With the way, record of the circuit of Silverstone at the key, Zarco took the pole. He will start on Sunday (2:00 p.m. French time) ahead of Spaniard Maverick Vinales (Aprilia) and Australian Jack Miller (Ducati).
Before this 12th round out of 20, Zarco is 3rd in the championship, 58 points behind his compatriot Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha), who will start 4th on the grid.
The Italian Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati), 4th in the championship, and the Spaniard Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia), 2nd with 21 points from the Frenchman, will then be found in the second row.
This is the second time this season that Zarco has set the fastest time in qualifying, the 8th pole position in six premier class seasons for the 32-year-old from Cannes.
A real rocket. On his Ducati, in 1 min 57 sec and 767/1000e, he smashed the old circuit record held by Marc Marquez (1:58.168) - the Spaniard still recovering after his new arm operation.
One of the most experienced riders in the discipline, Zarco is still looking for his first victory in the elite of motorcycle speed.
With already four podiums in 2022 and four in 2021, the double world champion in the Moto2 category (2015, 2016) is getting closer... and yet, his 13th place in the Netherlands at the end of June shows him all the way to go. to browse.
Since then, he has been able to recharge the batteries and above all to perfect his preparation during the five-week summer break.
- The Espargaro warrior -
He will first have to be wary of himself on Sunday to avoid falling, having already fallen twice since the first free practice on Friday.
It will also be necessary to keep the armada of competitors in its exhausts.
Quartararo, winner here last year on the road to his first world title, could threaten him from the start. The defending champion wants to bounce back after his two falls and his abandonment in Assen, the first this season for him.
Sanctioned for having hit Aleix Espargaro in the Netherlands, "Quarta" will have to perform a "long lap" penalty, a detour to be taken once during the first three laps.
The Yamaha rider has practiced taking this long turn several times, so that in the race this penalty is as painless as possible. If he will inevitably lose time, he will also have to take care of his return to the normal trajectory without crossing an opponent.
Especially since his runner-up in the Espargaro championship could still be around, since he starts in 6th place.
We will have to see how the Spaniard recovers, who just before qualifying suffered a heavy fall during the fourth practice session.
Espargaro was thrown off his motorcycle while gliding into a fast corner. Evacuated on a stretcher, the 33-year-old driver got up, visibly stunned, to join the medical center of the circuit, limping and supported by two people.
Despite this impressive high-speed "high-side", he was declared fit to continue. Like a warrior, he put on the helmet again, the leather, to go back to battle. First in the hard, he then set the best provisional time, making the public stand up, before seeing his time beaten.
