Ducati Sporting Club UK > News Items > Ducati Press Releases > Front row start for Jack Miller, third in qualifying for the French GP

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MotoGP | Round 5 - French GP 2021 | Saturday 15 May 2021

Front row start for Jack Miller, third in qualifying for the French GP. Pecco Bagnaia will start from the sixth row in tomorrow's race at Le Mans

Jack Miller will start from the front row, from third position, in tomorrow's French GP at the Bugatti Circuit of Le Mans.

As he was seventh overall, at the end of FP3, with the fastest time set yesterday during the only dry session, Jack moved straight into Q2, where he could cope well with the unpredictable weather and difficult track conditions. With the track partly dry and partly wet, after the light rain that fell just before Q1, Miller went out first on wet tyres to then return into the garage after just one lap to switch to his second Desmosedici GP with slick tyres. Fast right from the start, the Australian set the third-fastest time in 1:32.704, securing the front row, despite a few drops of rain had started to fall again towards the end of the session.

It was an unlucky day for Pecco Bagnaia, who will start tomorrow's race from the sixth row of the grid. Due to the rain that fell this morning in FP3, the Italian couldn't improve his best lap time from yesterday and ended the free practices twelfth overall, which forced him to take part in Q1 this afternoon. In qualifying, rain disrupted the session again, and Bagnaia had to settle for sixth, which eventually put him sixteenth on the starting grid for tomorrow's French GP.

Jack Miller (#43 Ducati Lenovo Team) - 3rd (1:32.704)
"Just before Q2, the sun came out, so we decided to keep one of the bikes in full dry configuration. I went out first on wet tyres, but I soon realized that the track was almost dry, so I came back in as quickly as possible to change my bike. The conditions here are really unpredictable, and you have to try and make the most of all the opportunities. In fact, just before I set my fastest lap, it started raining again! Starting from the front row is really important, considering that it will probably rain tomorrow. Anyway, we're ready to face the race in whatever weather conditions".

Francesco Bagnaia (#63 Ducati Lenovo Team) - 16th (1:43.530)
"After a good session in the wet this morning, I wasn't able to repeat myself in Q1 this afternoon. In qualifying, we made a wrong tyre choice and unfortunately, I didn't have time to come back in and change it. Today it went like this and, as always, tomorrow we will try to fight for the best possible result in the race".

The Ducati Lenovo Team will be back on track tomorrow at 10 am (CEST) for the warm-up before tackling the race of the French GP on a 27-lap distance at 2 pm local time.