Pole position, 1m 40.893s (Record)

Honda MotoGP rider quotes
Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda: pole position, 1m 40.893s

I am very happy, because we put in a great lap and took a great qualifying time. It was a fantastic pole position for me. We also broke the circuit record and were able to do so in front of the home fans. I am also happy about improving our race pace, as this is the most important thing. We hope to put on a good show tomorrow and take full advantage of the front row start.

Alvaro Bautista, Team GO&FUN Honda Gresini: 4th, 1m 41.714s

Today we have to be happy because we got really close to the front row of the grid for tomorrow’s race. I immediately felt good with the soft tires for qualifying and I was able to push with conviction. We made several tests to evaluate the durability of the tires for the race because this will be the biggest problem for everyone. In qualifying we went back to yesterday’s set-up because the other ideas we tried in practice didn’t give me confidence. Tomorrow will be a very tough race but my starting position is good and so I’ll exploit it to try and stay with the leaders. Tyre management will be crucial for a good result.

Marc Marquez, Repsol Honda: 6th, 1m 41.842s

I am fairly happy and satisfied, because we achieved our objective of getting onto either the first or second row. In the morning I felt more comfortable, with the track temperatures lower than in the afternoon. When they rose sharply, we had more problems. Despite this, I think that we have done a good job. We will try to test out a few things in the warm-up tomorrow and see if we can gain a little more confidence when the track is hotter.

Stefan Bradl, LCR Honda MotoGP: 10th, 1m 42.090s

Obviously this is a disappointing qualifying for us as we were expecting a second-row start. We missed some time and I lapped all alone for the whole session, which is unusual for the new 15-minute system. We changed the plan a bit during the session – I did three laps on the first tire and second on the second tire, missing a few tenths to make the second row. It’s not the end of the world anyway because we should be able to do a good race tomorrow. Over race distance our potential is higher than what we showed today, so I still feel very confident.

Bryan Staring, GO&FUN Honda Gresini: 22nd, 1m 45.441s

I have made some progress but not enough to get higher up the grid. I was struggling for grip in the fast corners, where I found cornering difficult. After the progress this morning I expected a bigger step forward, but it didn’t happen.

Moto2 rider quotes
Pol Espargaro, Tuenti HP40 Pons: pole position, 1m 46.410s

I’m especially happy because this really is my home race – I live only five kilometres away, so it’s very special to get pole here. I need a good race tomorrow to recuperate some points on Scott, so we need to finish the weekend well, doing a good job and staying focused.

Scott Redding ,Marc VDS Racing Team: 2nd, 1m 47.029s

I’m happy, but also a little frustrated, because we had an issue with the engine during qualifying. The speed just wasn’t there and I was struggling to pass slower riders out of the slipstream on the straight. It meant I had to out brake them into turn one instead and that cost me time. The tires were dropping off after just three or four laps, which meant the rear was spinning up hard instead of driving forward. We need to have a little look tonight to see if we can find something more for tomorrow, but to be on the front row to keep the pressure on means I’m pretty happy with today.

Esteve Rabat, Tuenti HP 40 Pons: 3rd, 1m 47.076s

I’m very happy to be on the front row here at home, but we made a mistake during qualifying. We had one good tire but we didn’t choose the right one. The main thing for tomorrow is that we have a good rhythm, but we could’ve done a better job today.

Honda Moto3 Rider quotes
Isaac Vinales, Bimbo Ongetta-Centro Seta: 7th, 1m 51.966s

I am very pleased with the work done during these days. Being the fastest yesterday afternoon was very good and I am happy also to have achieved seventh place in training today. I feel like I’m giving everything and I hope for a good start tomorrow so I can fight with the front group. We have to work even more on our acceleration, but otherwise I’m very comfortable. The team is working very well since the start of the season – being the first Honda was one of our goals and what we have achieved today. I am milliseconds apart from rivals like Efren Vazquez and Marquez, so tomorrow will be a fun race if I can fight with them. Being in the top five would be great, but a top-ten score would also be a good result for me.

Jack Miller, Caretta Technology – RTG: 8th, 1m 52.060s

I was lacking a slipstream – everyone was getting them off me and I got none. You try and get one from another rider and they sit up and then follow you! The handling is pretty good, though we’ve got a bit of chatter that we’ll try to get rid of. We should be right with the tires – hard front and medium rear, the hard rear is a bit slippery. I think we can slipstream the KTMs on the straight in the race, so we’ll be good enough to fight with them.

Niccolo Antonelli, GO&FUN Gresini: 9th, 1m 52.105s

This qualifying was not so bad, but of course we would like to have been a row further forward. The race will be long and difficult in these conditions. If I can get a good start I think I will be able to run with a fast group and then we will see what happens in the last few laps.