Pramac rider Martin posted a sensational 1m50.789s flying lap on his first run in Saturday’s afternoon qualifying session to take the spot by 0.083 seconds over the Aprilia of Aleix Espargaro.
The Spanish rider, runner-up in the championship to Francesco Bagnaia last year, was on course to better his time on his final effort but his lap was cancelled due to yellow flags deployed in response to a crash for KTM’s Brad Binder.
