SPIELBERG, Austria (Reuters) – World championship leader Jorge Martin of Prima Pramac Racing set a lap record to take pole position ahead of twice MotoGP champion Francesco Bagnaia at the Austrian Grand Prix in Spielberg on Saturday.
The Spaniard, who leads Bagnaia by three points in the championship standings, finished top with a time of one minute 27.748 seconds at the Red Bull Ring.
Martin, nursing a minor finger injury, will have the chance to stretch his lead in Saturday’s sprint.
Bagnaia set the second-fastest time after dominating practice on Friday, with six-times MotoGP champion Marc Marquez, who is fourth in the championship, completing the front row.
Aleix Espargaro was fourth quickest, with Jack Miller, Maverick Vinales and Enea Bastianini in fifth, sixth and seventh, respectively.
(Reporting by Pearl Josephine Nazare in Bengaluru; editing by Clare Fallon)
