joins them on the front row as defending champion Fabio Quartararo was only 11th-fastest. 

Yet 24-year-old Martin will go into the race at the Lusail International Circuit under the lights without any great expectations of taking the top step on the podium.

He said: "I'm super happy about my performance. I wasn't expecting to be that fast.

"I'm not 100 per cent confident for tomorrow. We are still missing one to two tenths to fight for victory, but we will be one of the candidates. We have to work hard this evening and find this small thing to battle. 

"We are aiming for the win, but I am always a little bit on the limit. We have struggled with a new engine. It's not that easy.

"We are still missing how to manage the tyre and I am worried about the end of the race, but with my engineers and staff we will find something that will help me and we will be fighting for the victory."

Gresini Racing's Bastianini will start on the front row for the first time in the premier class and has his sights on a podium finish.

The Italian said: "For the first time I will start on the front row. I'm very happy about today, we did a very good job because it was difficult to go on the second qualifying.

"I did one error in the last sector, but I did a very good lap and I think tomorrow we can battle for the podium."

Marquez said: "It's important to start on the front row on a track that I'm not riding comfortably on. My style is not coming naturally on this race track but today I felt better, especially in FP4.

"We made an important change on the bike and since that point I started to feel better and in qualifying also the performance was there. I'm happy but tomorrow is the most important day. We are not the fastest but we will try to manage in a good way."

Provisional classification

1. Jorge Martin (Pramac Racing) 1:53.011
2. Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing) +0.147s
3. Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda) +0.272s
4. Jack Miller (Ducati) +0.287s
5. Alex Espargaro (Aprilia) +0.308s
6. Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda) +0.335s
7. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM) +0.339s
8. Joan Mir (Suzuki Ecstar) +0.396s
9. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) +0.4s
10. Alex Rins (Suzuki Ecstar) +0.47s
11. Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha) +0.624s
12. Franco Morbidelli (Monster Energy Yamaha) +0.971s 

MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi will switch to four-wheel racing to drive for Team WRT in the GT World Championship.

Rossi ended his incredible MotoGP career last November, finishing 10th in his final race at the Valencia Grand Prix.

The Italian icon, a seven-time world champion in the premier class, hung up his gloves at the age of 42.

But Rossi has agreed to take on a new racing challenge, having tested with Team WRT in Valencia last month.

He will be an official Audi sport driver, taking part in a 10-round competition striving to win the Endurance Cup and Sprint Cup.

Rossi said: "I am delighted to join Team WRT for a full Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS programme.

"Everybody knows that I have always been a great car racing fan and that I have always been interested in racing on four wheels once my MotoGP career would come to an end.

"Now I am completely available to devote myself to a car racing programme at a high level and with the right professional approach.

"Team WRT is the perfect fit I was looking for and I am anxious to start this new adventure in the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS with them."

Francesco Bagnaia's late-season rally did not come in time to push Fabio Quartararo all the way for the 2021 MotoGP title, but the Ducati rider's outstanding form has shown him how to compete next year.

Quartararo clinched the championship at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix when second-placed Bagnaia dramatically crashed out.

On Sunday, at the Algarve Grand Prix, Bagnaia – starting from pole for a fifth consecutive race – won while Quartararo crashed.

If not for his untimely previous retirement, the Italian would be still within touching distance of the season leader heading into the final round.

"If I had the win in Misano, today was perfect for me," Bagnaia told a news conference. "But it's not like this."

Bagnaia's result clinched second and also delivered the constructors' championship for Ducati, who now lead the teams' standings, too.

But attention can start to turn towards next year, when Bagnaia will hope to be competitive from the outset.

"I think we didn't lose the championship in Misano," he said. "I lost a lot of points before and I started to be so competitive after some races.

"For sure, it's a really great base for next year. Also we have worked so hard and so well with our bike, so for next year we have a really great base."

Of course, Bagnaia would have to cope with significant pressure if he were to lead the title race from the outset, and he acknowledged riding this week without the championship on the line was an easier experience.

"I didn't change it compared to Misano," he explained. "But in Misano, I was trying to [keep] open the championship but I was knowing that it was very difficult to win it.

