Espargaro takes pole as Quartararo only 16th

Light rain prior to the start of the Q2 session turned qualifying on its head, with the sprinkling continuing as the riders headed out on track for the pole shootout.

In a Q2 session that saw provisional pole change hands 14 times across 15 minutes, Aprilia’s Espargaro nailed his final run to be one of the last across the line to start his last lap while conditions were at their best to produce a 1m37.216s.

This secured Espargaro pole by 0.221 seconds from KTM’s Jack Miller, while Pramac Ducati’s Jorge Martin completed the top three for the sprint race and grand prix.

Ducati’s Francesco Bagnaia salvaged a trip through Q1 to qualify fifth behind fellow Q1 graduate Brad Binder for KTM.

Q1 was a tight affair as several big hitters in the form of Bagnaia, championship leader Marco Bezzecchi and Yamaha’s Quartararo vied for a place in the pole shootout.

Bagnaia had hoped to get through Q1 on just a single soft tyre, but was forced to fit a second after ending his first run in fifth.

The Ducati rider rallied to end the session with a 1m36.493s to lead Binder, while Bezzecchi was denied a place in Q2 by just 0.037s.

Having sat second in the early stages of Q1, Quartararo’s struggles on the Yamaha continued through the session and a 1m37.072s was only good enough for 16th – his worst MotoGP qualifying result at Jerez, his previous low a second in 2022.

As Q1 came to a close, light spots of rain started to fall as cracks of thunder reverberated around the Jerez area.

As Q2 got underway, all but Alex Marquez on the Gresini Ducati and Binder ventured out on slick tyres for a look at the conditions.

This proved to be the best tyre to be on as the rain eventually eased, with Miller setting the early pace on his KTM with a 1m43.003s.

Upon his switch to slicks, Marquez eased into the lead with a 1m42.675s, which he improved to a 1m41.682s.

With six minutes of the 15-minute Q2 remaining, the timing screens exploded with fastest sector times as conditions continued to improve.

Across the final six minutes, pole changed hands 12 times, with Espargaro the best of the bunch on his final lap with a 1m37.216s.

Jorge Martin, Pramac Racing

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

This bested Miller, who seconds earlier put in a 1m37.437s to go top, with the Australian settling for second ahead of Martin, Binder and Bagnaia.

KTM wildcard Dani Pedrosa sat…