Complications throughout the day left Pol Espargaro and Stefan Bradl chasing fast laps until the final moments of qualifying, earning just 18th and 21st on the grid.
Both Repsol Honda Team riders were aiming for much more on Saturday at the British GP having spent Friday getting up to speed after the break. Unfortunately, Pol Espargaro and Stefan Bradl found themselves hindered at critical moments during the day.
Constantly looking for more from the RC213V, Espargaro spent the day working diligently to improve. During the crucial Q1 session, a small technical problem on his first run and a near highside later limited what Espargaro was able to achieve. Unable to recreate his pole time from 2021, the #44 will line up 18th on the grid, promoted a position due to the penalty of his teammate. He is confident of gaining some ground with his race pace.
Stefan Bradl qualified as the fastest Repsol Honda Team rider for the first time in 2022 as his speed continues to build with more bike time. Although 18th on the grid is not the position, he nor the Repsol Honda Team are aiming for, it did show progress and improvements. A post-session penalty saw the German demoted three places down to 21st.
The twelfth race of the 2022 MotoGP season is scheduled to begin at 13:00 Local Time, directly after the Moto3 race. At 20 laps, it’s set to be a long race around the 5.9-kilometre long circuit and both Bradl and Espargaro will be looking to make every corner count as they plot their comeback.