"Today, if I had the win in Misano, for sure Quartararo was not crashing. I was racing without the pressure of the championship, so I just did the same thing."

Quartararo took the title from Joan Mir, who is also keen to respond in 2022 after a difficult championship defence.

He finished second on Sunday for the second time this year but has not won a single race and said Suzuki would have to work on a "better base".

For now, Mir was simply delighted to be back in contention on race day, saying: "Honestly, I'm so happy, I'm especially happy for this podium.

"It's not for the result, it's more for the weekend that we did. It was unbelievable. I felt so good from the first moment and I was able to be competitive from FP1.

"Then, as Pecco said, when you feel good with the bike and the base is good, everything came easily. What I needed was a weekend like this one."

Francesco Bagnaia returned to winning ways with a dominant Algarve Grand Prix victory as he closes on the end of his debut season with the Ducati factory team in top form.

Bagnaia was unable to take the MotoGP title race right down to the wire, with Fabio Quartararo clinching the championship last time out when his nearest rival retired.

But Bagnaia has undoubtedly been the form man on the grid from September onwards. Indeed, had he not crashed at the Emilia Romagna GP, the Italian would have had Quartararo firmly in his sights – the new champion went down at Turn 5 with five laps remaining on Sunday, his first error of the season.

Meanwhile, Bagnaia had continued his stunning run of poles with a fifth in succession at Portimao and, as in the first two races in that sequence, protected his position for a third win of the year.

That was enough to seal the constructors' championship for Ducati, who also moved into the lead in the teams' standings as Jack Miller joined Bagnaia on the steps.

The pair both started from the front row and Miller jumped ahead of the pole man into the first corner but then relinquished the lead.

Joan Mir caught Miller, too, while Bagnaia steadily disappeared into the distance, finishing well clear.

Mir held off Miller for his joint-best result of the year, while Alex Marquez also nipped ahead of the second Ducati man when his pace just relented slightly.

Marquez, pursuing a first podium of the year, could not keep Miller at bay, though, and a run of nine races without appearing on the steps ended for the Australian as the grand prix was prematurely brought to a close.

Home hopeful Miguel Oliveira was involved in a nasty crash with Iker Lecuona, prompting a red flag and the end of the race with more than three quarters completed. Both riders were quickly confirmed as conscious.

Fabio Quartararo is "living the dream" after becoming the first Frenchman to win the MotoGP title following an eventful Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

The 22-year-old, who is competing in just his third season, was crowned 2021 world champion after closest challenger Francesco Bagnaia crashed out of Sunday's race.

Bagnaia started from pole and was leading with five laps to go, only to come off his bike and effectively end his chances of catching Quartararo in the drivers' standings with two grands prix remaining.

Yamaha rider Quartararo still had to see out the race to pick up the three points needed to seal top spot and did that with a fourth-placed finish in Italy.

Quartararo's triumph, which ends Yamaha's six-year wait for a title, was achieved the hard way as he started the race in 15th after his worst ever qualifying session on Saturday.

He gradually made his way through the field after a slow start that saw him drop two more places, yet he was still fifth when Bagnaia crashed.

The Frenchman said on the eve of the race he expected the title battle to continue into the Grande Premio do Algarve next month and he felt the pressure at the start line.

"It was tough for me because I made a really bad start and I never experienced a MotoGP start at that far back," he said. 

"I think our front tyre pressure goes so much up [in a pack]. When I braked, I had a lot of moments almost crashing, so to be close to the podium was amazing.

"It was a new experience, and also with the pressure of the championship I was feeling really bad this morning.

"Let's say I had pain in the belly, it is the first time that I found it difficult to eat before the race, so it was a big day and we managed to be world champion.

"After this I think the weight of trying to be world champion, from now, will totally lose the pressure and I can enjoy the two last races."

Bagnaia had just stretched away from eventual race winner Marc Marquez when he crashed and cut a desolate figure at the end of the race.

The Italian, who was one of the first to congratulate Quartararo, denied losing focus with the winning line in sight and also backed the call to use hard front tyres.

That was a decision that also cost Ducati team-mate Jack Miller, who crashed early on at the same corner as Bagnaia.

