(Reuters) – Fabio Quartararo clinched a second consecutive pole position for Petronas Yamaha at the Andalusian Grand Prix in Jerez on Saturday, while Repsol Honda confirmed defending champion Marc Marquez would not be risked as he recovers from a broken arm.
Frenchman Quartararo finished with a time of one minute 37.007 seconds and will start at the front of the grid. Yamaha’s Spaniard Maverick Vinales set a faster time but saw it scrapped because he exceeded the track limits by inches at turn seven.
Francesco Bagnaia of the Pramac Ducati team completes the front row, while his Italian compatriot and former champion Valentino Rossi made it a good day for Yamaha by clinching fourth on the grid.
Marc Marquez, who was declared fit to race after surgery on a broken arm he sustained in the Spanish Grand Prix last weekend, did not complete his out lap in the first session and returned to the pits before walking into the team’s garage.
Marquez did not return to qualifying and the team later confirmed that he would not take part in Sunday’s race either.
“We won’t take any more risks,” Honda boss Alberto Puig said after the qualifying session. “Marc won’t race tomorrow.”
Honda’s weekend got worse when Alex Marquez crashed at turn five in the first session. He walked away from the crash and was seen clutching his right arm but the team said he avoided serious injury.
(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Ken Ferris)