"Medium for me was worse than soft; soft was already on the limit yesterday and this morning, so the hard was the correct choice," Bagnaia said.

"The only thing is with the hard you just need to push every single lap like hell, to let the tyre be hot.

"As for the crash, that was not because I lost concentration. I was pushing – it was winning or gravel, and I tried all to achieve this win.

"I'm happy about my performance. Of course I'm a bit frustrated about the result because I think we were deserving of more.

"But we just try to be always more competitive, and for next year we are for sure in a good way."

Francesco Bagnaia's gameplan will remain the same in Sunday's Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, despite Fabio Quartararo starting the race down in 15th after struggling in qualifying.

Quartararo leads Bagnaia by 52 points with three races left and will be crowned 2021 MotoGP champion this weekend should he outscore his title rival by three points.

However, the Yamaha rider has his work cut out on Sunday as tough conditions at the Misano Circuit meant he failed to qualify for Q2 for the first time in his MotoGP career.

The Frenchman's best lap would have had him in 13th, but that was voided and he now has 14 places to make up on Bagnaia if he is to come out on top.

Bagnaia had no such trouble in both qualifying sessions, setting the fastest time in both en route to claiming his fourth successive pole.

And the Ducati rider intends to pick up from where he left off by going all out for victory on Sunday and claiming a third triumph in four races to keep the title race alive.

"I was needing to push if he was starting Q2, and I have to push the same now he's 15th," Bagnaia said. 

"The only thing that I can do to leave open the title championship is to try to win tomorrow. The objective would be the same even if Fabio was starting further in front."

Quartararo has only been off the front row once this season, when starting fifth in Qatar, and he doubts the title will be won for at least another week as a result of Saturday's setback. 

"Of course it's a tough situation for me," he said. "To be honest, I have not thought about the championship, because he is P1 and I'm P13 or P15.

"But he has the pressure, it's not only me. He has the pressure to do well, and maybe he will make a mistake. I don't wish him that, but it's something that we will see.

"My feeling is that if everything is normal, we will fight [to decided the title next time] in Portimao."

The front row is dominated by Dacia as Luca Marini finished qualifying in third and Jack Miller second, the latter just 0.025 seconds behind team-mate Bagnaia.

With Quartararo so far down the grid, it sets up the possibility of Miller potentially being given room to push Bagnaia for victory.

"Nobody's said anything to me about team orders up until this point," Miller said. "It's just me as being a rider and having common sense is the main thing.

"We all want the same thing, we all want to see Ducati win, we all want to get the best for that, and at the moment Francesco is our biggest chance.

"It doesn't change anything for me. I'm there to do the best I can do. We'll see what happens in the race tomorrow, but for sure Francesco's speed around here is not doubted."

Last week's Grand Prix of the Americas winner Marc Marquez will start seventh on the grid, while Valentino Rossi is 23rd on home soil.

Qualifying results

1. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) 1:33.045
2. Jack Miller (Ducati) +0.225s
3. Luca Marini (Ducati) +0.85s
4. Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda) +0.268s
5. Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull) +0.394s
6. Franco Morbidelli (Monster Energy Yamaha) +0.481s
7. Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda) +0.805s
8. Iker Lecuona (Tech3) +0.848s
9. Danilo Petrucci (Tech3) +1.095s
10. Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) +1.642s
11. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia) +1.198s
12. Jorge Martin (Aprilia) ++51.586s

Francesco Bagnaia held off Marc Marquez in a sensational Aragon Grand Prix to claim a maiden win in MotoGP.

The Ducati rider and his Spanish rival, aiming to win on his fifth straight appearance at the track having not raced there in 2020, exchanged position several times over the course of a pulsating finish.

But the Italian, who started on pole, put on a masterclass to beat Repsol Honda rider Marquez in his own backyard to clinch an unbelievable victory and move up to second in the riders' standings.

Bagnaia finished down in 14th last time out at the British Grand Prix for his worst result in two years but he and Marquez stole a march on the chasing pack this time around.

It has been a largely disappointing season for the legendary Marquez, who missed almost the entirety of 2020 through injury, yet there were signs of his best in a thrilling chase.

Marquez made his first move at Turn 5 with three laps to go, only to go wide and allow Bagnaia to reclaim the lead.

That theme continued for the rest of the race as Marquez made several passes and on each occasion giving it back, until finally he went off track at Turn 12 allowing Bagnaia to finally claim a win in the premier class.

Defending world champion Joan Mir rounded out the podium, while riders' standings leader Fabio Quartararo finished a distant eighth but was the only Yamaha rider inside the points.

Aleix Espargaro was fourth ahead of Jack Miller, who was on course for a podium finish until a costly error midway through the race saw him lose position.

TOP 10

1. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati)
2. Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda) +0.673s
3. Joan Mir (Suzuki Ecstar) +3.911s
4. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) +9.269s
5. Jack Miller (Ducati) +11.928s
6. Enea Bastianini (Avintia) +13.757s
7. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM) +14.064s
8. Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha) +16.575s
9. Jorge Martin (Pramac Racing) +16.615s
10. Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda) +16.904s

CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS

Riders

1. Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha) 214
2. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) 161
3. Joan Mir (Suzuki Ecstar) 157
4. Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) 137
5. Jack Miller (Ducati) 129

Teams

1. Monster Energy Yamaha 309
2. Ducati 290
3. Suzuki Ecstar 225
4. Pramac Racing 212
5. Red Bull KTM 204

Francesco Bagnaia produced a "perfect lap" to seal pole position for Sunday's Aragon GP.

The Italian delivered a lap of one minute and 46.332 seconds on his second run to break the lap record at Aragon, which had stood since 2015.

Ducati team-mate Jack Miller was his nearest rival at just 0.366secs adrift, giving Ducati their first one-two in qualifying since Aragon 2018.

It marks Bagnaia's second pole of the 2021 season and the 50th for Ducati in MotoGP.

"I think it was a perfect lap," said Bagnaia. "It was great. I did a nice sector one, the sector two was incredible too and our bike in sector four helped us a lot.

"Also, entry to the last corner was incredible. I looked at the data of Jorge Martin this morning, who was doing a different line compared to me, and then I tried to do the same and I improved a lot. I didn't expect to do a lap like that."

Bagnaia has never won a MotoGP race and he is keen to avoid complacency ahead of Sunday's race at MotorLand.

"I'll just try to set my pace and be fast," he added. "It will be important what happens with the tyres after 15 or 16 laps and in the last part of the race I feel strong, we will see if I am strong enough to win.

"The important thing will be to stay with the best from start to finish.

"It’s difficult to say that I'm ready to win or that I can win, but all the things are there."

Fabio Quartararo completed the front row, extending his run of consecutive top-three qualifying results to 11 this season.

The French rider, however, does not believe he has the pace to keep up with the Ducati pair.

"I want to have fun. Of course, it would be great to fight for the podium," he said.

"But to be honest, I don't feel I have the pace, so I will try to manage the best result as possible and I will try to stay with the front guys and fight until the end.

"But right now, at least we need to make a step in the warm-up to be able to fight for the podium tomorrow.

"So, let's hope for an improvement on the warm-up."

Provisional classification

1. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) 1:46.322
2. Jack Miller (Ducati) +0.366
3. Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha) +0.397
4. Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda) +0.414
5. Jorge Martin (Pramac Racing) +0.556
6. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia) +0.561
7. Joan Mir (Suzuki Ecstar) +0.840
8. Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda) +0.872
9. Enea Bastianini (Avintia Esponsorama) +0.956
10. Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) +0.966
11. Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda) +1.044
12. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM) +1.610

Fabio Quartararo stretched his lead at the top of the MotoGP standings on Sunday with a controlled victory at the British Grand Prix.

Having qualified third at Silverstone, the Monster Energy Yamaha rider surged to the front early on and led superbly to claim an 18th podium finish in the top category, level with Christian Sarron for the most achieved by a Frenchman.

Quartararo has finished in the points for 13 consecutive races – surpassing the previous career high of 12 that he achieved in MotoGP2 in 2018 – and he now leads the championship by 65 points from Joan Mir, who climbed to second.

Valentino Rossi, chasing a double-century of podium finishes and a fifth in six races at Silverstone, finished down in 16th.

This race has turned into one dominated by Spanish riders, who have won six of the most recent 10, but the chasing cohort could not put French star Quartararo under enough pressure in overcast conditions in Northamptonshire.

Brothers Pol and Aleix Espargaro were locked in a tussle for first from the off as the former fought determinedly to avoid a third-straight outing without a points finish, something he last endured three years ago.

However, once Quartararo put his extra pace to good use on lap five and built a three-second advantage, the leader never looked under threat.

Alex Rins, winner of this race in 2019, picked off Pol Espargaro on lap eight and took second, but Suzuki Ecstar team-mate Mir could not do likewise and eventually limped through in ninth.

Aprilia celebrated their first MotoGP podium as Aleix Espargaro just held off the challenge of Jack Miller for third, the Australian at least collecting points at the British GP for just the second time.

It proved an historic race as, for the first time in MotoGP, there were six different manufacturers in the top six.

TOP 10

1. Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha)  
2. Alex Rins (Suzuki Ecstar) +2.663s
3. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia) +4.105s
4. Jack Miller (Ducati) +4.254s
5. Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda) +8.462s
6. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM) +12.189s
7. Iker Lecuona (Tech 3 KTM) +13.560s
8. Alex Marquez (LCR Honda) +14.044s
9. Joan Mir (Suzuki Ecstar) +16.226s
10. Danilo Petrucci (Tech 3 KTM) +16.287s

CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS

Riders

1. Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha) 206
2. Joan Mir (Suzuki Ecstar) 141
3. Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) 137
4. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) 136
5. Jack Miller (Ducati) 118

Teams

1. Monster Energy Yamaha 301
2. Ducati 254
3. Pramac Racing 205
4. Suzuki Ecstar 205
5. Red Bull KTM 199

Pol Espargaro will hope to be celebrating at the end of Sunday's British Grand Prix, yet the Spaniard already feels like a winner after surprising even himself by claiming pole position.

Espargaro had arrived at Silverstone after struggling in the previous two rounds of the MotoGP season in Austria, failing to score any points by recording successive 16th-place finishes.

However, the 30-year-old belied his recent lack of form with a stunning qualifying performance, securing his first pole for Repsol Honda as he squeezed out Francesco Bagnaia by just 0.022 seconds.

Jorge Martin initially appeared to have set a new fastest lap in the closing stages of the final session, only for his time to be wiped out after it was discovered he had cut the Vale chicane. He will instead start from fourth position.

Championship leader Fabio Quartararo will begin from third, but this was a memorable day for Espargaro as he looks to get back scoring points again, having not gone three in a row without collecting something since he was at KTM in 2018.

"Yeah, it's a little bit shocking after how tough Austria was, how we've been able to come back here," Espargaro said in his post-qualifying interview.

"It's difficult to believe, but there are different ways to take these bad moments – in a sad way, or in an angry way. We opted to take the second option.

"I tried to be every day a little bit better. I’ve been working so much, but unluckily the results were not coming.

"Here, everything is coming much easier. Sure, the track, the weather is cold, the extra grip we have in this track gives me the feelings, I have to apply my riding style and maybe to forget a little the problems we have in the pit box with the bike.

"Also, this place has been good to Honda in the past years, so let's enjoy today. Today this pole felt like a victory."

Quartararo admitted the choice of soft tyres had initially caused him some issues on Saturday, though he was happy enough after a switch helped him achieve his target in qualifying.

"Today I've been struggling so much with the soft tyre," the Frenchman, who is the only MotoGP rider to claim points in every race so far this season, told the media. "I was not feeling great on the bike, but with the medium tyre I was immediately feeling better.

"I was struggling so much in acceleration. The main goal was to be on the front row, and we will not touch anymore the soft tyre. I’m happy about my pace – and also the tyres."

Marc Marquez and Aleix Espargaro join Martin on the second row, while Valentino Rossi, who has finished on the podium in four of his five most recent appearances at the British GP, ended up in eighth, sandwiched between Jack Miller and Johann Zarco.

Joan Mir, meanwhile, has work to do from 11th place. The reigning world champion sits level with Bagnaia in second place in the standings on 134 points, 47 adrift of leader Quartararo.